This is the reason why there are lightning towers in the launch pads.
Lightning bolt today (August 27) over Launch Pad 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, which will host the agency’s highly anticipated launch. Artemis 1 Moon mission Monday morning (August 29).
Bolts approached the Artemis 1 – A stack space launch system (SLS) megarocket topped by an Orion crew capsule – with three lightning turrets reaching Pad 39B.
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Lightning strikes next to Launch Complex 39B at Kennedy Space Center just moments before as NASA and Artemis’ Space Launch System rockets await their launch Monday during a two-hour window that opens at 8:33 a.m. EDT. pic.twitter.com/UsfBX1Q2u8August 27 2022
There is no cause for concern. The turrets were doing their job, avoiding dangerous blows away from valuable space flight equipment. One of the three 39B towers was similar Hit in early April During the Artemis 1 refueling test, for example, the SLS and Orion appeared unharmed.
in Blog post update (Opens in a new tab) This evening, NASA officials said that today’s three strikes were likely “of low intensity.” However, the agency is investigating whether it affected the Artemis stack 1 or Pad 39B.
“The weather team has begun an assessment that includes the collection of voltage and current data, as well as images,” NASA officials wrote in the update. “The data will be shared with a team of experts in the electromagnetic environment effort who will determine if any restrictions on the vehicles or ground systems have been violated. Engineers will walk the platform tonight and, if necessary, conduct additional assessments with the subsystems experts.”
Artemis 1 is the first NASA mission Artemis Lunar exploration program, as well as the first flight of the SLS. The powerful rocket will launch Orion on an unmanned mission into lunar orbit that will last six weeks from takeoff to landing. The main goal is to prove that both vehicles are ready to start launching astronauts to the moon and other destinations in deep space.
The weather isn’t great on the Space Coast today, as lightning strikes show. But that is expected to be very clear by launch day; Meteorology with the United States space force Say there is a 70% chance that Mother Nature will cooperate on Monday morning.
If weather or technical issues call off this take-off attempt, NASA has two backup chances in the current imaging launch window – September 2 and September 5.
Editor’s Note: This story was updated at 6:45 PM EST on August 27 to include information from a NASA blog post update.
Mike Wall is the author of “Abroad (Opens in a new tab)Book (Great Grand Publishing House, 2018; illustrated by Carl Tate), a book on the search for extraterrestrials. Follow him on Twitter Tweet embed (Opens in a new tab). Follow us on Twitter Tweet embed (Opens in a new tab) or on Facebook (Opens in a new tab).
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