back to article NASA tricks Artemis launch computer by masking data showing a leak

NASA engineers had to work fast to avoid another leak affecting the latest Artemis dry run, just hours after an attempt to reboost the International Space Station (ISS) via the Cygnus freighter was aborted following a few short seconds. The US space agency on Monday rolled the huge Artemis I stack back to its Florida launchpad …

  1. vincent himpe

    It's leaking hydrogen !

    keep filling !

  2. vincent himpe

    It's leaking hydrogen...

    keep filling it !

  3. Yet Another Anonymous coward Silver badge

    Also known as

    The VolksWagon solution

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Also known as

      As long as it's not the Hindenburg solution.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Hindenburg solution.

        Compromise by only painting a Swastika on one side and then showing the other side to the press?

        Well it could help if you are launching in Florida and want the governor on your side

      2. Bartholomew

        Re: Also known as

        > the Hindenburg solution

        Do you mean paint the outside with thermite (because it provides good reflectivity and thermal insulation) ?

  4. The Oncoming Scorn Silver badge
    Mushroom

    There's A Hole In My Rocket

    Dear NASA Dear NASA

    There's a hole in my rocket

    Dear NASA

    A hole!

  5. Claptrap314 Silver badge
    Gimp

    At least...

    There will be no teachers on this one...

    1. Yet Another Anonymous coward Silver badge

      Re: At least...

      Government killing teachers is expensive and inefficient, when it can be so effectively outsourced to the community

  6. Alistair

    Fake it till ya make it?

    ..... SLS is just not going well. I really don't think FiTyMi is appropriate for rocket testing. Although if this is *just* a (seal size/damage/state) issue I'll buy that they will have it fixed for the next run. At least on this launch it wont have humans aboard. (Or monkeys for that matter, but....)

    1. Yet Another Anonymous coward Silver badge

      Re: Fake it till ya make it?

      I read a conspiracy theorist on the internet who claimed NASA were actually building the SLS!

      Like that makes sense in the real world

  7. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    I think the headline is overblown. I work in (non-rocket) development, you mask non-fatal errors so you can and proceed to find the next error.

    You are also going to mask non-fatal errors after launch, because you don't have much choice but to proceed.

    1. Gene Cash Silver badge

      Trying to save some money and time

      Plus you want to get as much mileage out of it as possible when a test is as expensive as this one.

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Boffin

      Indeed. And even more so because the leak was external to the rocket in a connector seal on an umbilical. I could even see this overridden in an actual launch.

      When NASA disassembles it they will determine the problem and solution. It may be something as simple as replacing all umbilical gaskets.

      I think it's unfortunate that politically Artemis will continue. But this was a win for the program.

      1. Sorry that handle is already taken. Silver badge

        I could even see this overridden in an actual launch.
        Shades of Apollo 11!

        1. Dave 126

          The software was written by skilled engineers in the past, in anticipation of a myriad possible scenarios.

          In the present, skilled engineers can assess the actual situation they are faced with.

  8. Spherical Cow Silver badge

    That's ok...

    ...so long as they remember to unmask it before a real launch!

    1. Jimmy2Cows Silver badge
      Windows

      Re: That's ok...

      Mutters something about the permanence of temporary fixes...

  9. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Maybe issue t-shirts to NASA/Contractor SLS Staff...

    Maybe issue t-shirts to NASA/Contractor SLS staff with the Challenger Space Shuttle on the front and the Columbia Space Shuttle on the back, to focus the minds.

    Because it sounds like there is a lot of pressure to cut corners again, reminiscent of 1986. We don't need a replay of past events.

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