Artemis 1

[DarkArts]

The SLS/Orion spacecraft for Artemis 1 has begun rolling out to pad 39B at the Kennedy Space Center. It's still scheduled for an Aug 29th launch.

NASA’s Mega Moon Rocket Begins Roll to Launch Pad (https://blogs.nasa.gov/artemis/2022/08/16/nasas-mega-moon-rocket-begins-roll-to-launch-pad/)

[DarkArts]

... and it's there. :thumbsup:

Artemis I Moon Rocket Arrives at Launch Pad Ahead of Historic Mission (https://blogs.nasa.gov/artemis/2022/08/17/artemis-i-moon-rocket-arrives-at-launch-pad-ahead-of-historic-mission/)

[nebulosity.]

This is exciting!

[Hans Tucker]

Particularly for Callisto

[AdamJL]

Super exciting! I'm more excited for this than most of the Space-X launches

[Startrek]

Sorry to be a party pooper but each Artemis launch is 4.1 billion dollars worth of US tax payers dollars on a revamped Saturn 5 down the gurgler

I watched all the Saturn 5 launches on my Parents PYE black and white TV during the late 60’s early 70’s and this is no different

Space X Starship to me is the future , cost effective, reusable , dynamic engineering and design , gargantuan power nearly 17 million pounds of thrust ( Artemis 8.7million pounds ) and all from a private company using its own funds

Don’t worry I’m still going to watch the launch ……..

[ChrisD]

For me it was a Kreisler TV. Typical 60's unit, turn on and wait 20 seconds for the valves to warm up to get a picture. I watched all the manned Saturn 5 launches, except maybe for skylab. They were all replays as most launches were very late PM or very early AM local time.

Definitely looking forward to returning to the moon.

[Startrek]

My eldest Aunt ( my Dads sister ) moved to LA after the War and scored a job with Rocketdyne in 1967 as a PA to one of the Managers in propulsion.
I often found a package in the mail from her with “Apollo stuff” like models , mission patches , stamps , magazines , books etc..

My Dad reckons she met Neil Armstrong but we all did , didn’t we ?

It was an amazing time !!

[ChrisD]

I was around 10 years old at this time and anything about Apollo was like gold, so getting a package like this would have been better than Christmas!

The Apollo moon landings shaped my perception of the future and my interest in astronomy and science. I have grandkids now, they will be around that age when the first Artemis mission lands on the moon, I wonder what it will be to them.

PM sent.

[gary]

Full press release, images, video here :-
https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-identifies-candidate-regions-for-landing-next-americans-on-moon

[multiweb]

Awesome. :thumbsup: Lots of people need to look up and dream again.

[DarkArts]

Artemis 1 cleared its flight readiness review a few days ago and remains on track for a Monday launch.

Weather remains 70% Favorable, Teams on Track to Begin Countdown Saturday (https://blogs.nasa.gov/artemis/2022/08/26/weather-remains-70-favorable-teams-on-track-to-begin-countdown-saturday/)

Currently the launch window is two hours, starting (Monday 29 August, Australian time):
Eastern - 10:30pm
Central - 10:00pm
Western - 8:30pm

You can watch it on NASA TV (https://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/index.html#public). Or view via the YouTube Artemis 1 Broadcast (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CMLD0Lp0JBg) or YouTube NASA TV (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=21X5lGlDOfg) stream.

Edit: You can also watch via the NASA TV app, which is available on Android, IOS and Windows devices, as well as pre-installed on some streaming boxes (e.g. Fetch, AppleTV).

More here: How to stream NASA TV (https://www.nasa.gov/feature/how-to-stream-nasa-tv/)

[alan meehan]

cannot wait till monday i watched the apollo launch when i was 14 i never thought i would see another

[Peter Ward]

From an aviators point of view the piloting skill of the Apollo pilots was impressive.

In recent re-enactments of the Apollo 11 landing I was looking the altitude and rate of descent on a graphic that was running in parallel with the RT chatter of Armstrong and Aldrin. The initial rate of descent looked to be 5200 feet per second...i.e. over 300,000 feet per minute!

I suspect this was a fuel conserving approach that avoided a constant rocket burn for the entire descent.

I expect the new lander will have an almost fully automated descent and landing capability...but details of this are remarkably scant on any NASA information release.

[ChrisD]

I think the 5200 was the landers total velocity. The command module orbital velocity was 5300 ft/sec, so the lander at 5200 ft/sec would be lowering its orbit. Not a vertical speed, thankfully.

Regarding a possible autoland, I once worked with a coder that wrote software for the space shuttle autopilot. The space shuttle had a full autoland capability, however, it was never used on any flight. The pilots didn't train for 5 year to let the computer do the possibly only real landing they may get.
I wonder if the Artemus crew will have that option.

[Peter Ward]

Yes. My error... lunar orbital velocity was about 5500 feet per second.

From an orbit of 60 miles to 50,000 feet took them about 5 minutes (?) or a much more leisurely 62,000 feet per minute. :)

[Startrek]

In regard to the Apollo lunar landings ….
Armstrong was the consummate professional with nerves of steel flying any craft
Just listen to his voice ( with quality headphones on and digitally remastered audio ) during the decent when those pesky 1202 and 1201 program alarms rang through the cabin. Absolutely calm but pensive at the same time.
Switching over to manual operation of the handcontroller and flying that fragile Lem across the surface trying to find a suitable landing site, again nerves of steel
He was the right man for the first landing

Obviously those flying skills and absolute nerves of steel probably won’t be needed on the next moon landings as technology will have replaced some of the human fragility mastered by Armstrong in performing incredible tasks like the first lunar landing.

[gary]

"Digital Apollo" by David A. Mindell provides a detailed account of the
design process and engineering of the Apollo flight systems including the
man machine interface. It also provides accounts of each of the landings
and what was learnt from each one with respect the design of the
flight systems.

It discusses how it was originally envisaged by some that the landing
would be fully automated. The LM was ungainly to fly, with 16 thrusters
and the main gimballed engine. Pilots had originally wanted to perform the
landings manually but in simulators they crashed every time.

The LM Digital Autopilot came into being where the pilots could insert
themselves into the loop. Inputs from the pilot were interpreted by
a digital computer and it fired the thusters, continually compensating
for the changing of center of gravity as fuel was spent and when it
sloshed around in the tanks. Even the 8-ball resembled its analog
counterpart but was being driven by the computer.

The system was capable of everywhere between and including a
manual and fully automated landing.

When you listen to the comms loop during the Apollo landing sequences
you will hear them read out what program the computer is running
during each phase. The programs were designated 'P' with a numeric
suffix, so P63 for example was the initial braking phase program which was
taking the LM to a pre-programmed landing point. It then transitioned
to P64 which was the Approach Phase Guidance which was very similar
to P63 but also included a Landing Point Designation (LPD) option.

What was cool was that the triangular LM windows were etched
with an angular scale. The etching was both on the inner and outer
panes of the window so one could eliminate parallax. See image below.
The pilot could look at the numeric readout on the computer and
then eyeball the corresponding angle etched on the scale on the
window panes and looking out into the distance that point was what the
computer was computing to be the landing point. Conversely the pilot
could look out the window, read off the corresponding point on the etched
scale, punch that into the computer and it would take them there.

Or they could punch in P67 which allowed for manual inputs in a
fly-by-wire system. For example, certain operations on the joystick
would signal the computer to hover.

Programs such as P66 would give the pilot attitude control whilst the
computer controlled the rate of descent.

I recommend the book :-

https://www.amazon.com.au/Digital-Apollo-Human-Machine-Spaceflight/dp/0262516101

http://web.mit.edu/digitalapollo/

[Peter Ward]

OK I'm sold. Placed the order on Amazon just now.

Having just wasted $24 on Hamacher's dreamtime drivel, I think this will be a fascinating read to compensate. :thumbsup:

[mura_gadi]

Moonikin Campos(Commander, full mannequin), with two mannequin torsos called Helga and Zohar for the three crew.

two hour window starts at 80% chance of launch with a closing window at 60% chance of launch - at time of writing. Link shows what's what needed in regards to launch weather criteria.

https://www.nasa.gov/content/artemis-i-weather-criteria

NASA TV will start around 2:30pm today with the fuel loading.

[alpal]

Liftoff is scheduled for 10:33 tonight 29.8.22 AEST.

[Hans Tucker]

Moonikin Campos will sit in the commander's seat. Under the seat are sensors to measure acceleration and vibration to help assess what human crew members might experience during a flight. Campos will be all decked out in the official Orion Crew Survival System spacesuit that will include two radiation sensors.

Helga and Zohar are manikin torsos made up of materials that mimic human bones, soft tissues and adult female organs. A big part of their mission involves radiation detection and measurement.
Zohar will wear a radiation protection vest, called AstroRad, while Helga will not," NASA said in a description of the manikins' duties. "The study will provide valuable data on radiation levels astronauts may encounter on lunar missions and evaluate the effectiveness of the protective vest.

A plush Snoopy will serve as a zero gravity indicator to show the team on the ground when the spacecraft reaches weightlessness.

[mura_gadi]

Nice to see NASA get the zero-g indictor down in price with near zero failure rate...

[alpal]

Live coverage on YouTube now


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=21X5lGlDOfg
NASA Live: Official Stream of NASA TV

160,127 watching now Started streaming on Dec 29, 2018 Direct from America's space program to YouTube, watch NASA TV live streaming here to get the latest from our exploration of the universe and learn how we discover our home planet. NASA TV airs a variety of regularly scheduled, pre-recorded educational and public relations programming 24 hours a day on its various channels. The network also provides an array of live programming, such as coverage of missions, events (spacewalks, media interviews, educational broadcasts), press conferences and rocket launches. In the United States, NASA Television's Public and Media channels are MPEG-2 digital C-band signals carried by QPSK/DVB-S modulation on satellite AMC-3, transponder 15C, at 87 degrees west longitude. Downlink frequency is 4000 MHz, horizontal polarization, with a data rate of 38.86 Mhz, symbol rate of 28.1115 Ms/s, and ¾ FEC. A Digital Video Broadcast (DVB) compliant Integrated Receiver Decoder (IRD) is needed for reception.

[Hans Tucker]

So .. holding at T minus 40 mins because of Engine problem .. doesn't sound good

[alpal]

Another live feed at least with some narration.
Dave from EEVBlog



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8IEvwBshD8E

[DarkArts]

For those who prefer to jump to the end of the thread ...

[ChrisD]

I believe they can't get correct cool down on engine 3 also weather is ouside limits. Just announced a launch scrub.
Looks like 2 Sept is the next launch window.

[AstroViking]

And they've scrubbed the launch due to the H2 bleed issue on engine #3.
Rats.

Although they are going to keep the rocket fuelled for the moment.

[alpal]

The mission is postponed till Friday.

[Visionoz]

It's been scrubbed!:(

[Stonius]

So what now? Is it a new launch window on another day?

[Visionoz]

Earliest next possible date seems to be 2nd Sept aro 12.30pm EDT... so says the NASA TV broadcast...

[Camelopardalis]

Yikes, that’s a late night/early morning for us here :sadeyes:

[Peter Ward]

Problem is NASA sacked way too may of their experienced staff.....

[gary]

In a 1 Nov 2021 article by Philip Sloss, he attempts to explain the
constraints that go into the launch window calculations for Artemis 1.
Suffice to say the various constraints are mindbogglingly complex
and involve - yes, you guessed it - real rocket science :-









Full article with diagrams, calendars , images and more here :-
https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2021/11/artemis-1-launch-periods/

[ChrisD]

:) Sorry, what did you say your hobby was again?

[Startrek]

And quite a few took up positions at Space X
Says something for private enterprise, especially a dynamic progressive company like Space X

[Hans Tucker]

Yes .. clearly they need more people wearing white short sleeve shirts and tie.

[ChrisD]

I know it's a little off topic but if anyone is interested in the engineering side of the Apollo project:

http://www.infocobuild.com/books-and-films/science/moon-machines.html

It's a few years old but I think it's one of the best. Episode 3, about the development of the navigation computer software and hardware, is very good.

[Stonius]

Maybe SGP can slew the scope to look at the TV screen while you're in bed? :shrug:

[Camelopardalis]

Ha ha yeah good ol’ SGP has given me plenty of sleep over the last few years :D

[glend]

Let's wait and see, concerning Friday. If they cannot resolve the bleed line problem on the number 3 engine, via cycling or software, they will need to roll the ship back to the Fab building in order to tear into the plumbing. Keep in mind these sort of tanks can only be pressurised and depressed about 6 times before they have to be scrapped, and they have used up 3 cycles already (This info from NASA Spaceflight.com).
If they roll back the next available launch window blows out.

[Camelopardalis]

Rescheduled for early Sunday, our time.

NASA is running a special on NASA TV this morning @10am (if my time zoning is correct!) talking about what was learned.

[glend]

Thanks Dunk, I watched the NASA TV briefing this morning. Still no info on the cause of the problem, but they are changing the timing of the fuel fill start, starting it earlier in the count next attempt.

[Camelopardalis]

Dodgy sensor?

[Camelopardalis]

Looks like Artemis 1 will be ready for a second go tonight at 4:17am AEST.

[AdamJL]

would be a great fathers day present if it launches tomorrow!

[Stonius]

I don't think I'll be up for that one. :-(

[DarkArts]

I'll be up. How many times in my (remaining) life will I get to see a Moon launch? I figure it's worth it.

There's a 60% to 80% chance of favourable conditions during the window. The countdown commences at 6:37pm AEST Saturday (with a 2.5 hour hold after which the clock starts ticking). NASA TV full coverage starts on Sunday morning at 2:!5am AEST, but you can watch fuelling operations beforehand from 7:45pm AEST Saturday.

[glend]

Not overly excited as there is no indication that they found a cause for the last bleed line problem.

[AndyG]

Does anyone know the course this rocket is taking? Would someone living close to the equator see the rocket firing whilst it's still early morning at their location?

Just asking as I'd seen what appeared to be a Chinese rocket (from some launch info) visible over Townsville last year.

[DarkArts]

They replaced a bleed hose and sensor line, and re-torqued bolts in that area, so they think they found the issues.

Composite probability of "Go" is 70% at present.

[DarkArts]

Not sure, but the NASA-supplied graphics depict it as launching North East over Northern Europe.

... and it's "Go" for fuelling the core stage.

[astronobob]

I read the sensor was at fault and assume replaced but apparently all the chilling operations are totally fine, and was mentioned that if this sensor fails again, they will just ignore it,, hmmm, must have confidence the chilling operations are all good...
Launch at approx 3:45am AEST Sunday at this stage ...
Weather at Cape Canaveral, Possible storms to the Nth at the start of 'Launch Window' becoming less threatening over the 2hr window !

[astroron]

Anyone notice that the NASA Launch Control engineer saying the time,
which is 5 minutes behind the real time
Is this a deliberate delay in the broadcast:question::question:
Cheers:thumbsup:

[DarkArts]

He's saying the right time when I hear it ... :shrug:

What platform are you watching on?

[astroron]

NASA TV.
My clocks and watches and phone all
have the correct time.
Cheers:thumbsup:

[astroron]

Its correct now?

[DarkArts]

Well, yes, obviously! But is that via a PC using YouTube, direct from the NASA website, an app on a smartphone/tablet, a streaming box app? It probably makes no difference, but I'm curious.

[astroron]

Direct from NASA on my Computer.
Not using UTube.
All is well now.:thumbsup:

[ChrisD]

It is not looking good for a launch in this window. I hope they get the Hydrogen leak fixed.

Edit: another scrubbed launch

[astronobob]

:doh: try again in a couple more days ?

[glend]

Yeah, scrubbed again. Hydrogen leaks. That makes one more pressurisation cycle (4th) ticked off the list of possible (6) before tanks have to be scrapped.
US news services are reporting that it looks like an October reschedule, due to launch window requirements, but complicated by a co-scheduled nearby SpaceX NASA. If they have to wait till October they might as well return the ship to the VAB, where they can work on it more easily. Maybe start by replacing all the hydrogen valves. Does anyone know if they ever did a static fire on those core engines?
The word cursed comes to mind.

[Startrek]

Not sure if they perform Static fire tests on these engines ( they didn’t for the Shuttle , just Hot Fire testing )

I watched the HFT ( Hot Fire Test) last year of the 4 core engines

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=yEItmSRB44g

I always said Artemis was a waste of taxpayers dollars
Old technology ( hydrogen propulsion)
Old design ( ex Space Shuttle )
Limited crew capacity
Only capable of Low Earth Orbit and Lunar missions
Almost non reusable
Mega expensive to launch 4.1 billion
And so on …….

Just give Elon a bit more time and they will have Starship in orbit
Starship to the Moon in a few years and Mars in 10 years for a fraction of the cost and direct costs borne by a private company

[glend]

Further news coming to light, if they are delayed beyond next week, the launch termination system (ie self destruct) battery will have to replaced, a VAB job apparently.

By contrast, the Starship self destruct charges mount on the exterior surface of the tanks, and connect via dedicated wiring to the Tesla ship battery in the nose. You can usually see the techs mount the charges via cherry picker before a flight test. The Tesla battery is charged via the quick disconnect arm, so I hear. Data link is via Starlink now.

[alpal]

Begs the question of how they fueled up
the Apollo tanks without all those leaks?
It looks like we have lost technology from 53 years ago.

[Crater101]

Just the other day I watched a History channel doco on the Apollo 11 launch, with a lot of live footage. There was a hydrogen valve problem in the final hour or two before launch that was fixed by the techs not long before liftoff.


I'm not one to entertain unnecessary risks, but...what did we know then that we've forgotten now?



Looking forward to seeing it finally launch. Third time lucky.

[DarkArts]

After the end of the Shuttle program in 2011, many staff left. They're back up to ~12,000 staff now but I wouldn't be surprised if much of the hands-on expertise was lost and has not been fully regained.

Also, during Apollo, and again earlier in the Shuttle program, risks were taken. As we all know, that approach cost lives. Part of the "issue" of delays, I think, is that the tolerance for defects is lower now but the SLS design is adapted from the 70s-era Shuttle design, with a high maintenance load and likely still prone to defects.

Still, the SLS is a versatile system that is supposed to, eventually, lift much bigger payloads to orbit and power human Mars missions.

[gary]

Also keep in mind that NASA awarded a USD$2.89 billion contract,
paid for by US taxpayers, to SpaceX to develop the Human Landing System
(HLS) vehicle for Artemis, the SLS equivalent of the Lunar Module.

The HLS is based on the SpaceX Starship.

And only last week, NASA announced it has awarded five more
astronaut missions to Elon Musk’s SpaceX, with a contract worth an
additional USD1.4 billion to the company.

Like in the 2022 Netflix documentary, "Return to Space" - directed by
Elizabeth Chai Vasarhely and Jimmy Chin (the husband and wife team
that made the Academy Award winning "Free Solo") - there is a point
where SpaceX has suffered a series of setbacks when rockets fail
on launch. Elon Musk is pretty much saying to the team they are down
to their last dime. He's starting to run out of cash to fund it. They are
excited to win a NASA contract that, along with a final successful
launch, gets them out of the hole.

The private US aerospace and defence industry has always survived and will
likely to continue to survive predominantly on the largesse of Uncle Sam
and the US taxpayer.

Apollo prime contractors were companies such as Boeing, Grumman,
Rockwell and IBM.

[astroron]

I guess you have forgotten all the "tests" that musk rocket tanks blew up and spread debris across the test area.
NASA cant afford to spread tax payers across the desert willy nilly.
They've been through that process and now proceed with caution.
Not bravado.
Just sayin. ;)
Cheers

[Stonius]

I think perhaps part of the equation is that China and india are looking at going to the moon too. It's been 2 generations since America put people on the moon. If China were to go there now, it would underline the shift in global dynamics with China on the ascendancy and the US in decline. I suspect there is a little bit of nationalist pride to be the first 'again', so they can't wait around to develop new technology lest they get 'Sputniked'.

[Startrek]

I take your point but it’s still a private company no matter whether the funds come from other private companies / contractors or the Government and the buck stops with the CEO. They just can’t bail themselves out if things run off the rails and they need high risk capital ( banks aren’t interested)
Yes Elon almost went bankrupt but drive , innovation , determination , a dedicated hard working management team , loyal hardworking employees got his company back on track to where it is today
The Space industry is pretty unique, most mega contracts are Government contracts so the majority of his income will always be derived from Government sources

Cheers

[ChrisD]

So... Does Artemis gets 2 more launch attempts, then the crawler picks it up, drives past the VAB and drives along the Beachline Expressway to the nearest recyclers?

[glend]

Based on this morning's reporting ( by The Angry Astronaut), it seems the last failure was due to "human error", whereby some one allowed the hydrogen fueling pressure to reach 3x the designed pressure on the hose links and valves. This over pressure event blew the valve seals. Good bet it will roll back to the VAB where they can tear down the hoses and valves out of the public gaze, and replace what needs to be replaced. At the same time the launch termination system certification is expiring, and will have to be redone (the internal battery is only useful for a limited period, which has now expired). No ship is allowed to launch without a certified Launch Termination System, for safety reasons.
Next launch window is likely in October, assuming they do not find anything else.

[glend]

As predicted, roll back until October window, and other launches will get priority.

https://www.livescience.com/nasa-mega-moon-rocket-delayed-month

[DarkArts]

CNN is reporting (https://edition.cnn.com/2022/09/12/world/nasa-artemis-1-next-launch-attempt-scn/index.html) that the next proposed launch window is Sep 27 with Oct 2 as a potential backup (though the backup is under review).

[gary]

Looks like Artemis is not the only new rocket with scrubbed launches due to gas pressurization issues.

Stephen Clark at spaceflightnow.com reports :-



We refer to it as rocket science but often it just comes down to plumbing.

Story here :-
https://spaceflightnow.com/2022/09/12/firefly-reschedules-test-launch-for-next-week-after-two-scrubs/

[DarkArts]

According to the BBC (https://www.bbc.com/news/63022093), the Sep 27 launch window has been abandoned. Storm Ian (which could become a hurricane) is threatening Florida.

NASA will decide on Sunday (US time) whether to move Artemis 1 back to the assembly building.

[DarkArts]

Hurricane Ian is shaping up to be a bad one.

Artemis 1 was moved back to the vehicle assembly building on Tuesday (AEST). NASA crews are now preparing for weather - a "ride out" team will stay at Kennedy Space Centre to monitor conditions.

The launch window has likely slipped to November (https://www.zdnet.com/article/nasa-shields-artemis-rocket-from-hurricane-launch-now-likely-in-november/).

[mura_gadi]

New launch window announced - 14th of Nov

[DarkArts]

CNN reports that NASA’s Artemis I mega moon rocket is back on the launchpad ahead of third launch attempt (https://edition.cnn.com/2022/11/04/world/artemis-sls-rollout-scn/index.html).

Third time's a charm. Right? :prey:

[DarkArts]

Surprise, surprise, launch delayed by 2 days due to weather:

NASA Prepares Rocket, Spacecraft Ahead of Tropical Storm Nicole, Re-targets Launch (https://blogs.nasa.gov/artemis/2022/11/08/nasa-prepares-rocket-spacecraft-ahead-of-tropical-storm-nicole-re-targets-launch/)

[Startrek]

Don’t hold your breath !!
NASA have had huge issues trying to get this behemoth off the ground let alone launching , reaching orbit , trans lunar injection , mid course burns , lunar orbit insertion , de orbit burns , trans earth injection, earth bound mid course corrections , corridor burns , re entry burns , splashdown and all the telemetry, navigation and guidance required to achieve the mission.
If they pull it off it without a hitch then at least it keeps Congress away from their Space budget for the interim. If it fails after launch or doesn’t reach orbit or misses the moon , then Goodbye Artemis program IMO …..
Either way it will be a spectacle to watch
I watched the last Moon Shot , Apollo 17 launch on my Parents black and white TV ( in fact I watched most of the Apollo launches from Apollo 7 to Apollo 17 and Skylab )

Good Luck again Artemis 1

[mura_gadi]

Next launch attempt announced, 1am Wednesday ET, so that will make it about 9am Thursday here. Very friendly time slot for us...

[DarkArts]

ABC reports NASA's Space Launch System Moon rocket expected to make debut launch after weeks of delays (https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-11-16/nasa-rocket-launch-latest/101660116).

Launch window opens at 5.04pm AEDT today and is two hours long. Tanking (fuelling) operations are currently underway - Oxygen is at 100% and Hydrogen at 97% (there was a small leak a short while ago that has been allegedly fixed).

Still on track for this launch window as it stands.

Backup launch windows are 19 and 25 Nov (US time).


How to watch: https://www.nasa.gov/feature/how-to-stream-nasa-tv-and-launch-america/
In addition to the list at the link above, Fetch boxes in Australia have a NASA TV app.

[DarkArts]

GO for launch ... T -9 mins 30 secs.

[AstroViking]

Artemis countdown now about T-8 minutes...

Live stream here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kvaz66nMEls

[AstroViking]

Woot! It launched perfectly - now at T+5:42 and at > 8000 miles per hour...

[DarkArts]

That was impressive. :2thumbs:

[alpal]

Video of the launch here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W0d4wOIXi5o

[Crater101]

Pleased to see this happen at long last. Let's hope that the whole mission goes well.

[mura_gadi]

The fact that they launched close to the start of the launch window is a good sign imo.

[strongmanmike]

I am as excited as the next person about this and I watched the launch live this afternoon but I have to say the launch footage was a little disappointing really :shrug: I was expecting much better coverage and angles and somehow a more dramatic looking event :shrug:...? The footage of Saturn 5 launches was incredible. Perhaps the appearance of the Saturn 5 vehicle itself is more impressive, more aesthetic to look at and I think being a night launch probably didn't help either but still, it was a little underwhelming as a spectacle :question: even shuttle launches were much more impressive..?

Anyway, all still very exciting what with returning to the Moon and all and the sheer power of the SLS is impressive :thumbsup:

Mike

[Startrek]

Well they finally got this thing off the pad , into low earth orbit and successfully completed the TLI burn for the Moon
I certainly had my doubts
8.9 million pounds of thrust looked amazing, even being a night launch
I have to agree TV coverage was a 6/10 , probably due to being an unmanned mission. Manned missions will have so many more cameras on board and around the vehicles
Space X have much better TV coverage even on their prototypes

Hopefully the views from Lunar orbit at the end of this week will be incredible 4K live stream , especially for the younger generation who missed the days of Apollo

Now it’s Space X turn to get their behemoth Starship into orbit and at nearly 16 million pounds of thrust what a spectacle that will be for all to watch

[alpal]

Startrek,

Are you sure they will have a link that fast from the Moon?

[DarkArts]

Of course, you're welcome to build a more spectacular launch extravaganza if you want ... shouldn't be too hard for gentlemen such as yourselves, what with all your critical knowledge and expertise. ;)

What you may be thinking of, is that wonderful multi-angle colour launch coverage of Apollo missions that we got to see in numerous documentaries. However, that was created from both video and high-speed/high-resolution film cameras dotted around the launch site that were not available for the TV broadcast, and most of the "good" footage was on film. TV cameras were mostly black and white and low resolution, even for Apollo 17. The 'main' TV broadcast camera was colour, though you'd hardly notice. Documentary footage benefitted from fiim/video post-production and editing not available for the live broadcast.

Even Shuttle launches relied on high-speed/high-resolution film cameras in addition to video well into the program. I remember watching the early Shuttle launches live - the coverage wasn't great.

I'm sure Artemis documentaries will look magnificent, just like their Apollo and Shuttle predecessors.

In the meantime, here's what the Apollo 17 launch coverage actually looked like: Apollo 17 - Launch - Network TV (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1l8zhN4ZbK8)

[strongmanmike]

:lol: maaate we are on to it already (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yXtIjznU6aw)...now THAT's a spectacular rocket! :cheers:

Seriously though, the points you made make sense but still, I was expecting something a little more grand, they really should have asked Stanley (ok well he is dead so how about Spielberg?) to assist again...:shrug: :P

Mike

[mura_gadi]

See article:
https://www.abc.net.au/news/science/2021-09-12/australias-first-space-laser-communications-installed-wa/100406742

[Startrek]

I understand and totally agree with your comments

Like I mentioned, I’m sure the future manned Artemis missions will have cameras everywhere both ground based , launch tower , vehicle exterior and crew interior etc…..

I’m by no means the only one who thought the live coverage was ordinary for such an important step forward since 1972

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=7GmR5mfD2wE

Looking forward to Orion reaching the moon

[alpal]

Thanks for that link.
I'll believe 4K transmissions from the Moon when I see it.
Lasers have obvious problems like cloudy skies and daytime conditions
swamping the light.



cheers
Allan

[gary]

Evan Ackerman, at the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)
Spectrum magazine web site, reports on the stuff flying aboard Artemis 1

Story pictures, URLs to more :-
https://spectrum.ieee.org/nasa-artemis-science

[DarkArts]

Unofficial sitrep and update (not by NASA):

NASA Artemis 1 Mission Update (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5hoDb2t7GXo)

[Hercules.Steel]

Watched the live feed last night on the NASA YouTube channel. I'll never forget watching the small blue disc of the earth being occulted by the limb of the moon in real time.

[DarkArts]

The Artemis 1 Orion capsule has reached the furthest point from Earth of any spacecraft designed to carry humans.

The selfie shot in the below article is awesome: Orion - Moon - Earth. :thumbsup:

NASA's Orion spacecraft reaches record-breaking distance in space exploration mission (https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-11-29/nasas-orion-spacecraft-reaches-record-breaking-distance/101711590)

[Crater101]

That's a pretty awesome selfie by any standard. It will be interesting to see what the rest of the mission brings. Hopefully all will go off according to plan. Then the real work - putting people back on the moon, and into space - can begin again.

[Stonius]

I wonder what would happen if China were working away on the quiet and got there first? The implications of that would be pretty huge.

[AdamJL]

Sadly, I can't see any alien bases on that image showing the far side of the moon...

[DarkArts]

Artemis 1's Orion spacecraft exited its Distant Retrograde Orbit on Friday (AEDT), conducted a course correction burn and is shortly (on Monday) to swing by the moon at an altitude of 79 miles on its way back to Earth. Splashdown is expected on 11 Dec.

Flight Day 17 — Orion Fine-tunes Trajectory, Downlinks Data, Continues Test Objectives (https://blogs.nasa.gov/artemis/2022/12/02/flight-day-17-orion-fine-tunes-trajectory-downlinks-data-continues-test-objectives/)

For the timebeing, you can watch a live feed from cameras on board Orion: https://www.nasa.gov/artemislive/

[DarkArts]

Artemis 1's Orion capsule is scheduled to splashdown off the Baja coast on Monday at 4:39AM (AEDT). NASA coverage begins at 3:00AM (AEDT).

Artemis I Flight Day 24: Orion Heads Home (https://blogs.nasa.gov/artemis/2022/12/09/artemis-i-flight-day-24-orion-heads-home/)

[DarkArts]

Splashdown! Orion is at Stable One.

Mission accomplished. :)

[Crater101]

w00t! :party:


Now for the next mission. I'll be interested to see what 's been learned on this one.


Sincere thanks on keeping everyone posted on progress!

[Startrek]

I enjoyed watching and listening to the Re entry stage where Orion would perform a shallow dive into the upper atmosphere and back out again into space to shed huge amounts of energy and velocity ( similar to the Apollo CM re entry ) but perform it twice at a tighter angle.
This Orion double skip and plunge manoeuvre was probably physically possible during Apollo but way too risky as technology at the time could not simulate a safe outcome.
With today’s technology Orion performed this manoeuvre safely and flawlessly and instead of subjecting future crews to Apollo’s punishing 6 to 8G’s the Orion crews will max out at just under 4G’s