There was a Blood Moon on the rise not too long ago, beckoning NASA’s rocket to affix it in space.
Final week’s Blood Moon total lunar eclipse was seen over the Artemis 1 rocket on Nov. 8, making for an epic view of the mission’s eventual vacation spot. Artemis 1 is scheduled to fly round the moon following a launch no sooner than Wednesday (Nov. 16) at 1:04 a.m. EST (0604), with the Space Launch System (SLS) megarocket hefting the Orion spacecraft for a round-the-moon journey.
Each NASA and United Launch Alliance, which constructed the SLS, captured footage of the ruddy moon rising over the NASA Kennedy Space Center‘s Launch Pad 39B, the place Artemis 1 is awaiting remaining approval for its launch.
NASA will present an replace on Monday (Nov. 14) round 6 p.m. EDT (2300 GMT) on whether or not the company is ready to proceed into the ultimate countdown. You possibly can hearken to the teleconference at Space.com and observe live updates in regards to the mission.
Associated: NASA delays Artemis 1 moon launch to Nov. 16 due to Tropical Storm Nicole
It has been a tough week for the rocket, which was left on the launch pad as Tropical Storm Nicole, which arrived as a hurricane, swept by way of coastal Florida. Company officials have maintained the rocket is protected to fly, regardless of having been topic to excessive winds and experiencing some minor injury throughout the storm.
The Artemis 1 stack has been backwards and forwards between Launch Pad 39B and the Car Meeting Constructing a number of instances as a consequence of points similar to gas leaks and the strategy of one other hurricane, Hurricane Ian. When the launch happens, it is going to be the primary mission in NASA’s Artemis program of lunar exploration.
Artemis goals to place boots on the moon within the 2020s. The present schedule requires Artemis 2 launching in 2024 with astronauts on board to fly across the moon and Artemis 3 placing astronauts on the floor in 2025 or 2026.
Artemis 1 is predicted to final 26 days if it launches on Wednesday. Orbital dynamics might change the size of the mission if it launches on different days. Present backup dates after Wednesday are Saturday (Nov. 19) and Nov. 25.
Elizabeth Howell is the co-author of “Why Am I Taller (opens in new tab)?” (ECW Press, 2022; with Canadian astronaut Dave Williams), a ebook about space medication. Observe her on Twitter @howellspace (opens in new tab). Observe us on Twitter @Spacedotcom (opens in new tab) or Facebook (opens in new tab).
