Bubble trouble in hydraulics blamed for NASA and SpaceX Crew-10 scrub
- Reference: 1741971787
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2025/03/14/spacex_crew_10_scrub/
- Source link:
NASA [1]confirmed the issue had been resolved on the eve of the second attempt to launch the Crew-10 mission from Launch Complex 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
The first attempt [2]was scrubbed at approximately T-44 minutes on Wednesday, March 12, when engineers could not clear an issue with the ground support hydraulics system used for the clamp arm supporting the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. Managers opted to scrub the launch before the crew access arm was retracted and propellant loaded.
[3]
A second launch opportunity on Thursday, March 13, was skipped owing to weather concerns, which also gave engineers more time to work on the problem with the hydraulics. According to NASA, SpaceX ground teams completed the system inspections and successfully flushed a suspected pocket of trapped air, clearing the issue ahead of the next scheduled launch attempt.
[4]
Steve Stich, manager of NASA's Commercial Crew Program, paid tribute to the NASA and SpaceX teams responsible for identifying and resolving the problem.
[5]Starliner astronauts' stay drags on as Crew-10 launch scrubs
[6]Elon Musk calls for International Space Station to be deorbited by 2027
[7]International Space Station's out-of-this-world selfie booth turns 15
[8]SpaceX Crew Dragons swapped so ISS crew can go home early
"I'm especially proud of the team's systematic approach throughout the countdown, analyzing data and making thoughtful decisions to ensure the integrity of our mission. Their commitment to both excellence and safety is a true testament to the strength of this integrated team," he added.
NASA is now targeting 1903 EDT on Friday, March 14, for the launch, and the current forecast puts the chances for favorable weather at more than 95 percent. The situation will go downhill if there is another scrub; the chance of weather violations rises to 50 percent and 60 percent on Saturday and Sunday, respectively.
If all goes to plan, the Crew-10 mission, which consists of NASA astronauts Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers, JAXA astronaut Takuya Onishi, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Kirill Peskov, is expected to arrive at the ISS on Saturday, March 15, around 2330 EDT. The four will spend a few days settling in before Crew-9 departs, along with Boeing's Starliner test pilots Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore, who have been on an extended stay aboard the ISS. The undocking of the Crew-9 spacecraft is planned for no earlier than Wednesday, March 19. ®
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[1] https://www.nasa.gov/blogs/commercialcrew/2025/03/13/nasa-spacex-prepare-for-march-14-crew-launch-to-space-station/
[2] https://www.theregister.com/2025/03/13/starliner_duo_get_bonus_days/
[3] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/science&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2Z9S1C1s9Y8CBTdjUR5i0bwAAAVc&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[4] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/science&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44Z9S1C1s9Y8CBTdjUR5i0bwAAAVc&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[5] https://www.theregister.com/2025/03/13/starliner_duo_get_bonus_days/
[6] https://www.theregister.com/2025/02/21/elon_musk_iss_mogensen_insult/
[7] https://www.theregister.com/2025/02/14/15_years_iss_cupola/
[8] https://www.theregister.com/2025/02/12/spacex_crew_dragons_swapped_for/
[9] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
Re: So like bleeding the brakes on a car.
This was part of the ground support system, so more like bleeding the hydraulics on a tractor or other heavy equipment. Most of which have been self-bleeding since before man first walked on the moon.
Bleeding modern hydraulics isn't exactly rocket surgery. Or shouldn't be, anyway ... considering that they do it all by themselves.
If it wasn't a company run by a very ethical man, I'd suspect somebody's telling porkies.
Re: So like bleeding the brakes on a car.
Bleeding hydraulics isn't rocket surgery (air goes up - fluid goes down) but if the system design is shit, then it can be a complete pain in the ass.
And no, not everything is "self-bleeding" or does it "all by themselves"
A "self-bleeding" system simply has a large enough reservoir that it can handle replacing a lot of air volume with fluid, and that everything is designed to vent to the reservoir when it's at rest. There's a lot of size and shape constraints where this isn't the case.
I've seen quite a few ground support systems where there had to be loops around things, and these loops trapped air of course, so bleeding involved different equipment positions.
I know of at least one recent model small Kubota tractor that needed to be on its side to completely bleed things. The workaround I (and I assume anyone with a brain) used was to dismount the piping and turn that sideways. It was a tossup as to which procedure was more of a pain in the ass.
What time is that ?!?!
If you can be bothered to add currency conversions, and you always can, then please please please also convert world times to the UK time!!
So when will the next launch attempt be? Oh ok…. I’ll go a look it up myself, thanks very much.
Re: What time is that ?!?!
Especially when the UK is so close to GMT and rocket timetables are usually in GMT
Some consideration for your readers outside the USA?
A translation of "1903 EDT" to something meaningful - like 00:03 UTC would be appreciated!
Hubble, Bubble, Toil
& Lots of Trouble!
Of great, now I have that earworm again...
[1]What earworm?
[1] https://youtu.be/BuXOSBb4hQw?feature=shared&t=33
So like bleeding the brakes on a car.
But on a rather larger scale.
I guess when the Felon's away the mice will play.....