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from the will-it-go-well-or-will-it-go-BOOM? dept.
NASA’s Massive Artemis Moon Rocket Set for Second Hot Fire Test – Watch Live Coverage Today:
NASA is targeting a two-hour test window that opens at 3 p.m. EDT Thursday, March 18, for the second hot fire test of the core stage for the agency’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket at NASA’s Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi.
The agency plans to begin live coverage on NASA Television, the agency’s website, and the NASA app approximately 30 minutes before the hot fire. The team will refine the timeline as it proceeds through operations. NASA will provide updates on the operations and the target hot fire time at @NASA and the Artemis blog.
[...] A post-test briefing will follow on NASA Television approximately two hours after the test.
Previously:
Green Run Update: NASA Proceeds with Plans for Second Hot Fire Test
After a Decade, NASA’s Big Rocket Fails its First Real Test
NASA TV to Air Hot Fire Test of Rocket Core Stage for Artemis Missions
(Score: 3, Informative) by KilroySmith on Thursday March 18 2021, @04:26PM
Rockets aren't yet as reliable as passenger aircraft; when loading a zillion tons of cryogenic and flammable fluids into the rocket containing thousands of sensors (temperature, pressure, strain, flow, position, etc) through dozens of valves, it's common for something to indicate a fault. Happens to every rocket system out there. The standard procedure is to halt the countdown, double-check the reported fault condition against redundant sensors, make a decision whether the fault is real or false, and if it's real whether it should stop the launch or not. Making those checks and decisions takes time, which delays the launch until later in the window.
Ever been on a flight where the captain says "We'll have to wait here for a few minutes until Maintenance has a chance to check out ?" I have, several times.