• NASA Artemis 1 moon mission launch called off due to technical snag

    Sci & Tech
    NASA Artemis 1 moon mission launch called off due to technical snag




    mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-bidi-font-weight:bold"> Digital
    Desk: NASA has postponed the launch of the Artemis 1 moon mission while
    engineers seek to resolve an engine issue, according to a tweet from the US
    space agency.



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    mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"">Teams are on hold at T-40 minutes in
    the countdown as engineers continue to evaluate a problem with engine 3, one of
    the four RS-25 engines located at the base of the Space Launch System rocket's
    core stage. According to the official NASA blog, engineers are considering
    strategies to collect as much data as they can.



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    mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"">In order to bleed part of the cryogenic
    propellant into the engines and get them to the right temperature range for
    starting, launch controllers condition the engines by applying more pressure to
    the core stage tanks. Engineers are investigating why Engine 3 isn't being
    adequately conditioned during the bleed procedure.



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    Teams are also examining what appears to be a crack in the
    material of the thermal protection system on one of the flanges on the core
    stage. The top and bottom of the intertank are fixed using flanges, which are
    connecting joints that work like a seam on a garment and allow the two tanks to
    be connected to it.