The Artemis team had time to review the data collected from the successful fourth attempt of the final test taken on Monday and decided no more wet training was needed. The test simulates each stage of the launch without the rocket leaving the launch pad at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
“During wet training activities, we’ve expanded our understanding of how rockets and ground systems work together, and our teams are adept at multi-site launch procedures,” said Tom Whitmaier, NASA’s Associate Deputy Administrator for Joint Exploration and Systems Development. , in the current situation.
“We have completed the training phase and everything we have learned will help us launch through our target launch period.”
Monday’s test involved loading all four missile tanks with supercooled propellant, completing a countdown and emptying the missile tanks. Hydrogen leakage and other issues that came up during testing prevented the team from getting too far by counting down twice As planned.
However, the team concluded that the test attempts had met nearly all of their pre-launch goals.
“We had only 13 of the 128 orbits that we requested and planned for in the latest release, but they were not completed successfully,” Phil Weber, director of technical integration for NASA’s Earth Exploration Systems Program, said at a news conference Friday.
“And we looked at those details in detail, and it turns out that most of them have already been validated in previous tests.”
Later Friday, engineers will test the hydraulic booster unit while the missile is still on the launch pad, a part that was not included in Monday’s test.
According to a NASA statement, “the units contain hydrazine-powered turbines attached to pumps that apply pressure to rotate the booster nozzles used to guide the rocket during takeoff.”
Friday night test It’s not required, said John Blevins, chief engineer for NASA’s Space Launch System program, but engineers want to get the system up and running quickly to reduce the risk of future failure.
Next week, the Artemis team will return the 98m Space Launch System and the Orion spacecraft to the Vehicle Assembly Building. The stack will remain in the building for six to eight weeks for repairs and launch preparations.
The engineers developed a plan to achieve the ultimate goals, such as replacing the seal to deal with the liquid hydrogen leak at the time. Cliff Lanham, senior director of vehicle operations for NASA’s Earth Exploration Systems Program, said the team will also test and install fireworks for flight containment systems.
I will be launching an Artemis I drone on a mission beyond the Moon and back to Earth. This mission will launch NASA’s Artemis program, which is expected to return humans to the moon by 2025 and land the first woman and first people of color on the moon.
“The team continues to impress me with their creative thinking and creativity,” said Charlie Blackwell Thompson, Artemis launch director at Kennedy. “Our Artemis launch team worked quickly to adapt to the dynamics of the fuel loading operations. With every milestone and every test, we are one step closer to launch.”
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