Surprising predictions part 4

 NASA Aborts Tuesday Moon Launch Due to Unfavorable Weather Conditions

NASA’s moon-bound Orion spacecraft will not be launching on Tuesday, January 18 as previously scheduled due to unfavorable weather conditions at the Space Launch Complex 37 in Cape Canaveral, Florida. NASA cited clouds, strong winds, and lightning as the reasons for their decision to push the launch back to Wednesday morning after conducting last minute checks and evaluations. The next launch window opens at 7:05 am EST on Wednesday, January 19 and closes at 9:44 am EST with an expected launch time of 8:26 am EST if it does not encounter any further delays.

Why was the launch scrubbed?

Officials at NASA scrubbed the launch of a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket carrying NASA's InSight Mars lander just minutes before liftoff due to unfavorable weather conditions. The entire launch window was lost, and the next opportunity for a launch will be at 3:47 p.m. ET on Wednesday. The InSight mission is designed to explore the deep interior of Mars and study its crust, mantle, and core which could help scientists understand how other rocky planets--including Earth--formed billions of years ago. A successful landing would provide valuable information about the size and composition of Mars' core. The mission cost $814 million, but is only one-third as expensive as an average NASA project, because it uses instruments already tested during two previous missions to Mars--the 1996 Pathfinder probe and the 2003 Spirit rover. Those missions returned data that have helped InSight planners design the craft's mission around three scientific goals: understanding why Mars' magnetic field disappeared, examining the role played by liquid water in shaping ancient Martian landscapes, and looking for signs that life once existed there.

When will it happen next?

The launch of NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) will be postponed until Wednesday, April 18 at 6:32 p.m. EDT due to a ground system lightning strike and unfavorable weather conditions in Florida. 

TESS is set to be the next flagship mission of NASA's planet-hunting Wide Field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) program, following in the footsteps of the successful Kepler Space Telescope. 

The $337 million TESS mission will scan nearly the entire sky for planets outside our solar system - with an emphasis on discovering worlds that are only about six times larger than Earth, which have yet to be observed by other spacecraft or telescopes. To achieve this goal, TESS will use four cameras that can see smaller objects such as exoplanets orbiting stars beyond the sun. If all goes according to plan, scientis believe they could discover over 20,000 new exoplanets over the course of two years. These findings would significantly increase the total number of known exoplanets from 4,700 to 40,000. The big event will take place during a live-streamed announcement scheduled for 10:00 EST on Tuesday morning. Until then, we'll keep you updated on the latest developments!

What would have happened if there wasn’t a delay?

The launch would have gone on as planned and the weather would have been dealt with in the moment. With this delay, the rocket has now been left in the dark for two days and will need a massive turnaround before it can be utilized again. The payload will also need to be removed and transported back to NASA's Kennedy Space Center. This is not a new occurrence for NASA, which has seen delays due to bad weather in the past. It’s difficult to predict exactly how long of a delay the project will see because the storm still needs to clear up, but we could see weeks or even months of delays if there are any more hiccups. If this were a military mission, the spacecraft would be moved to an alternative launch site where they could go ahead without waiting out a storm. Unfortunately, that isn't an option here because Cape Canaveral was chosen specifically for its geographical location and weather patterns.

Where can I watch?

The launch will not take place on Tuesday, Dec. 18th due to unfavorable weather conditions. NASA engineers are hoping the winter storm currently raging in Florida will subside before December 20th, when they plan to launch the rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The mission is set to explore the lunar poles with a rover that could uncover new insights about space weather and how it impacts satellites and human spaceflight.

The live stream of the launch was scheduled for 8:30 am EST on December 18th but has been postponed until at least Friday, December 21st. Tune into our live blog for the latest updates! 

You can also watch via NASA TV or YouTube livestreams which are expected to be available by Friday morning (EST). You can tune in as early as 7am EST on Friday morning to watch the broadcast or you can view the video replay once completed. At this time, the date for any rescheduled launch has yet to be determined. However, the next window for launching the spacecraft opens on December 20th-22nd. A decision regarding whether or not a second launch attempt will happen should be announced sometime during this window. If NASA decides to try again next week then we should expect an announcement between 5-6pm EST today, Thursday, December 19th.

How do rockets like this actually work?

Rocket technology is fairly sophisticated, and it's been honed over the years. They are typically made up of three major parts: a fuel system, an engine, and a nozzle. The fuel system burns with oxygen from the air to produce fire and hot gases that escape out of the back of the nozzle. This high-speed gas pushes against the rest of the rocket, in turn propelling it forward. Rockets like the ones used for NASA missions can travel about 30 kilometers per second (about 18 miles per second). That means that when a spacecraft leaves Earth, it takes eight minutes just to reach the height of its launch tower. It takes another two hours for the satellite to get into orbit! 

The total cost of such a mission depends on how long it lasts, but estimates range from $60 million to $170 million. Launching a Falcon Heavy costs $90 million dollars. However, once it reaches space, the vehicle is reusable - meaning that you can keep launching it as often as needed to complete your goal.