Bea Beltran Science 09.28.2022 03:Sep AM EDT

Artemis 1 Moon Rocket's Shelter Catches Fire

The Artemis 1 moon rocket was removed from the Kennedy Space Center's Launch Pad 39B and transferred to the facility's Vehicle Assembly Building on September 26th, to protect it from Hurricane Ian in the event that it does hit Florida's Space Coast.

It took nearly ten hours to transport the moon rocket to the shelter, arriving at 9:15 a.m. EDT on September 27.

According to a tweet quoted on Space.com, Employees were evacuated, and there were no reported injuries, fortunately.

Although, not long after the evacuation, a small fire broke out at the shelter where the Artemis 1 was relocated.

No Problems Added

NASA officials said that Artemis was never at risk since the Vehicle Assembly Building is fire safe. This is good news in that detail alone, but accompanied by the other problems that NASA is facing with the Artemis 1 vehicle, it is a huge relief.

The initial launch date of the Artemis 1 moon rocket was supposed to be on August 29, but problems started to arise. 40 minutes before the launch, they encountered an issue with an engine bleed.

They have already said beforehand that the mission could be scrubbed for a lot of reasons. Difficulties with the weather, technical issues, or a range and public safety hold are among the possible reasons that the launch may be postponed, so it should not come as much of a surprise.

After several attempts at a fix, they still could not get one of the booster's RS-25 engine down to the right temperature. They faced a similar problem in June as well based on Engadget's article.

It took NASA months of tests and troubleshooting to make sure that the launch test would go smoothly and that they could finally send the vehicle off. However, a lightning storm occurred near the Kennedy Space Center which delayed the start of propellant loading.

The second launch attempt was unfortunately unsuccessful too. NASA discovered a leak in Artemis 1's hydrogen fuel line. Because of the new problem they are facing, the expected launch will now be mid-October.

Rockets are complex and complicated machines and it is best to make sure that everything is in tip-top shape before it launches to avoid problems mid-air. After all, Artemis 1 will do accomplish for us in terms of space travel advancements.

Why You Should Have High Hopes for Artemis 1

It seems that Artemis 1's flight is one small step for man and a giant leap for womankind. The initiative will be putting the first woman and first person of color on the moon, according to the Smithsonian Magazine.

These astronauts will be the first to step on the lunar regolith, or as they call it, the dusty moon soil since the 1972 Apollo 17 mission.

Furthermore, it is very likely that the Artemis program will allow astronauts to stay on the moon longer than anyone in history has before. They will make this possible by putting a space station in orbit and constructing a space camp on the moon's surface.