(WWJ) – Millions of people woke up early Monday to watch NASA’s historic launch of the Artemis I mission.
But that launch was scrubbed, due to an engine issue. NASA didn’t waste much time setting a new target date for launch, though, announcing on Tuesday evening they’ve set a two-hour launch window at 2:17 p.m. Saturday.
Mike Murray of the Delta College Planetarium in Bay City spoke with WWJ’s Erin Vee on Tuesday night’s edition of “All Over the Space” to talk about NASA’s latest news. He said scrubbing a launch is “actually quite normal.
“I’ve seen dozens of space shuttle launches, and really, about 50% of the time, they do scrub, for one reason or another,” Murray said. “This is one of the most complicated and complex machines ever built, so you’ve got to figure there are almost one million criticality-one items, so it only takes one to take the whole thing down. They’ve got to be really careful.”
He says NASA has addressed and figured out what the problems were, and now they’re set to move forward with Saturday’s new launch window.
But what exactly is a launch window?
Murray says even though it’s scheduled for 2:17 p.m., they have two hours to launch under perfect conditions.
“There are dozens of items that determine what a launch window is going to mean,” Murray said.
He says one of the biggest factors in a launch window can be the weather.
More information on the Delta College Planetarium in Bay City can be found online. Follow the planetarium on Facebook and Instagram for the latest news and updates.
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