NASA's daring Artemis 1 'Red Crew' saved the day for the launch to the moon. Here's how.

space.com ^ | Brett Tingley

[BenLurkin]

Annis and the other two members of the crew, Billy Cairns and Chad Garrett, were sent to the mobile launch platform at the base of SLS to tighten down "packing nuts," hardware that helps form a tight seal on the replenishment valves through which liquid hydrogen was pumped into the Artemis 1 moon rocket's core stage after the main tanking procedure. Because hydrogen is such a small molecule, it manages to find its way out of even the tightest seals, meaning NASA has to keep replenishing the hydrogen fuel tanks throughout the launch countdown even after main fueling procedures have been completed.

With Artemis 1's launch window ticking away on Tuesday night (Nov. 15), Cairns, Garrett and Annis arrived at the mobile launch platform(opens in new tab) underneath the highly dangerous SLS vehicle at 10:12 p.m. EST (0312 GMT on Nov. 16) to stop the leak — and fast — or risk losing this launch opportunity. Once at the platform, the crew discovered that the packing nuts were "visibly loose," according to a statement by launch commentator Derrol Nail on NASA TV's media channel.

Luckily, with nerves seemingly made of steel, the Red Crew performed admirably, tightening the nuts and enabling the Artemis 1 launch countdown to resume.

[rxsid]

How is that camera crew "breathing" on the surface of the moon? :)

Some interesting information here...

Apollo landing sites: An observer's guide on how to spot them on the moon

And...

Space Act Calls for Protection of Apollo 11 Landing Site

The Apollo 11 landing site, Tranquility Base, as seen from orbit by NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter. (Image credit: NASA/GSFC/Arizona State via collectSPACE.com)

[PIF]

Is it THAT much better as a rocket fuel over other methods?

—
No - ask SpaceX.

[PIF]

Sabotage.

—

Nah - it was lunch break for the packing nut tighteners and after they went off to do something else and never got back. Just typical shoddy workmanship.

[nascarnation]

“We left it on the carryover sheet for afternoon shift”

[PIF]

Or are there people around who believe that the parody video about the “Negro Space Program” is a true story?

—
Not now, but it will be ...

[Red Badger]

Is it a union shop?....................

[NorthMountain]

Is it THAT much better as a rocket fuel over other methods?

"Specific Impulse" is a measure of how efficiently a rocket converts fuel to thrust. Liquid hydrogen + liquid oxygen has the highest specific impulse of any known chemical rocket fuel. It has been used successfully in many launch vehicles, but LH2 is a huge pain-in-the-ass to work with. In using it, you trade ass-pain for efficiency.

[PIF]

Young folks seem mystified when I tell them
—
Young folks are mystified by almost anything made, done or happened before they were born.

[PIF]

Square pegs get pounded down - conform of else. Leave original thought to your betters who will tell you want to do and how high to jump.

[mazz44]

Bingo!

[PIF]

probably - what government work is not unionized?

[Red Badger]

Union workers have been known to sabotage jobs just to create more work ........................

[Yossarian]

If you have to do something daring to simply launch, you’re doing it wrong.

Agreed. Nobody should have to put their life at risk for a government program, short of war.

[Jonah Hex]

Dittos on the irritating giggly chatterboxes, I missed listening to Walter Cronkite on pre-launch. Uncle Walt may have been a liberal, but at least he focused on the story and delivered it with gravitas.

[ProtectOurFreedom]

That’s all good and well until the BIG BOOM! Then we’ll have giggly Valley Girl commentators blaming it on the evil white men in the back engineering rooms who didn’t listen to their betters.

[ProtectOurFreedom]

Plus, Cronkite would bring on the Big Guns like Werner von Braun to speak to the audience like they weren’t idiots.

[PIF]

giggly Valley Girls often rise to high positions - ask Kameltoe.

[PIF]

Why do you suppose it takes do long fore a government rocket to launch? Its the “sweep slower” boys.

[Red Badger]

My wife’s nephew quit a plum county road department government job in rural Georgia because he said all they do all day is ride around in trucks all over the county and BS................

[Mr. K]

visibly loose nuts?????? (skipping the childish humor)
ARE THEY NUTS???

How does a ship make it to the launch pad like that?

What ELSE is not tightened down and will kill people...???