Why Do We Always Have To Wait For Launch Windows For A Rocket To Reach Space

Earlier this week, the Artemis I mission to the moon was cleared again. now we have to wait for a new boot window. Just 40 minutes before the Space Launch System rocket was scheduled to lift off from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Sept. 3, a leaking fuel line caused engineers to clean up the launch. So what is a launch window and why can’t a rocket go up at any time? And what does it mean to “rub it in”? Waiting for proper alignment A startup window is like waiting for the stars to align. The rocket will be “launched” from the surface of the Earth. This launch must be perfectly timed so that the craft’s resulting path through space sends it—and everything it’s carrying—to its intended location at the right time. For Artemis I — a mission to send the Orion capsule into orbit around the Moon — “right time” means waiting for the moon to be as close to Earth as possible (known as “perigee”) during cycle of 28 days. Therefore, we will now be waiting about four weeks for the next lunar eclipse. With much of the flight path relying on gravity aids (a “swing-by” that uses the momentum of a large body to increase or decrease the speed of a passing craft) from both Earth and the Moon and because we want the Orion capsule to return safely, time is of the essence. Animation of Artemis I around the Earth, frame rotating with the moon. Credit: Phoenix7777/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA Orion must slingshot past the moon, not land on it, so the positions of the rocket launcher, Earth, the moon, and the lunar capsule must all be known precisely at all times. It was a similar story with the launch of the James Webb Space Telescope. In this case, the mission controllers were careful not to hit the moon on its way to the Lagrange Point 2 – a gravitationally balanced point between the Earth and the Sun. The telescope launch was cleaned a few times to avoid bad weather. finally launched from French Guiana on an Ariane 5 rocket on Christmas Day 2021. “Weird” mission language So why is it called “rubbing” the launch and not canceling it? It turns out that there is some pretty specific language for space missions. There are actually five different words used for abandoned space missions. “Cleared,” “cancelled,” “dissolved,” “retired,” and “terminated” all sound similar, but to mission planners they mean different things. A mission that is “cancelled” will not launch. For example, the International X-ray Laboratory was scheduled to launch in 2021 as a joint effort by NASA, the European Space Agency (ESA), and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), but due to budget cuts it was canceled. Planning had gone into it, research had been done, but nothing was built. This is a mission abort, which usually happens in the development stages. If the mission is part of a program that has ended, it is a “termination.” So if Russia withdraws from the International Space Station program, its participation will end, even though the ISS mission continues. This is the same as when NASA ended participation in the ESA ExoMars mission. Artemis I flight path of the Space Launch System rocket and Orion crew capsule. Credit: NASA On the other hand, the last Saturn V rockets “scratched” when the last three Apollo missions were “cancelled”. Two Saturn V rockets are on display at the Johnson and Kennedy Space Centers, made up of “scraps” of several past rockets and missions. Finally, we’re used to seeing astronauts retire, but so are space missions. The Mercury, Gemini, Apollo and STS (space shuttle) programs have all been “retired”. This means that no further missions of this type will be carried out. Rubbing So why was the Artemis I launch cleared? The expression “burnt” is a holdover from the days when mission details were handwritten on a chalk board. In the event of bad weather or equipment failure, the mission start time information was erased from the chalkboard with a damp cloth — rubbing. It is still assumed that the mission will take place, but it will be rescheduled for a different time. This is good news for all those looking forward to seeing missions to the moon repeated for the first time in 50 years. The launch of Artemis I was simply postponed to the next available launch window. Working in tandem: NASA networks power Artemis I Powered by The Conversation This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. Reference: Why do we always have to wait for “launch windows” for a rocket to reach space? (2022, September 9) retrieved September 9, 2022 by
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