NASA to Discuss Status of Final Test Needed for Artemis I Moon Mission

An image of NASA’s moon rocket at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, rolling out of the Vehicle Assembly Building for a 4.2-mile journey to Launch Complex 39B on March 17, 2022.
Credits: NASA/Kim Shiflett

NASA will hold a media teleconference at 12 p.m. EDT on Friday, May 27, to discuss the status of the next wet dress rehearsal test of the agency’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida ahead of the uncrewed Artemis I lunar mission.

The rehearsal is the final test needed before launch and calls for NASA to test the system including operations to load propellant into the rocket’s tanks, conduct a full launch countdown, demonstrate the ability to recycle the countdown clock, and also drain the tanks to give them an opportunity to practice the timelines and procedures they will use for launch.

The teleconference will stream live on the agency’s website.

Participants include:

  • Tom Whitmeyer, deputy associate administrator for common exploration systems development, NASA Headquarters
  • Cliff Lanham, senior vehicle operations manager, Exploration Ground Systems Program, NASA’s Kennedy Space Center
  • John Blevins, chief engineer, Space Launch System Program, NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center

To participate by telephone, media must RSVP no later than two hours prior to the start of the event for call details at: [email protected].  

Engineers successfully completed work on items identified during the previous wet dress rehearsal tests including replacing and testing an upper stage check valve and  fixing a small leak within the tail service mast umbilical ground plate housing. Teams also completed some tasks originally scheduled to take place in the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) after wet dress rehearsal.

Through Artemis missions, NASA will land the first woman and the first person of color on the Moon, paving the way for a long-term lunar presence and serving as a steppingstone to send the first astronauts to Mars.

For updates, follow along on NASA’s Artemis blog at:

https://blogs.nasa.gov/artemis

Source: NASA

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TNC

Rod Washington:  Rod is a blogger, writer, filmmaker, photographer, daydreamer who likes to cook. Rod produces and directs the web series, CUPIC: Diary of an Investigator. He also produces news and documentary video projects. Check out his podcast StoriesThisMoment at https://m3e.d71.myftpupload.com/stm-tncn-podcasts/