This night, NASA held a media occasion to supply an replace on the newest developments for an Artemis 1 launch try on November 16. Jeremy Parson, EGS Program deputy supervisor, and Mike Sarafin, Artemis 1 mission supervisor introduced an image of a launch automobile that is able to finish the 50 yr hiatus of NASA exploring past low-Earth orbit.
Jeremy Parson started the press briefing by noting that the launch group was on consoles at 1:24 AM EDT, Nov. 14. He additionally stated that every little thing going nicely and that the launch countdown is on schedule.
Mike Sarafin adopted Parson within the briefing. He famous that there was a launch -1 day MMT assembly that lasted for 1 ½ hours and was main targeted on two particular points attributable to Nicole. The LH2 electrical connection cable and the climate striping on Orion spacecraft.
Parson started his a part of the briefing by gaving an replace of what has occurred for the reason that Artemis 1 mission administration group’s, or MMT’s, convention on the night of Nov. 13.
On Nov. 13, the Artemis 1 automobile was powered-up and a sequence of program particular engineering checks, or PSET’s, which is mainly built-in automobile testing. An intensive check-out of the automobile was accomplished and every little thing is trying good. On the cell launch platform (MLP), crews are getting panels and valves all prepared for cryo loading. The sound suppression and ignition over-pressure tank crammed with water. And energy was brought-up on Orion, ICPS, and Core Stage and they’re going to stay powered by launch countdown.
Going ahead with what to anticipate tonight and tomorrow, starting with Monday night time. Crews will start to cost all of the flight batteries on the automobile. Pressurizing the Core Stage composite over-wrap stress vessels shall be accomplished. There shall be last walk-downs Monday night time and into Tuesday morning. The launch group will conduct a sequence of comm. check-out’s with Orion.
For tomorrow, the schedule picks up:
12:04 PM EST, Decide-up with blast hazard space clear.
1:14 PM, Air to GN2 switch-over.
2:04 PM, Clear-out launch hazard space for all personnel.
2:24 PM (T-6:40), New built-in maintain.
3:24 PM, Launch Director offers a go, no-go for cryo loading.
The brand new built-in maintain is identical built-in maintain that beforehand lasted 2:30 however with an hour added in for cryo loading idea of operations adjustments. That is the “Kinder Gentler Cryo Loading” idea that NASA’s cryo loading group adopted from that utilized by the Stennis of us in fueling-up the SLS Core Stage for its Inexperienced Run. An hour was added to do a slower, extra mild loading of cryo, starting with 17-20 min for LH2 chill-down and adopted by 32 minutes for fast-fill. Parson additionally stated that LOX and LH2 loading now being executed in parallel.
The launch window, or T 0, is at 1:04 AM Nov. 16, Wednesday and there’s a 2-hour launch window.
Turning to the 2 points on the Artemis 1 automobile because of Hurricane Nicole, through the storm indicators going by {the electrical} cable on the MLP tail service mast liquid hydrogen umbilical began having temporary, or transient, points.
At a top-level, what the launch group has been seeing with the LH2 umbilical electrical cable are measurement transients throughout power-up that will exit of anticipated ranges for just a little bit when first powering-up after which come again all the way down to nominal ranges. The Artemis 1 launch automobile is already in a powered-up configuration with Orion, ICPS, and Core Stage, so all of those are at a traditional, steady configuration. Nonetheless, the group went by the launch commit standards which can be related to the measurements to find out criticality, redundancy, and pre-planned contingency procedures, which mainly permits the group to take failures on these measurements figuring out that there are redundancy on these measurements and might proceed to launch. There’s redundant information coming throughout that interface from the rocket and spacecraft to the ground-side.
The group charged with engaged on the LH2 umbilical electrical cable started working late final Sunday night time to the MLP tail service mast to change-out the LH2 electrical cable and performed a sequence of wring-out checks on that cable. When that didn’t appear to treatment the “momentary transient indicators” points that solely happen on power-up, the bottom recepticle facet, situated on the again of the LH2 tail service mast umbilical plate, was changed-out, adopted by a sequence of retests. That didn’t resolve the difficulty. Nonetheless, the Mission Administration Workforce, echoing feedback within the earlier night time’s briefing, believes that these points don’t violate a launch commit standards.
The group working this, in response to Parson, “… did a very good job wringed-out all the information figuring out the danger posture, taking a look at all measurements going by there, the place redundancy happens, and what launch commit standards are related to them.” Tonight, the J8 connector on the Core Stage shall be changed-out, to be adopted by checks.
Throughout in the present day’s Mission Administration Workforce assembly, the standing of the LH2 umbilical electrical connector situated on the J8 port was reviewed. The MMT when by the standing of the removing and substitute and the work that was accomplished and any findings because of that; the publish removing and replacements techniques standing checks. There aren’t any adjustments within the posture as they head into the launch try. The launch commit standards have been reviewed and the group agreed that the as-written launch commit standards have been the suitable posture to have heading into the following launch try. That’s largely as a result of there’s a whole lot of techniques redundancy because it pertains to the indicators which can be wanted to be verified as a part of the launch commit.
The unanimous advice of the group was that it was in an excellent place to proceed with launch countdown with the measurements it has, which was primarily based on the criticality and redundancy posture that they’ve. They suppose they’ve a very strong system with the variety of measurements in different areas.
Requested when he may really feel a way of aid, Parsons stated that the burden shall be lifted from his shoulders when fast-fill of LH2 begins and doesn’t trigger bother. The work executed through the cryo loading take a look at on September 21 led to a whole lot of understanding of what’s going on on the LH2 4” and eight” quick-disconnects that connect to the bottom of the launch automobile. The cryo group is extra assured that even that the loading procedures will work, that they know methods to load LH2 whereas placing the least quantity of stress on the seals of the 4” and eight” LH2 quick-disconnects. There’s a purge can round every of the quick-disconnects that’s constantly flooded with helium and incorporates hazardous gasoline measurements coming by that space. Launch necessities permit for “momentary transients”, or small spike, of LH2 leakage of hydrogen to concentrations of as much as 10% as LH2 stress will increase within the umbilical as long as that leak is for less than a small period of time. In the course of the cryo tanking take a look at, there was a momentary spike of LH2 as much as a focus of 10% when the stress within the LH2 umbilical elevated from 2 psi, nevertheless it shortly got here down. That the difficulty didn’t final leaves Parson with a fairly good feeling that issues are dialed-in.
The one open motion that was taken out of the launch -2 day overview pertains to the Orion RTV materials delaminating seen throughout Hurricane Nicole on the east-side of the automobile, or roughly the 270 diploma mark within the Orion coordinates, on the Orion automobile’s aerodynamic shell, or ogive (pronounced “o-jive”), the place it meets up with crew module adapter. There was a ten foot lengthy strip of the RTV delaminated through the storm.
The aim of that RTV materials is to fill the hole that exists between the LAS ogive and the crew module adapter. There’s a small space the place the 2 meetup the place there’s an aerodynamic barrier that would trigger a little bit of air circulation below the LAS ogive because of turbulent circulation because the Artemis 1 automobile ascends that would lead to aerodynamic heating. To get rid of that small hole, the RTV materials is put in to create a flush, streamlined, aerodynamic floor.
There’s a small probability, higher than non-zero, that extra RTV comes-off of the automobile throughout ascent. At a prime stage, the “danger posture” hasn’t elevated. The Mission Administration group believes it has a powerful flight rationale to assist that time. To have an opposed occasion in flight, extra RTV wants to return off that impacts the a part of the launch automobile, that a part of the automobile must expertise “essential harm”, and there are restricted elements that may very well be uncovered to that due the particles transport and their location to the place the RTV can be liberated.
The RTV is prone to tear-off, breaking-off in smaller items. RTV materials could be very pliable and has a low-lift coefficient aerodynamically. There was a witness pattern within the MMT assembly in the present day that was 12” lengthy. The fabric could be very skinny, lightweight, and really pliable. NASA has a whole lot of expertise with this RTV materials, which has been flown on many earlier automobile, together with Exploration Check Flight 1 in 2014 and Ascent Abort Check 2 in 2019. RTV materials was put in in a really comparable space in these take a look at flights and materials within the interface of the LAS ogive and crew module adapter was not seen to liberate throughout aerodynamic flight.
The one time frame the place there’s an publicity to have sufficient power the place the mass of any RTV that have been break-off and observe a really particular trajectory and influence the automobile downstream is within the Mach 2-3.5 vary, or 80-100 seconds in flight. That’s the slender window of publicity the place the rocket is accelerating quick sufficient however there’s sufficient ambiance to slow-down something coming off the automobile sufficient that there’s peak influence power.
The almost certainly space that RTV may influence is on the launch automobile stage adapter, or LVSA. There have been considerations about areas of the inside strong rocket boosters, the bottom of the boosters, and cable trays that run alongside each the ICPS and Core Stage.
The LVSA is a tall, conical characteristic that sits on between the highest of the SLS Core Stage and the bottom of the ICPS. It takes the diameter of the Orion spacecraft and extends it out to the diameter of the SLS Core Stage.
The LVSA is a really strong piece of {hardware}. It weighs about 10,000 lbs and is used to translate the 8.8M lb of thrust at lift-off of the boosters and Core Stage’s 4 RS-25’s into the ICPS, which at 45 toes weighs 71,605 lbs, and Orion spacecraft stack, which itself is 67 toes and weighs-in at 72,000 lbs. It’s an inert piece of {hardware}–it doesn’t have gasoline, avionics, or different mission essential {hardware}, and performs solely a structural function.
An extra space that may very well be impacted is the inside areas of the strong boosters subsequent to the Core Stage. The chance of this was thought-about reasonable relative to the LVSA.
The Core Stage and the ICPS have been thought-about low-risk. The at-risk areas for each the ICPS and Core Stage have been the techniques tunnels, that are small aerodynamic protrusions the place cables are run for communications.
The strong rocket boosters have been thought-about a reasonable danger because of particular areas the place there are separation motors on the very base of every booster.
Yesterday, when the Mission Administration Workforce met, there was a overview of the standing of that delamination and the probability of a reoccurance throughout flight. The MMT determined at the moment that it wanted a bit extra time to overview the flight rationale. The launch group got here again with a flight rationale primarily based on a confirmed methodology termed, “The Seven Components of Good Flight Rationale”. The MMT seemed throughout the total automobile stack, from the Orion spacecraft to the bottom of the stack, and the MMT agreed that the danger was bounded by present hazards–there are different identified particles sources and hazards–and hazards studies the group had that have been established nicely earlier than the company flight readiness overview.
Mission Lack of Car: 1/125 (0.008) could develop by higher than two decimal factors because of Hurricane Nicole, nevertheless, Launch Commit Standards (LCC’s), of which there are 489, haven’t modified because of the hurricane.
Mission Supervisor Sarafin requested the Mission Administration Workforce members if there have been any dissenting opinions, there have been none, and the flight rationale of leaving the lacking RTV materials was accepted.
There are 10 cubesats situated within the Orion Stage Adapter. 4 of the cubesats had their batteries topped-odd when the Artemis 1 automobile was within the Car Meeting Constructing (VAB). There’s one cubesat with a science mission to map the lunar volatiles that has a low cost on its battery which will influence its potential to perform its mission. The remaining 5 cubesats have sufficient cost to final their full mission length and attain their missions.
There are three manikins situated within the Orion spacecraft that by way of mass the identical as an precise crew member, leaving the spacecraft one crew member gentle. There are mass simulators and scientific and know-how demonstration payloads on the Orion spacecraft to simulate the meals and different consumables, gear, and kit that will be on a lunar mission.
Additionally situated throughout the Orion spacecraft are energetic and passive radiation dosimeters to tell the flight atmosphere that astronauts will expertise because the Orio spacecraft leaves low-Earth orbit to deep house. Because the Orion spacecraft transits from low-Earth orbit, by the Van Allen radiation belts the place there are concentrations of areas of deep house radiation, and into deep house the place there isn’t a shelter from deep house radiation equivalent to that supplied by the Van Allen radiation belts. The Orion spacecraft will then upon return transit by the Van Allen radiation belts earlier than rendering the Earth’s ambiance and splashing-down.
One final payload is the zero-G indicator, Astro Snoopy, in partnership with the Schultz Basis, who’ve been staunch advocates of the nation’s house program. The Silver Snoopy is awarded for flight security.
Tidbit: The Orion spacecraft mass will go from 72,000 lbs on launch to 58,000 upon LAS jettison, to 12,000 lbs on splashdown.
The MMT is continuing to the following resolution gate to set-up for the Nov. 16 launch try and there’s no change to aim the Artemis 1 launch at that date. The MMT is comfy launching with the identified points.
There are three buckets of standards that would change a launch try from go to no-go. There are the launch commit standards which can be the 489 LCC technical must-meet standards, climate standards, and vary security standards.
The following resolution gate for the Mission Administration Workforce happens on Nov. 15 at 2:30 EST with the start of tanking of LH2 and LOX.
