XPost: alt.astronomy

from https://www.cnbc.com/2022/11/16/watch-live-nasa-launches-artemis-1-moon-mission.html

NASA’s Artemis 1 mission heads to the moon after successful launch
PUBLISHED WED, NOV 16 202212:01 AM ESTUPDATED WED, NOV 16 202212:02 PM EST thumbnail
Michael Sheetz
@THESHEETZTWEETZ

KEY POINTS
NASA launched the Artemis I mission from Florida at 1:47 a.m. ET on
Wednesday morning, with the agency’s most powerful rocket ever kicking
off a nearly month-long journey.

While no astronauts are onboard, the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket
carried the Orion capsule to space in a demonstration for NASA’s lunar program.
So far the mission is going as planned, with Orion first reaching orbit
around the Earth and then firing its engines to begin the multi-day trip
to the moon.

NASA's Artemis mission takes offWATCH NOW
VIDEO03:40
NASA’s Artemis mission takes off
To the moon, again!

NASA launched the Artemis I mission from Florida at 1:47 a.m. ET on
Wednesday morning, with the agency’s most powerful rocket ever kicking
off a nearly month-long journey with a ground-shaking liftoff.

While no astronauts are onboard, the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket
carried the Orion capsule to space in a demonstration for NASA’s lunar program. Artemis I will not land on the moon, but the spacecraft will
orbit nearby before returning to Earth in 26 days.

The Artemis I mission launches on NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS)
rocket on Nov. 16, 2022 from Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
Bill Ingalls / NASA

In the final hours of the countdown, a hydrogen leak in a valve
threatened to delay the launch. With SLS nearly fully fueled, a small
group known as the “red team” was sent out to the launchpad and into the “blast danger area” to try to fix the problem. The team was able to
tighten hardware on the leaky valve and returned to safety, with NASA’s launch then able to proceed.

So far the mission is going as planned, with Orion reaching orbit around
the Earth at about 2 a.m. ET and firing its engines about two hours
after launch to begin the multi-day trip to the moon.

A look back at Earth from onboard the Orion spacecraft as it heads to
the moon.
NASA TV

The next major milestone is set for Nov. 21, when Orion will make its
closest approach to the moon of 60 miles above the surface. To return,
Orion will use the moon’s gravity to assist it in setting a trajectory
back into Earth’s orbit. Artemis I will travel about 1.3 million miles
over the course of the mission.

The mission represents a crucial inflection point in NASA’s moon plans,
with the program delayed for years and running billions of dollars over
budget. The Artemis program represents a series of missions with
escalating goals. The third – tentatively scheduled for 2025 – is
expected to return astronauts to the lunar surface for the first time
since the Apollo era.

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NASA first tried to launch Artemis I in August but called off multiple
attempts after discovering technical problems with the rocket’s engines.

In September the agency rolled the rocket back into the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) for protection from Hurricane Ian, returning the vehicle
to the LC-39B launchpad on Nov. 3.

NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion capsule stand in
preparation to launch at LC-39B of Kennedy Space Center in Florida, on
Nov. 13, 2022.
NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion capsule stand in preparation to launch at LC-39B of Kennedy Space Center in Florida, on
Nov. 13, 2022.
Last week, NASA left SLS and Orion out on the launchpad to weather the
winds of Hurricane Nicole.

NASA said it checked the rocket and spacecraft after the storm passed
and found no major damage to the vehicle. It said a 10-foot section of insulation near the Orion capsule had pulled away due to the high winds
– but NASA decided to proceed with Wednesday’s launch attempt after an analysis showed it was not expected to cause any significant damage if
the insulation falls off during the launch.

A host of aerospace contractors support the hardware, infrastructure and software for SLS and Orion – with Boeing
, Lockheed Martin
, Northrop Grumman
, Aerojet Rocketdyne
, Airbus and Jacobs leading the effort.

NASA’s program has enjoyed strong bipartisan political support, but the agency’s Inspector General recently warned that Artemis is not a “sustainable” way to establish a presence on the moon. The internal watchdog found that more than $40 billion has already been spent on
Artemis, and projected NASA would spend $93 billion on the effort by the
time the first crewed landing happens.

NASA rolls out its most powerful rocket everWATCH NOW
VIDEO02:58

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