STEM for Aerospace | Nathalie

That's the end of my takeover of the Artemis accounts!! Thanks for flying along with me. In the words of my bestie Victor Glover, we love you from the Moon!!!! 🫶 Rise out!!

The Artemis II crew is boarding Orion.  Reid, Victor, Christina, and Jeremy are taking their seats atop the most powerful manned rocket ever built. They have trained for years for this moment, and now they are preparing to execute a mission that will take us back around the Moon and begin the next chapter of human space exploration.

Great having Embry-Riddle students at NASA HQ today. Spent time in the Space Operations Center talking through what it takes to execute missions at the highest level and hearing from the next generation that’s going to carry it even further.

As an update to my earlier post. - The ICPS helium bottles are used to purge the engines, as well as for LH2 and LOX tank pressurization. The systems did work correctly during WDR1 and WDR2. - Last evening, the team was unable to get helium flow through the vehicle. This occurred during a routine operation to repressurize the system. - We observed a similar failure signature on Artemis I. - The Artemis II vehicle is in a safe configuration, using ground ECS purge for the engines versus the onboard helium supply. - Potential faults could include the final filter between the ground and flight vehicle, located on the umbilical, though this seems least likely based on the failure signature. It could also be a failed QD umbilical interface, where similar issues have been observed. It could also be a failed check valve onboard the vehicle, which would be consistent with Artemis I, though corrective actions were taken to minimize reoccurrence on Artemis II. Regardless of the potential fault, accessing and remediating any of these issues can only be performed in the VAB. As mentioned previously, we will begin preparations for rollback, and this will take the March launch window out of consideration. I understand people are disappointed by this development. That disappointment is felt most by the team at NASA, who have been working tirelessly to prepare for this great endeavor. During the 1960s, when NASA achieved what most thought was impossible, and what has never been repeated since, there were many setbacks. One historic example is that Neil Armstrong spent less than 11 hours in space on Gemini 8 before his mission ended prematurely due to a technical issue. A little over three years later, he became the first man to walk on the Moon. There are many differences between the 1960s and today, and expectations should rightfully be high after the time and expense invested in this program. I will say again, the President created Artemis as a program that will far surpass what America achieved during Apollo. We will return in the years ahead, we will build a Moon base, and undertake what should be continuous missions to and from the lunar environment. Where we begin with this architecture and flight rate is not where it will end. Please expect a more extensive briefing later this week as we outline the path forward, not just for Artemis II, but for subsequent missions, to ensure NASA meets the President’s vision to return to the Moon and, this time, to stay.

The Artemis II wet dress rehearsal ended today at 10:16 p.m., concluding as planned at T-29 seconds in the countdown. NASA will hold a media briefing about the test at 11 a.m. Friday, Feb. 20, which will stream on the agency's website.

The rocket is stacked. ✅ The Orion spacecraft with its launch abort system is stacked atop the Space Launch System rocket. Launch of the Artemis II mission around the Moon is targeted for early next year.