Fast fill is underway for the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket’s core stage liquid oxygen (LOX) tank. Next, teams will transition from slow fill to fast fill for the liquid hydrogen (LH2) tank and initiate, or “kick start,” the engine bleed, which will begin flowing supercold LH2 to start cooling the four RS-25 engines down …
NASA TV coverage now is underway for the launch of a crewed Soyuz spacecraft to the International Space Station with NASA astronaut Frank Rubio and Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Prokopyev and Dmitri Petelin. The Soyuz MS-22 spacecraft will launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 9:54 a.m. EDT (6:54 p.m. Baikonur time). Launch and docking activities …
After chilling the lines for liquid oxygen (LOX), teams have begun the slow fill phase to load LOX into the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket’s core stage and have started chilling down the transfer line for the liquid hydrogen (LH2). Once LOX slow fill is complete, teams will transition to fast fill operations. Once the …
Artemis Launch Director Charlie Blackwell-Thompson has given the “go” to officially begin loading propellants into the Space Launch System rocket as part of today’s Artemis I cryogenic demonstration test. Weather remains favorable for the test. Tanking operations will begin with chilldown of the core stage liquid oxygen transfer line. NASA TV coverage is underway.
As the countdown continued Tuesday toward the cryogenic demonstration test, teams conducted final closeouts at the pad and performed other preparations for the test. Work will continue through the night, and all non-essential personnel will leave Launch Pad 39B by 3:40 a.m. EDT Wednesday. The launch director is expected to give a “go” to begin …
In July, purple and pink hues painted the Antarctica and New Zealand skies — likely the result of atmospheric particles called aerosols that belched into the stratosphere in January during the eruption of the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai volcano. Aerosols from eruptions, and extreme wildfires, can remain in the stratosphere for months to years traveling around the […]
Payloads: Astrobee/Smartphone Video Guidance Sensor (SVGS): Following the installation of the SVGS LED targets, the science 3 session was performed. SVGS demonstrates the use of a photogrammetric vision-based technology for guidance, navigation, and control of a small spacecraft. Developed by NASA, the vision-based sensor computes the position and orientation vector of a target relative to …
Complemented by cooler temperatures and falling leaves, the September equinox marks the beginning of the fall season for the Northern Hemisphere. This year’s autumnal equinox (for the Northern Hemisphere) or spring equinox (for the Southern Hemisphere) occurs on Sept. 22 at 8:04 p.m. CDT. During an equinox the Sun shines directly over the equator resulting …
The International Space Station is gearing up for the arrival of three new crew members due to begin their mission on Wednesday. Meanwhile, the Expedition 67 astronauts continue researching a wide array of microgravity phenomena to benefit humans on and off the Earth. The Soyuz MS-22 rocket that will launch NASA astronaut Frank Rubio and …
On September 17, 2022, InSight was generating an average of 420 watt-hours of energy per Martian day, or sol. The tau, or level of dust cover in the atmosphere, was estimated at .85 (typical tau levels outside of dust season range from 0.6-0.7).