Day 4631

Bummer. Today's launch scrubbed with only 40 minutes left on the clock. There were lots of problems this morning but the engineering team was able to resolve most of them. The problem that shut down the launch was that one of the four main engines wasn't able to pre-chill properly during the engine bleed proceedure. The other three engines were fine, but you need all four to launch. Evidently these engines have to be super cold prior to launch so the liquid oxygen and hydrogen will flow through them. Pre-chilling the engines with liquid hydrogen prior to launch is very important.

I'm hoping that the engineering team can resolve the problem in time for a second attempt on Friday, but there are no promises. Nobody know what caused the problem yet. If they can't fix the rocket out on the pad, they will have to roll it back to the Vertical Assembly Building again. This could put the launch weeks or even months behind schedule. There will be a briefing tomorrow evening that hopefully will provide some answers.

I decided to stay an extra day to see if the launch team can make a decision about how to proceed tomorrow. I can't stay down here forever, but I'd hate to fly home and then discover that the launch was successful on Friday. I guess I shouldn't have been surprised at what happened today. This is a new rocket and scrubs are quite common for any number of reasons. I overheard one of the astronauts tell someone that his Space Shuttle flight was s scrubbed four different times before it eventually got off the ground.

There were more people at the press site this morning than I've ever seen before. They all disappeared quickly after the launch got scrubbed though. I hung around for the rest of the morning hoping to hear something about rescheduling the launch. There was a final press conference where the NASA officials basically said to stay tuned because they didn't know what went wrong yet. I could have asked a question myself, but didn't. The reporters who did ask questions pretty much covered all the bases anyway. I went and had lunch at the space center cafeteria before heading back to Titusville, and was surprised to see an astronaut sitting at the next table. There was a lot of disappointment in the air this morning but nobody seemed terrible surprised that the launch got scrubbed. 

I drove over to the Canaveral National Seashore before returning to my Airbnb. It is very pretty out there but the mosquitos were biting and it was getting hot. I took a few more pictures and called a day. It took a while to reschedule my flight, car rental, and Airbnb, but I'm all set now. We'll just have to see whether I'm staying one more day or four more days. If the launch gets delayed any longer than this, I'm out of luck.

I have no idea what I'll end up doing tomorrow, but it probably won't involve going back to the press site. I doubt that much is happening out there tomorrow. The press conference tomorrow is virtual and I'll need to call in to find out what the Artemis team has decided about rescheduling the launch.

I think it's time to call it a day. I haven't been getting a lot of sleep lately and I'm feeling tired. Maybe I'll just get some rest tomorrow. I'm still really disappointed that the launch didn't take place today, but hopefully I'll still be able to see Artemis fly when all the problems get sorted out. Eventually this rocket will get us back to the moon, but maybe not as soon as I'd hoped.

Duke is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3977

One launch down, one to go. The United Launch Aliance NROL-101 Mission lifted off right on schedule, but tomorrow's Crew-1 launch hit a snag. The launch got postponed until Sunday night because what remains of tropical storm ETA is headed towards the drone ship that will recover the Falcon 9 booster. For a while today we all thought the delay might be a lot worse. Rumors were swirling that Elon Musk had wasn't feeling well and had tested positive for cronavirus. The fear was that when contact tracing was finished it would lead all the way back to the astronauts. This seemed unlikely to me, but you never know with Elon. He could have had dinner with the astronauts recently.

Today was busy. After a light breakfast I drove to the NASA Accreditation Office and picked up my credentials. There are always lots of badges at these events. Everyone wears a lanyard around their neck with the badges they need. I had an orange badge and a green badge today. I had two one-on-on interviews with Commercial Crew mission specialists and went to a press conference with NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine and other dignitaries. I was going to ask a question at the press conference but someone from a television network beat me too it. Hey, at least it was a good question.

Tonights's launch was a classified mission for the National Reconnaissance Office. Since this was an Air Force mission, the press group I was a part of viewed the launch from Patrick Air Force Base. The weather was good and we had a spectacular view. The Atlas 5 rocket lifted off just after sunset and as it rose in the sky you could see it break into sunlight again. I was expecting a night launch and had a little trouble with the constantly changing exposures right around sunset. I got a few good pictures though. Doing this is definitely a learning experience.

I decided to extend my stay in Florida in hopes that Space X can resolve its problems with the drone ship in the next 24 hours. I can't stay here forever, but it would be a shame to miss what I came here for. Some launches get delayed again and again. The Crew-1 mission has been delayed several times already. It's a shame that tomorrow's launch got scrubbed. The weather looks perfect tomorrow. On Sunday the chances of rain start increasing again. We'll see what happens. Hey, I'm on assignment. I need to get the story.

I'm not sure what I'll do tomorrow. Nothing's happening at the Space Center. I don't want to stay in the Hoel all day, but Covid has certainly curtailed a lot of what you can do around town. Since I arrived at Patrick Air Force Base early today I went to a neat little museum on base while I was waiting for the launch. I know there's a space museum in Titusville, but I think it is closed. Maybe I'll go back to the KSC Visitor Center. I've been there twice but there's still a ton of stuff I haven't seen yet.

I think I'll sleep well tonight. It's been a long day. Covid has certainly changed the way we cover space launches. Some of the people I interviewed today are still working at home. If Elon Musk actually does have Covid he won't be allowed back at the Space Center until he has completed a fourteen day quarantine. I wore my mask outdoors all day today. NASA is pretty strict. It made me appreciate our ability to walk Dawn in the park every morning and pretend that the world is normal.

Puppies are today's Dalmatians of the Day

Watch of the Day