Posted on 04/28/2018 10:17:49 AM PDT by BenLurkin
“The mission team is working to build a replacement heat shield structure. The situation will not affect the mission’s launch readiness date of July 17, 2020.”
NASA said the structural test at Lockheed Martin, which built the heat shield, “was designed to subject the heat shield to forces up to 20 percent greater than those expected during entry into the Martian atmosphere.”
“While the fracture was unexpected, it represents why spaceflight hardware is tested in advance so that design changes or fixes can be implemented prior to launch,” the NASA statement said.
A NASA spokesperson did not respond to questions on the damaged heat shield, and the agency’s announcement did not provide an estimate of the cost of a replacement heat shield.
“After a recent Mars 2020 rover heat shield test, teams identified a fracture in the structure,” tweeted Thomas Zurbuchen, head of NASA’s science directorate. “I’m happy that our standard test procedures revealed the issue & allows the team to build a replacement without impacting the launch readiness date.”
The Mars 2020 mission must launch in July or August of 2020, or else wait for the next Mars launch window in the second half of 2022. The rover is assigned to lift off from Cape Canaveral on a United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket.
(Excerpt) Read more at spaceflightnow.com ...
Well, that would be a great move on their part.
When Trump was running in 2015 -16, among all the other things I was behind him on was the restoration of our space program.
Obama dismantled the space shuttle program and turned NASA into a climate hoax research facility.
I was a child of the 70’s and 80’s so it killed me to see that piece of American pride destroyed. I was at the air and space museum in DC a couple weeks ago and it brought back so many great memories. “skylab” - so cool.
Trump did mention the restoration of NASA and our space program and it made me a broken glass supporter which all hell was breaking around here.
Remember these cheap shots I recorded, all from actual posts?
Trumpee
Trumpys
Trumpholes
Trumpaloompa
Trumpsters
Trumpanzees
Trumpenistas
Trumpers
Trumptards
Trump Cult
Trump Diehards
The Trumpkin Proletariat
Trumpites
Trumpkins
Trumpettes
Trumpists (thanks Rush Limbaugh)
Turmpeteers
Trumpbots
Trumpnutters
Strumpets
Branch Trumpidians
Trumpophiles
Trumplicans
I still laugh about all that nonsense.
I was on the fence about Cruz until the voter shaming scam in Iowa and Trumps clear stand on illegals invading our country.
cracked heat shield , it must have been made during the Obama Admin
NASA unexpected
NASA delay
Drink!
Uh, yeah, that’d be a good idea.
Big. surprise!
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