helium check valve

SLS on the launch pad at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Photo: NASAOn Monday, NASA failed in its first attempt to launch the uncrewed Artemis 1 mission, with engineers struggling to resolve an engine cooling issue. It’s a wholly unsurprising result, given that NASA was unable to complete a single wet dress rehearsal, of which four were attempted earlier in the year. The space agency appears to be winging it, with the botched launch attempt effectively serving as the fifth wet dress rehearsal, in what is a troubling…

NASA’s SLS rocket outside the Vehicle Assembly Building on March 17, 2022. Photo: NASA/Kim ShiflettA fourth attempt to complete a full-fledged launch rehearsal of NASA’s Space Launch System has been slated for June. NASA’s ground teams say they’ve resolved a batch of technical issues that prevented the practice session from happening in April. For this next test, they willfill the giant rocket with super-cooled propellant and rehearse a full countdown.Speaking to reporters today, Cliff Lanhman, senior vehicle operations…