Thu, Sep 01, 2022
Teams Were Not Able To Chill Down The Four RS-25 Engines To Approximately Minus 420 Degrees F On First Attempt
Well... few expected to see the Artemis test flight launch on their 'first' try and odds are not particularly good for attempt number 2, but... NASA will target Saturday, Sept. 3 at 1417 EDT, the beginning of a two-hour window, for the launch of Artemis I -- the 'first integrated test' of NASA’s Orio1n spacecraft, Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, and the ground systems at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
Mission managers met Tuesday to discuss data and develop a forward plan to address issues that arose during an Aug. 29 launch attempt for the flight test. During that launch attempt, teams were not able to chill down the four RS-25 engines to approximately minus 420 degrees F, with engine 3 showing higher temperatures than the other engines. Teams also saw a hydrogen leak on a component of the tail service mast umbilical quick disconnect, called the purge can, and managed the leak by manually adjusting propellant flow rates.
In the coming days, teams will modify and practice propellant loading procedures to follow a procedure similar to what was successfully performed during the Green Run at NASA’s Stennis Space Center in Mississippi. The updated procedures would perform the chilldown test of the engines, also called the kick start bleed test, about 30 to 45 minutes earlier in the countdown during the liquid hydrogen fast fill liquid phase for the core stage.
Teams also are configuring platforms at Launch Pad 39B to enable engineers access to the purge can on the tail service mast umbilical. Once access is established, technicians will perform assessments and torque connection points where necessary.
Meteorologists with the U.S. Space Force Space Launch Delta 45 predict favorable weather conditions for Saturday. While rain showers are expected, they are predicted to be sporadic during the launch window.
The mission management team will reconvene Thursday to review data and overall readiness.
More News
From 2014 (YouTube Version): Innovative Aerodynamic Technologies Produce Game-Changing Results At the NBAA 2013 convention, ANN CEO and Editor-In-Chief, Jim Campbell had a chance t>[...]
“This plan opens insurance options to a much wider variety of Canadian aviators across the country who have otherwise had more challenges with securing insurance coverage... >[...]
Taxi The movement of an airplane under its own power on the surface of an airport (14 CFR section 135.100 [Note]). Also, it describes the surface movement of helicopters equipped w>[...]
Aero Linx: The Vertical Flight Society (VFS) The Vertical Flight Society, formerly the American Helicopter Society, is the non-profit technical society for the advancement of verti>[...]
Also: Sustainable Aircraft Test Put Aside, More Falcon 9 Ops, Wyoming ANG Rescue, Oreo Cookie Into Orbit Joby Aviation has reason to celebrate, recently completing its first full t>[...]
Classic Aero-TV: Active Winglets -- Tamarack Aerospace Partners with Cessna
See All