NASA checking Artemis rocket for damage after Hurricane Nicole’s 100mph winds hit Florida

Nicole’s strength was unexpected — being the first hurricane to strike the US in the month of November in nearly four decades.

When NASA made the decision to roll the SLS back out to its launch pad on November 3, Nicole had not yet been upgraded into a named storm, with expected wind speeds of only 40–46 miles per hour.

Mr Free continued: “We took the decision to keep Orion and SLS at the launch pad very seriously, reviewing the data in front of us and making the best decision possible with high uncertainty in predicting the weather four days out.

“With the unexpected change to the forecast, returning to the Vehicle Assembly Building [as the rocket did before Hurricane Ian in September] was deemed to be too risky in high winds.

“The team decided the launch pad was the safest place for the rocket to weather the storm.”

It remains to be seen whether the damage to the SLS is indeed only minor — and what impact Nicole’s passage over Florida will have on NASA’s plans to launch the Artemis I mission next Wednesday.

DON’T MISS:
Mysterious white blob washed up on Cornish beach eludes identification [REPORT]
Britons told energy saving log burners now ‘increase health risk’ [ANALYSIS]
Defence system could ‘change Ukraine war’ and devastate Russia [INSIGHT]

Article source: https://www.express.co.uk/news/science/1695460/nasa-artemis-i-sls-rocket-check-damage-storm-hurricane-nicole-100mph-winds