Artemis

[Basil]

Will it actually take off this time?

[Kim]

The magic 8-ball says "Everything leaks"

[Wowbagger]

Had to google was an Artemis was.

[Kim]

Some third-rate pedal car team, innit.

[Canardly]

Aftershave innit?

[cycleman]

I expect it will eventually take off but the real question is in how many pieces 🤔 

[Beardy]

It’ll take off in one piece, though whether it will reach or it in the requisite form remains to be seen. In theory it’s tried and tested tech, which would be a good choice, but the fact that they’re reusing the actual tech from way back when, I reckon it’s a bit of a dice throw.

[Kim]

It's very important that the pieces fall off the rocket in the right order.  Also, that the noisy end keeps pointing down - the exact opposite of bathing a baby, in that respect.

[hatler]

Eight hours to go. Nothing untoward on the NASA feed as yet ....

[hatler]

11/15/2022 22:07
NASA reports the liquid hydrogen tank on the core stage has passed the 5% full mark, and will soon transition from slow fill to fast fill mode.

[hatler]

11/15/2022 22:14
Liquid hydrogen loading on the Space Launch System's core stage has transitioned from slow fill to fast fill mode. This is a key moment when leaks have been detected on previous countdowns.

[Jaded]

Is this the "Only Fools and Horses" rocket? (A Trigger's Broom collection of parts)

[hatler]

Underway to the moon.

[Kim]

The magic 8-ball says "Everything leaks"

The magic 8-ball was correct, but NASA had their top people on the case, who applied righty-tighty tactics.   

And the whole thing nearly got scrubbed due to a faulty Ethernet switch at a radar station.  Sometimes it *is* rocket science.

[Kim]

Is this the "Only Fools and Horses" rocket? (A Trigger's Broom collection of parts)

Yes, much of it is using Shuttle-era technology (the main engines are veterans of several shuttle missions, and will end up at the bottom of the ocean... seems wrong somehow).  It's the best way to get to the moon without spending vast amounts of money developing new rockets, but it's limited to Apollo-style missions.

SpaceX are on track to make the whole thing deeply embarrassing (which is why NASA gave them a contract).  Assuming Elon Musk doesn't liquidate them first.

[Kim]

https://youtu.be/CMLD0Lp0JBg?t=11765

[Peter]

Oh God, Oh God, Oh God!!!

Poets, philosophers and just general lovers of words, avert your ears - a new completely meaningless language has been invented:-

"Today, we got to witness the world's most powerful rocket take the Earth by its edges and shake the wicked out of it," said Mike Sarafin, Nasa's Artemis mission manager. "We have a priority one mission in play right now."

His boss, the agency's administrator Bill Nelson, was also wowed.

"That's the biggest flame I've ever seen. It's the most acoustical shockwave that I have ever experienced,"

Didn't they ever have to pass any exams?  They are in control - God help us.  Wouldn't be surprised to see it land in Poland.

[Beardy]

They’re rocket scientists, communicating with other people in any language other than mathematics is usually left to less scienced people for reasons that are readily apparent from those two sentences. 

[Kim]

Yeah, that last bit has a BODMAS failure.  Really needs some brackets around 'acoustical shockwave' to make it - and I use the term loosely - clear that he's not describing the shockwave as 'most acoustical' which would be Trumpian nonsense.  This is probably why NASA prefers to communicate in acronyms.

Still, I'll forgive Bill Nelson a lot on the basis that he's not Jim Bridenstine.

[spesh]

So in other words, he was trying to say that Artemis was rather loud?