Page 17 - Nasa

NASA delays Artemis I launch for third time due to potential hurricane

NASA is skipping next week's launch attempt of its new moon rocket because of a tropical storm that's expected to become a major hurricane. It's the third delay in the past month for the lunar-orbiting test flight featuring mannequins but no astronauts, a follow-up to NASA's Apollo moon-landing programme of a half-century ago. Hydrogen fuel leaks and other technical issues caused the previous scrubs. Currently churning in the Caribbean, Tropical Storm Ian is expected to become a hurricane by Monday and slam into Florida's Gulf coast by Thursday. The entire state, however, is in the cone showing the probable path of the storm's center including NASA's Kennedy Space Centre. Given the forecast uncertainties, NASA decided Saturday to forgo Tuesday's planned launch attempt and instead prepare the 322-foot (98-metre) rocket for a possible return to its hangar. Managers will decide Sunday whether to haul it off the launch pad. If the rocket remains at the pad, NASA could try for an Oct

NASA again readies Artemis I Moon mission, troubleshoots hydrogen leak

The US space agency has once again readied its Artemis I moon mission and met all objectives, including the key hydrogen leak threat which has resulted in two failure attempts.

NASA's new moon rocket hit by fuel leaks in test ahead of final launch

NASA's new moon rocket sprouted more fuel leaks Wednesday in a test ahead of a possible launch attempt next week, but engineers managed to get them down to acceptable levels. There was no immediate word on whether NASA would try for a liftoff Tuesday given the sporadic nature of the hydrogen leaks, which have bedeviled the launch team for months. "Leaving a lot of folks scratching their heads on this one," said Launch Control's Derrol Nail. The daylong demo had barely begun when hazardous hydrogen fuel began escaping at the same place and same time as before, despite new seals and other repairs. Engineers halted the flow and warmed the lines in hopes of plugging the leak, and proceeded with the test. But the leak persisted before dropping to acceptable levels. Hours later, another leak cropped up elsewhere. Nail said all test objectives were met. But managers need to review the results before determining whether the 98-metre rocket is ready for its first test flight, a lunar-orbiti

NASA Artemis I: Fuel seals repaired, likely to launch moon rocket on Sep 23

NASA had to scrub two launch attempts as the rocket experienced technical glitches, including a fuel leak

Nasa's Hubble findings may provide insights into formation of Universe

Stars are the machines that sculpt the universe, yet scientists don't fully know how they form

After delay, NASA shortlists two dates for Artemis moon mission launch

But there are still several things that could stand in the way of getting the Artemis I mission off the ground, any of which could push the launch date back further

Elon Musk throws a solution for Nasa's Artemis 1 mission to moon

As NASA scrubbed the Artemis 1 uncrewed mission to the Moon once again, Elon Musk on Sunday came up with a suggestion for the ailing mission that will finally land astronauts on the lunar surface

NASA not to go for Artemis I launch in early Sep after 2 failed attempts

The US space agency has decided not to attempt the launch of the Artemis I Moon mission in early September as the teams were reviewing options after two failed attempts

Fuel leak disrupts NASA's second shot at launching moon rocket Artemis I

NASA's new moon rocket sprang another hazardous leak Saturday, as the launch team began fuelling it for liftoff on a test flight that must go well before astronauts climb aboard. For the second time this week, the launch team began loading nearly 1 million gallons of fuel into the 322-foot rocket, the most powerful ever built by NASA. Monday's attempt was halted by a bad engine sensor and leaking fuel. As the sun rose, an over-pressure alarm sounded and the tanking operation was briefly halted, but no damage occurred and the effort resumed, NASA's Launch Control reported. But minutes later, hydrogen fuel began leaking from the engine section at the bottom of the rocket. NASA halted the operation, while engineers scrambled to plug what was believed to be a gap around a seal. The countdown clocks continued ticking toward an afternoon liftoff; NASA had two hours Saturday to get the rocket off. NASA wants to send the crew capsule atop the rocket around the moon, pushing it to the li

NASA captures 1st direct image of exoplanet outside our solar system

The exoplanet is about six to 12 times the mass of Jupiter, and these observations could help narrow that down even further

NASA, Axiom Space signs pact for sending private astronauts to ISS in 2023

NASA and American space infrastructure developer Axiom Space have signed a pact for the second private astronaut mission to the International Space Station, to take place in the second quarter of 2023

UAE, NASA missions find 'patchy' proton auroras in Mars atmosphere

The United Arab Emirate's Mars Mission (EMM) and NASA's MAVEN probe have found "patchy" proton auroras in Mars' skies, providing new insights into the red planet's atmosphere. An aurora is a natural light display in a planet's sky, predominantly seen in high-latitude regions such as the northern lights, or the aurora borealis, seen from the Earth. The new aurora found by the team is formed when the solar wind directly impacts Mars' upper atmosphere and emits ultraviolet light as it slows down. It was discovered in snapshots of the dayside disk obtained by the Emirates Mars Ultraviolet Spectrometer (EMUS), which observes the planet's upper atmosphere. When the aurora occurs, small regions of the planet become much brighter, signifying intense localised energy in the atmosphere. "Our discovery of these patchy proton aurora adds a new kind of event to the long list of those currently studied by EMM and challenges our existing views of how the proton aurora on Mars' dayside are formed

The many questions Artemis will answer as humans look to Mars via moon

Parked near the moon, how do they eat, breathe, cope with isolation, radiation?

NASA to make another attempt of launching Artemis Moon Rocket on Saturday

NASA will try again Saturday to launch its new moon rocket on a test flight, after engine trouble halted the first countdown this week. Managers said Tuesday they are changing fueling procedures to deal with the issue. The 322-foot (98-meter) rocket remains on its pad at Kennedy Space Center, with an empty crew capsule on top. It's the most powerful rocket ever built by NASA. The Space Launch System rocket, or SLS, will attempt to send the capsule around the moon and back. No one will be aboard, just three test dummies. If successful, it will be the first capsule to fly to the moon since NASA's Apollo program 50 years ago. During Monday's launch attempt, one of the four main engines in the rocket's core stage could not be chilled sufficiently prior to planned ignition moments before liftoff. The three others came up just a little short. The chilling operation will be conducted a half-hour earlier for Saturday afternoon's try, once fueling is underway at the pad, officials said. J

NASA engineers assess data after aborting Artemis 1 Moon mission launch

NASA engineers were evaluating data gathered during the Artemis I launch attempt, which was scrubbed owing to a technical glitch in one of the rocket engines

Engine problem leads NASA to scrub launch of new moon rocket

NASA said in a tweet that the launch was currently in an unplanned hold as engineers spotted an issue with one of the rocket's engines

Explained: NASA postpones Artemis 1 launch; here's what we know so far

Artemis 1 was supposed to orbit the moon, deploy some satellites, and settle into the orbit. It was meant to test SLS rocket and the Orion crew capsule

Fuel leaks and possible crack threaten to delay NASA moon rocket launch

Fuel leaks and a possible crack discovered during final liftoff preparations threatened to delay the launch of NASA's mighty new moon rocket Monday morning on its shakedown flight with three test dummies aboard. As precious minutes ticked away, NASA repeatedly stopped and started the fuelling of the Space Launch System rocket with nearly 1 million gallons of super-cold hydrogen and oxygen because of a leak. The fuelling already was running nearly an hour late because of thunderstorms off Florida's Kennedy Space Centre. The leak appeared in the same place that saw seepage during a dress rehearsal back in the spring. Then a second apparent leak in a valve turned up, officials said. Later in the morning, a crack or some other defect was spotted on the core stage the big orange fuel tank with four main engines on it with frost appearing around the suspect area, NASA officials said. Engineers began studying the buildup. The rocket was set to lift off on a mission to put a crew caps

NASA fuels moon rocket ahead of liftoff on first test flight today

NASA began fuelling its new moon rocket early Monday for liftoff on a test flight to put a crew capsule into lunar orbit for the first time in 50 years. Thunderstorms delayed the fuelling operation by an hour. The threat of lightning diminished enough to allow the launch team to proceed with loading the rocket's tanks. But it was uncertain how much the stalled work might shorten the two-hour launch window. No one was inside the Orion capsule atop the 322-foot (98-meter) rocket at Kennedy Space Center. Instead, three test dummies were strapped in for the lunar-orbiting mission, expected to last six weeks. It's the most powerful rocket ever built by NASA, out-muscling the Saturn V that carried astronauts to the moon a half-century ago. Thousands of people jammed the coast to see the Space Launch System, or SLS, rocket soar. Rain pelted the launch site as the launch team finally began loading more than 1 million gallons of super-cold fuel into the rocket. Forecasters remained optimist

NASA's Artemis 1 mission to Moon to launch today: All you need to know

Artemis 1 is going to be the first flight of the new Space Launch System. This is a "heavy lift" vehicle, as NASA refers to it