In the tense final hours before Nasa's astronauts were launched into space, a series of technical issues threatened to ground their landmark mission. A faulty toilet and issues involving two safety systems were reported over the radio. Nasa managed to resolve the problems by being "quick on their feet", an official later said. Sensors in the spacecraft's waste‑management system showed some readings they did not expect, according to flight controllers. Astronaut Christina Koch reportedly acted as a plumber, dismantling parts of the toilet under instruction from mission control.
There were also issues reported with the flight termination system and the launch abort system – two safety systems that protect astronauts and the public.
The flight termination system allows engineers on the ground to destroy the rocket if it veers off course. It reportedly had a communications issue, which was resolved by using hardware from the previous Space Shuttle programme.
The launch abort system is Orion's emergency escape tower, designed to pull the crew capsule away from the rocket in the event of an emergency during launch or ascent. It reportedly gave a higher-than-expected temperature reading, but it was judged that it wouldn't affect the launch.
With these issues resolved, the launch went ahead and successfully took the astronauts into earth orbit.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c36rxe9w97zo
img: NASA public domain
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