Artemis I SLS Countdown Clock Restarted - 6 Hours to Launch

a reply to: TheRedneck

Its like the Ruby Slippers we have the power to launch a modified Crew Dragon using a Falcon Heavy booster on a circumlunar flight If want to do a lunar orbit will need an extra stage like a Delta K = problem is the production line for these been shut down for few years Aerojet would have to reopen production and build new stages

Question is motivation, just because you can do something doesnt mean you will

If Chinese start seriously threatening a manned lunar mission will see this put into operation

Well that was that!

Scrubbed again.....

originally posted by: TheRedneck
The last time we tried this was in 1969... 53 years ago. It's long past due that we went back. That flag is probably in need of maintenance.

This trip will not actually touch down on the moon, but it's a start. I think Artemis II is supposed to actually land and return. From there we can start talking Mars. Baby steps... remember the Challenger.

I'm going to be doing a lot today, so I'll be depending on ATS to keep everyone updated as things progress.

TheRedneck

No, officially all Apollo rockets to the moon had humans on board, Artemis I is empty.

Apollo 8 (December 21–27, 1968)
Apollo 10 (May 18 – 26, 1969)
Apollo 11 (July 16–24, 1969)
Apollo 12 (November 14 – 24, 1969)
Apollo 13 (April 11–17, 1970)
Apollo 14 (January 31, 1971 – February 9, 1971
Apollo 15 (July 26 – August 7, 1971)
Apollo 16 (April 16–27, 1972)
Apollo 17 (December 7–19, 1972)

a reply to: putnam6

What I have seen, firsthand, is that too many people are too cocky. For instance, I was the designer/builder on the power distribution network for one of the EUSO balloons that were sent up to monitor for and analyze cosmic rays. When working on that project, I saw so much that was just assumed instead of tested. The thing used, if memory serves, four 12V lead-acid batteries (this was before lithium ion became popular). If this bank failed, the mission was over... so I suggested diode-protecting the individual batteries.

Nope. Not gonna spend another $20 to ensure that a single dead cell couldn't knock out the whole mission.

In the end, the project launched successfully from New Zealand. Everything worked flawlessly, including the parts I had made for it... except one. Someone forgot to consider the change in atmospheric pressure between daytime and night; as the air gets cooler, the density rises. The result was that at night, the balloon was dipping down into the airlanes and could not be corrected. No safety margin on weight. So the FAA cancelled the permits and brought it down.

I thought that was such a strange thing to not include a safety margin for... but no one thought about it. It was far out of my area, so I obviously assumed whoever was designing the lift mechanisms would account for variations in air density. That project cost several hundred thousand dollars; I know my part of it contained several hundred dollars in parts that I specifically ordered, and the sensors (which I also worked on) were close to $1000 each. That problem could have been solved easily for under $100.

The real reason why we can't seem to do today what we could do yesterday with much less resources is that people today, including scientists and engineers, do not take the same kind of pride in their work.

TheRedneck

a reply to: Ove38

How many landed astronauts on the moon?

TheRedneck

a reply to: TheRedneck

Apollo 11 Apollo 12 Apollo 14 Apollo 15 Apollo 16 Apollo 17

Apollo 8 made 10 orbits of the moon Apollo 9 was a checkout of the LEM in earth orbit Apollo 10 was a full on rehearsal for the Apoll0 11 landing descending to 50,ooo ft Apollo 13 was an aborted landing which looped around the moon following an explosion in an oxygen tank

2 men of each crew would land on the moon in the Lem while one crew member orbited the moon in command module

a reply to: firerescue

I stand corrected.

I still think we shouldn't have waited so long to go back.

TheRedneck

originally posted by: TheRedneck
a reply to: firerescue

I stand corrected.

I still think we shouldn't have waited so long to go back.

TheRedneck

Sending rockets to the Moon is not difficult, it has been done constantly since 1959. To land something or someone on the Moon is not so difficult either, they can do that anytime. But to bring someone safely back to Earth from the surface of the Moon, that's really difficult.

The Artemis 3 (officially Artemis III) plan is to land a man and a woman together with a remote controlled rover on the surface of the Moon in 2025

a reply to: Ove38

Sending rockets to the Moon is not difficult, it has been done constantly since 1959. To land something or someone on the Moon is not so difficult either, they can do that anytime. But to bring someone safely back to Earth from the surface of the Moon, that's really difficult.

Artemis I seems intent on proving that statement wrong. Two attempts, both scrubbed over minor technical issues that could turn into major catastrophes. Monday is the next window, possibly the last? We'll see if they can get that oversized paperweight to move under its own power. After two such failures, I'm not holding my breath.

I'll also point out that the return trip is in many ways easier than the trip out. The moon's gravity well is quite small compared to earth, so much less power is needed to achieve and break orbit; that's a lot less complexity just not having to handle those massive engines. The only serious difficulty is the heat produced upon re-entry and locating the splash-down point in time to retrieve the crew. That's why we are going back to the moon: to use it as a staging point for the trip to Mars.

TheRedneck

I`m not surprised it was cancelled again.
I don`t think they can go there.
I used to believe they could. I watched it all as a teenager from 69 onwards. Fascinated by the whole thing.
Unfortunately my mind was changed after researching all the stuff that`s available out there.
I`d love for it to be true.
I`d love to be proved wrong.
Let`s see what the next few weeks bring.
If it happens, i`ll be amazed.

a reply to: lambros56

Problem is that is the launch attempts this week (there is a launch window on Monday and a short window on Tuesday)

If Artemis fails to make this launch timesw would have to be rolled back to VAB to rest the flight termination software

A process which could take weeks

They’ve called it off for a few weeks now. Which is a good idea, if it fails the whole program will be canceled.

Since the flight crew are on a non flyable reentry capsule, do they skip being able to get checked out and fly the T-38 where ever and whenever they want? Maybe it’s time again to sharpen my pencil if this rocket is successful.

originally posted by: lambros56
I`m not surprised it was cancelled again.
I don`t think they can go there.
I used to believe they could. I watched it all as a teenager from 69 onwards. Fascinated by the whole thing.
Unfortunately my mind was changed after researching all the stuff that`s available out there.
I`d love for it to be true.
I`d love to be proved wrong.
Let`s see what the next few weeks bring.
If it happens, i`ll be amazed.

At 0:50 in this video, the last man on the Moon Gene Cernan, speaks as if he was the first man on the Moon ?