Posted on 07/30/2022 7:43:34 PM PDT by BenLurkin
Artemis 1 team must meet a variety of checkouts and other milestones to make it happen. Indeed, Aug. 29 is just one of three "placeholder" dates in an upcoming Artemis 1 launch window, along with Sept. 2 and Sept. 5...
Artemis 1 will be the first mission in NASA's Artemis program of lunar exploration, which aims to establish a permanent human presence on and around the moon by the late 2020s. It will be the first flight for the powerful but long-delayed SLS and the second for Orion, which aced a quick test flight to Earth orbit back in 2014.
NASA has been gearing up for Artemis 1 for months now. For example, the agency rolled the SLS-Orion stack out to Launch Complex 39B at Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida in mid-March, two weeks ahead of a "wet dress rehearsal," a crucial series of tests that included a simulated launch countdown and fueling of the SLS.
Technical issues scuttled that attempt, however, and the Artemis 1 stack was rolled off the pad and back to KSC's Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) in late April to make some repairs.
Those fixes took about a month. The SLS and Orion were rolled back out to the pad in early June for another crack at the wet dress, which began on June 18. Technicians noticed a hydrogen leak during fueling operations on June 20 but were able to work past it, and mission team members ultimately declared the rehearsal a success.
(Excerpt) Read more at space.com ...
And spend it on what, gender studies for Pez149? Knock it off.
Years late and billions over budget.
I give it a 1 in 35 chance of reaching orbit. Even less for a TLB insertion.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.