The more things change...

As the modern saying goes, the more things change, the more they stay the same.  Around 8:00 PM this evening I went back to the one of the cameras formerly named Lab Padre (now named Avid) to get a look at the Artemis II vehicle, only to find it seemed to be in exactly the same place as it was 30-ish hours ago. Is it being rolled back to the Vehicle Assembly Building? Not yet, but they say it will. The NASA blog for the mission says it will be rolling back on Tuesday - Feb. 24. A time has not been set. 

Maybe you've heard the version that goes the more things change the more they stay insane. Seems like it goes well if those things all together are named Space Launch System. 

The NASA post goes on to say:

On Feb. 21, managers decided to remove recently installed platforms before high winds descend on the Space Coast, which poised teams for rollback while discussions about the issue were ongoing. Returning to the Vehicle Assembly Building at Kennedy is required to determine the cause of the issue and fix it. 

Teams are reviewing the exact time to begin the approximately 4 mile, multi-hour trek.

The quick work to begin preparations for rolling the rocket and spacecraft back to the VAB potentially preserves the April launch window, pending the outcome of data findings, repair efforts, and how the schedule comes to fruition in the coming days and weeks. 

Wait... "Potentially preserves the April launch window?" That implies they've given up on March already. 

Screen capture of the Artemis II vehicle on pad 39B, from Avid Space's Cape Cam    

But on a more pleasant note, Sweet Little Wife (SLW) and I went outside last night to watch the 33rd flight of SpaceX's B1067. The liftoff time was changed over the evening from the original 9:18 PM EST to 10:47 PM so it was quiet in the neighborhood. We watched until a minute or two after the stage separation and were back in the house to easily be able to watch the booster landing and earning its B1067-33 designation.

Like virtually all Falcon 9 launches it was almost boringly perfect.  Unlike the vast majority of launches we got a continuous engine rumble from just after dropping the first stage until well after it touched down on ASOG (A Shortfall Of Gravitas). The rumble resonates in our patio doors and other hardware, so we literally hear our house shaking. That sound was around 10 minutes after launch, so it had to be coming from closer to ASOG than the launch pad. Much closer to ASOG.

At the risk of repeating myself too often, I remember when they weren't sure they could get 10 flights out of a booster and that keeps pushing to bigger and bigger numbers. The current goal is 40. 

I can't wait to hear how long the doors rattle after Starship launches from the Cape.