April 24, 2024

NASA Artemis I Launch Countdown Commences, Team Assessing Lightning Strikes at Launch Pad

This image of a lightning strike was taped at Launch Complex 39B at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida during the evening of April 2, 2022. On the afternoon of Saturday, August 27, there were 3 lightning strikes to the lightning defense system towers at Launch Pad 39B– a strike to Tower 1, and 2 strikes to Tower 2. Credit: NASA
NASAs objective management team for Artemis I fulfilled the other day morning to evaluate the status of operations and have actually surveyed “go” to continue with the launch countdown. The countdown commenced at 10:23 a.m. EDT (7:23 a.m. PDT) on August 27, after the launch team came to their stations in the Rocco A. Petrone Launch Control Center at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Throughout the day, groups powered up the Orion spacecraft and the Space Launch System (SLS) rockets core phase and prepared the four RS-25 engines.
Meteorologists with Space Launch Delta 45 predict a 70% chance of beneficial weather condition for launch on Monday, August 29. The weather guidelines for NASAs Artemis I flight test recognize conditions to release the firms Space Launch System and Orion spacecraft.
NASA held a prelaunch media rundown. Individuals consisted of:

Mike Sarafin, Artemis mission supervisor, NASA Headquarters
Charlie Blackwell-Thompson, Artemis launch director, Exploration Ground Systems Program, Kennedy
Judd Freiling, ascent and entry flight director, Johnson
Rick LaBrode, lead flight director, Johnson
Melissa Jones, healing director, Exploration Ground Systems Program, Kennedy
Melody Lovin, weather condition officer, Space Launch Delta 45
Jacob Bleacher, primary exploration researcher, Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate, NASA Headquarters

Artemis I management group provides a pre-launch instruction following the Mission Management Team conference ahead of the Artemis I launch. NASAs Space Launch System and Orion spacecraft will introduce from the centers launch pad 39B on a flight test around the Moon on August 29. The uncrewed mission will show the capability of the SLS rocket to safely carry the Orion spacecraft around the Moon and its return and healing to Earth for the companys Artemis Program.
NASA also held a rundown (ingrained above) on their Moon to Mars exploration plans with the following individuals:

The countdown commenced at 10:23 a.m. EDT (7:23 a.m. PDT) on August 27, after the launch team arrived at their stations in the Rocco A. Petrone Launch Control Center at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASAs Space Launch System and Orion spacecraft will introduce from the centers launch pad 39B on a flight test around the Moon on August 29. A lightning strike was taped at Launch Complex 39B at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida throughout the evening of April 2, 2022. Take an appearance at different lightning strikes over the years at Launch Complex 39B at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. At pad 39B, there are 3, 600-foot-tall masts with overhead wires used to transfer electrical energy around the border of the pad to offer lightning protection for launch vehicles as they are processed and launched from the pad.

Bill Nelson, NASA administrator
Bhavya Lal, NASA associate administrator for technique, technology, and policy
Jim Free, NASA associate administrator, Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate
Kathy Lueders, NASA associate administrator, Space Operations Mission Directorate
Thomas Zurbuchen, NASA associate administrator, Science Mission Directorate
Prasun Desai, NASA deputy partner administrator, Space Technology Mission Directorate
Randy Bresnik, NASA astronaut

NASAs Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft are scheduled to take off from Kennedys Launch Pad 39B throughout a two-hour launch window that opens at 8:33 a.m. EDT (5:33 a.m. PDT) on Monday, August 29.
A lightning strike was tape-recorded at Launch Complex 39B at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida throughout the evening of April 2, 2022. NASAs Space Launch System (SLS) and Orion spacecraft were going through a prelaunch test called a damp dress rehearsal at the pad for the Artemis I mission.
As the Artemis I countdown progresses, rain and thunderstorms continued throughout the other day afternoon at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Earlier yesterday afternoon, there were 3 lightning strikes to the lightning protection system towers at Launch Pad 39B– a strike to Tower 1, and two strikes to Tower 2. Thankfully, the initial signs are that the strikes were of low magnitude.
A weather group has begun an assessment that includes gathering voltage and existing data, in addition to imagery. The data will be shared with a team of experts on electromagnetic environment efforts who will determine if any restraints on vehicle or ground systems were broken. Engineers will conduct a walkdown at the pad overnight, and if required, conduct additional assessments with subsystems experts.
Have a look at various lightning strikes for many years at Launch Complex 39B at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The event was captured by high-speed cams stationed at the pad and mobile launcher along with the Vehicle Assembly Building. For the images that seem to be in daylight, an unique filter called a “clear day frame” was used, which supplies an overlay of the raw frame on a reference image. At pad 39B, there are 3, 600-foot-tall masts with overhead wires used to send electrical energy around the perimeter of the pad to provide lightning protection for launch vehicles as they are processed and introduced from the pad. Click on this link for more information about the lightning towers.
The lightning security system at the launch pad consists of three 600-foot-tall towers and catenary wires positioned to safeguard the rocket, spacecraft, and mobile launcher. The wires go to the ground practically diagonally, steering the lightning current away from the rocket.
Overnight, engineers will also perform preparations on the umbilicals, power up the core phase, and start charging the Orion and Space Launch System core stage batteries.
The first in a series of significantly complicated objectives, Artemis I will be an uncrewed flight test that will offer a structure to extend human presence to the Moon and beyond. The objective will demonstrate the performance of the SLS rocket and test Orions abilities throughout about 6 weeks as it travels about 40,000 miles beyond the Moon and back to Earth.