Artemis I: Still Looking for a Window

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Credit: The Plain Dealer

According to Artemis blog, NASA is looking at a new Artemis I launch date of either September 23 or September 27. The blog states NASA has requested the following launch periods: 

  • Sept 23: Two-hour launch window opens at 6:47 a.m. EDT; landing on Oct. 18 
  • Sept. 27: 70-minute launch window opens at 11:37 a.m.; landing on Nov. 5 

Someone needs to update NASA’s Artemis I web-page, which as of today still shows a September 3, 2022 launch date.

Success is key for NASA to keep the momentum. Before the planned September 3rd launch, The Economist magazine (paper version) had an article titled “A Flying Turkey,” with the subtitle “The Space Launch System is yesterday’s rocket, powered by yesterday’s technology and brought about by yesterday’s thinking.” In addition to listing the Frankenstein approach used to cobble together a mission that makes reusable components non-reusable, it highlighted the ugly politics out of Alabama under Senator Shelby, calling the rocket system the “Senate Launch System.” The only endearing qualities of the Artemis missions appeared to be the commercial components under the last Artemis phase utilizing commercial partners.

This criticism is not new, but it will continue while NASA struggles to get Artemis I underway. We have already skipped out on the Moon for the last 50 years. Let’s get our heads back in the game!

Pic of the Week: Spiraling Optical Illusion

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Image (Credit): Two spiral galaxies about 1 billion light-years away captured by the Hubble. (European Space Agency)

This week’s fascinating image from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope shows what appears to be two colliding spiral galaxies. A cropped version is shown below to highlight the colors. Here is more from ESA:

The two galaxies, which have the uninspiring names SDSS J115331 and LEDA 2073461, lie more than a billion light-years from Earth. Despite appearing to collide in this image, the alignment of the two galaxies is likely just by chance — the two are not actually interacting. While these two galaxies might simply be ships that pass in the night, Hubble has captured a dazzling array of interacting galaxies in the past.

A Fitting Tribute to Nichelle Nichols

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Credit: Celestis

United Launch Alliance has announced that it will be sending the remains of Nichelle Nichols, also known as Star Trek’s Lt. Uhura, into space on a Vulcan Centaur rocket later this year in conjunction with the Celestis memorial program. About 150 memorial capsules in all with be part of what is named the “Enterprise Flight” (see the mission logo above). Others joining Ms. Nichols’ capsule include capsules for Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry and his wife, as well as James Doohan, who played Scotty on the original Star Trek series.

The Enterprise Flight will launch from Cape Canaveral in Florida, with the capsules going more that 250 million miles into space. The Celestis website notes that more missions are being planned and memorial prices start at $2,495. However, if you want to be on the same flight as Lt. Uhura, prices start at $12,500 and you need to make your reservation by September 15th.

Mr. Roddenberry and others have been similarly honored as part of NASA’s space program. For instance, back in 1992 the remains of Gene Roddenberry were carried into space on Space Shuttle Columbia and later returned to Earth. It is not clear whether these same remains are now part of the Celestis mission. And let’s not forget the Carl Sagan Memorial Station on Mars, named back in 1997 (see below).

Image (Credit): NASA Mars Pathfinder mission site on Mars named the Carl Sagan Memorial Station. (NASA)

Artemis I: Failure is Not an Option

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Image (Credit): Artemis I mission awaiting launch on September 3, 2022. (NASA)

This is the mission status from 11:22 am today:

The launch director waived off today’s Artemis I launch attempt at approximately 11:17 a.m. EDT. Teams encountered a liquid hydrogen leak while loading the propellant into the core stage of the Space Launch System rocket.  Multiple troubleshooting efforts to address the area of the leak by reseating a seal in the quick disconnect where liquid hydrogen is fed into the rocket did not fix the issue. Engineers are continuing to gather additional data.

An early September launch is not possible, so here are the future launch windows that NASA can consider:

September 19 – October 4 

  • 14 launch opportunities 
  • No launch availability on Sept. 29 and Sept. 30

October 17 – October 31 

  • 11 launch opportunities 
  • No launch availability on October 24, 25, 26, and 28 

November 12 – November 27 (preliminary) 

  • 12 launch opportunities 
  • No launch availability on November 20, 21, and 26 

December 9 – December 23 (preliminary) 

  • 11 launch opportunities 
  • No launch availability on December 10, 14, 18, and 23 

Artemis 1: Ready for Launch

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Image (Credit): Lightening striking the Artemis I launch pad on August 27, 2022. (NASA)

Even after thunderstorms threatened the Artemis I launchpad over the weekend, everything is still a go for tomorrow’s scheduled launch at 8:33 am EDT of NASA’s Space Launch System rocket.

This NASA video shows you the entire plan for the Artemis I unmanned mission around the Moon. A few mission facts from the NASA site are also provided below.

Mission Facts:

  • Launch date: Aug. 29, 2022
  • Mission duration: 42 days, 3 hours, 20 minutes
  • Total distance traveled: 1.3 million miles
  • Re-entry speed: 24,500 mph (Mach 32)
  • Splashdown: Oct. 10, 2022

Now all we can do it await the new day.

Update: Given some engine problems Monday morning, it appears we will need to wait a little longer for this launch. The next window is September 2nd if NASA is ready. We have waited this long, so a few more days will not matter too much. I think the dummies on board are pretty patient.

Image (Credit): Artemis I mission patch. (NASA)