NASA to conduct second SLS launch dress rehearsal in June
In announcing a press conference later today about the status of NASA’s SLS rocket, the agency revealed it now plans to conduct a second SLS launch dress rehearsal in June.
NASA’s SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft arrived back at Kennedy’s Vehicle Assembly Building April 26 after a 10-hour journey from launch pad 39B. Since their arrival, teams have worked to replace a faulty upper stage check valve and repair a small leak within the tail service mast umbilical ground plate housing. The teams also have been performing additional checkouts while the spaceport’s supplier of gaseous nitrogen makes upgrades to their pipeline configuration to support Artemis I activities.
We will likely find out NASA’s new launch schedule for the rocket today.
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In announcing a press conference later today about the status of NASA’s SLS rocket, the agency revealed it now plans to conduct a second SLS launch dress rehearsal in June.
NASA’s SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft arrived back at Kennedy’s Vehicle Assembly Building April 26 after a 10-hour journey from launch pad 39B. Since their arrival, teams have worked to replace a faulty upper stage check valve and repair a small leak within the tail service mast umbilical ground plate housing. The teams also have been performing additional checkouts while the spaceport’s supplier of gaseous nitrogen makes upgrades to their pipeline configuration to support Artemis I activities.
We will likely find out NASA’s new launch schedule for the rocket today.
In order to remain completely independent and honest in my writing, I accept no sponsorships from big space companies or any political organizations. Nor do I depend on ads.
Instead, I rely entirely on the generosity of readers to keep Behind the Black running. You can either make a one time donation for whatever amount you wish, or you sign up for a monthly subscription ranging from $2 to $15 through Paypal, or $3 to $50 through Patreon, or any amount through Zelle.
The best method to donate or subscribe is by using Zelle through your internet bank account, since it charges no fees to you or I. You will need to give my name and email address (found at the bottom of the "About" page). What you donate is what I get.
To use Patreon, go to my website there and pick one of five monthly subscription amounts, or by making a one-time donation.
For PayPal click one of the following buttons:
If these electronic payment methods don't work for you, you can support Behind The Black directly by sending your donation by check, payable to Robert Zimmerman, to
Behind The Black
c/o Robert Zimmerman
P.O.Box 1262
Cortaro, AZ 85652
If we find out the SLS launch date, we may finally find out when the Permit for SpaceX to launch Starship Super Heavy will be allowed. :)
You know, with the number of parts in something like SLS/Orion, it seems like every time you run a dress rehearsal that it is a chance for something else to fail, so you end up doing “whack-a-mole” endlessly. Perhaps wearing out other parts so they are ready to fail. And then, even if you have got matters so that everything is “fixed”, there’s no guarantee that some other part, having successfully performed N number times won’t decide to fail on N+1. Am I off the beam, here? If I am correct, “what is to be done”?
Col B – It seems like Musk consciously or unconsciously has conceived of a product and test program that attempts to address your observation about complex systems testing resembling Whack a Mole.
On the wall of many senior engineering managers there is sign which all say substantially: “There comes a time in every project life that you have to kill (fire / layoff / send away) all the engineers. At some point you have to just go test. But if has taken your project 2 decades to get there and the test article is ungodly expensive than understandably there is a reluctance to fly unless you can be **SURE**. Anyone with half a brain KNOWS that in complex systems like this there cannot be certainty with all capital letters.
That being said, I think Musk’s genius is to have tried to come up with a vehicle which is such that a single failed test is not a catastrophe. His relentless desire to build products gives him the flexibility to build – test fly – analyze and fly again.
Also, the Musk quote that the best part is NO part. is another recognition that at some point the game of whack a mole begins and having one less mole is a good thing.
SLS is a simpler beast….I would suspect sabotage. I wish Nick Saban would get into rocketry. He could have told that pixie punk that blew his elbow out at the Gala that arm-tackles don’t work. I have to get Musk and Saban in the same room…and to get SLS foam Crimson.