Tag: Hurricane Nicole

NASA: Moon rocket endured hurricane, set for 1st test flight
Technology

NASA: Moon rocket endured hurricane, set for 1st test flight

[ad_1] NASA's moon rocket needs only minor repairs after enduring a hurricane at the pad and is on track for its first test flight next week, a top official said Friday. NASA's moon rocket needs only minor repairs after enduring a hurricane at the pad and is on track for its first test flight next week, a top official said Friday.“Right now, there's nothing preventing us" from attempting a launch on Wednesday, said NASA's Jim Free, an associate administrator. The wind never exceeded the rocket's design limits as Hurricane Nicole swept through Kennedy Space Center on Thursday, according to Free. But he acknowledged if the launch team had known in advance that a hurricane was going to hit, they likely would have kept the rocket indoors. The rocket was moved out to the pad late last week...
NASA sticks to plan to launch Moon rocket Wednesday
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NASA sticks to plan to launch Moon rocket Wednesday

[ad_1] NASA said Friday it plans to attempt its long-delayed uncrewed mission to the Moon as scheduled next Wednesday. NASA said Friday it plans to attempt its long-delayed uncrewed mission to the Moon as scheduled next Wednesday, after inspections revealed only minor damage from Hurricane Nicole's passage through Florida.Jim Free, a senior official at the US space agency, told journalists there was "nothing preventing" a launch on that date, and said that NASA teams had managed to access the launch pad on Thursday. The launch of the heavy lift rocket, the most powerful ever built by contractors for NASA, is now due to take place at 01:04am local time (0604 GMT) on Wednesday, with a possible launch window of two hours. The uncrewed mission, dubbed Artemis 1, will bring the United Stat...
NASA Artemis moon rocket damaged by Hurricane Nicole
Technology

NASA Artemis moon rocket damaged by Hurricane Nicole

[ad_1] Free said that NASA teams employing cameras at the launch pad at Kennedy Space Center found “very minor damage" on Artemis rocket. After initial visual inspections, NASA said on Thursday that its new mega moon rocket apparently suffered no major damage after Hurricane Nicole hit Florida. But employees must conduct further checks on site as soon as possible to confirm the initial assessment, said Jim Free, associate administrator at the US space agency. Free said that NASA teams employing cameras at the launch pad at Kennedy Space Center found "very minor damage such as loose caulk and tears in weather coverings." Nicole made landfall Wednesday night on Florida's Atlantic Coast as a Category 1 hurricane. Free said wind sensors detected gusts up to 82 miles (132 kilometer...