The Space Launch System (SLS) of NASA is a powerful, advanced space rocket that will open a new era of human exploration beyond Earth's orbit. But on Saturday, April 2, the towers surrounding the megarocket were hit by four lightning bolts. NASA did not release a video on its official website, but a drone pilot posted it on Twitter.
The space agency confirms that the rocket was in good condition and is determined to continue to test. However, another issue arose that made them decide to postpone the testing.
In this handout provided by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) rocket with the Orion spacecraft aboard is seen atop a mobile launcher at Launch Complex 39B, Friday, March 18, 2022, after being rolled out to the launch pad for the first time at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Ahead of NASA's Artemis I flight test, the fully stacked and integrated SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft will undergo a wet dress rehearsal at Launch Complex 39B to verify systems and practice countdown procedures for the first launch.
Video Footage Shows Lighting Hitting SLS Launchpad
Mother nature is sometimes unpredictable, as what NASA recently experienced when four lighting bolts struck the towers surrounding their Moon-bound SLS megarocket. In a statement from NASA posted on Saturday, they confirmed the strikes hit designed lightning towers that stand around the perimeter of Kennedy Space Center's Launch Pad 39B.
The first three lightning strikes were relatively low-power events.
However, the fourth blow, which struck the lightning protection system's "tower one," was more powerful.
As NASA deputy manager of the Exploration Ground Systems Jeremy Parsons wrote on Twitter, the fourth strike was the strongest they have seen since the installation of the new lightning system.
The upgraded lightning protection of the launchpad includes better shielding against strikes, better separate electrical current launch hardware, and array sensors both on the ground and the mobile launcher that determines the rocket's condition after a lightning strike. Each tower has a fiberglass mast on top and catenary wires that diverts lightning from the megarocket and its service structure.
Thanks to the lighting protection, the rocket was unharmed.
(2/4) Each tower is topped with a fiberglass mast and a series of catenary wires and down conductors designed to divert lightning away from the rocket and service structure. This configuration helps keep the rocket isolated from dangerous currents.
— NASA's Exploration Ground Systems (@NASAGroundSys) April 3, 2022
(4/4) The new system also has an array of sensors, both on the ground and the mobile launcher, will help determine the rocket's condition after a nearby lightning strike, which can prevent days of delays.-JP
— NASA's Exploration Ground Systems (@NASAGroundSys) April 3, 2022
Watch the full video of the lightning bolts hitting the launchpad below this article.
NASA Tries to Continue Testing But Wet Rehearsal Moved on Monday
The American space agency said in the statement that the rocket boosters and an interim cryogenic propulsion stage were off when the four lightning bolts struck the launchpad, which avoided any catastrophic consequences for the rocket at the time.
NASA determined it was safe to continue the wet dress rehearsal after checking that all systems were working well, Futurism reported. That means the crew gets back to their stations, prepared the rocket, and load the tanks with propellant in a final pre-launch test before the market heads out next month.
Despite being safe from the lightning bolts, NASA decided to postpone the test to Monday, April 4, due to loss of "due to loss of ability to pressurize the mobile launcher."
As per CNN's report, the team working on the SLS megarocket is troubleshooting the fan issue and hopes to solve it until Sunday evening to hopefully meet their target testing at 7 AM ET Monday and begin the countdown at 2:40 PM ET.
Artemis launch director Charlie Blackwell-Thompson said that they have fixed and reconfigured the rocket and have laid out plans for how to get back to tanking so that it all works out.
How is Lightning Made? Is it Dangerous?
Lightning is a form of electricity. It forms when cold air meets warm air prompting the latter to go up and develop into thunderstorm clouds, according to NASA.
The cold air has ice crystals and the warm air has water droplets. When they bump together and move apart, the rubbing makes static electrical charges in the clouds.
When the charge is strong enough, the cloud releases the energy through the air, and it goes to a place that has the opposite charge. The lightning bolt of energy is called a leader stroke, and it can go from the cloud to the ground.
The main bolt or stroke goes back up to the cloud and makes a flash of lightning. The process will also heat the air and prompt the air to spread quickly, making a sound, which we hear as thunder.
Lightning is dangerous, and that was the reason NASA decided to delay the wet rehearsal due to safety concerns, even if the rocket was in good condition. The weather was great on Sunday, but fan problems arose, causing another delay and forcing NASA to continue the wet rehearsals on Monday.
RELATED ARTICLE: NASA Finally Rolls Out Space Launch System Rocket Ahead of Artemis 1 Mission [LOOK]
Check out more news and information on the Space Launch System in Science Times.
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