NASA’s Artemis 1 moon rocket, the first Space Launch System amplifier, sits on top of the Launch Pad 39B of the Kennedy Space Center in Florida as the International Space Station flies overhead as a streak visible on the upper left on April 8, 2022. Credit picture: NASA / Joel Kowsky) A serene new NASA photo captured two spacecraft in twilight, one in orbit and one on Earth, as the body tested its new Artemis 1 lunar rocket. The photo, taken by photographer Joel Kowsky, shows the service’s Artemis 1 moon rocket – the first space launch amplifier – as it was at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center Launch Pad 39B in Florida on April 8. Above, a faint streak in the sky is the International Space Station, which orbits 260 miles (418 km) above the Earth. Kowsky took the photo using a 30-second exposure and a Nikon D6 camera, according to the NASA photo description. The SLS rocket is a bit difficult to distinguish in the image, as it is partially covered by the overexposed headlights of the launch pad, but the striking twilight colors ranging from deep pink-orange to black at night do not compensate. NASA dropped the SLS rocket on the launch pad in March for a critical countdown and power test known as the “wet dress rehearsal” before the scheduled Artemis 1 mission to the moon later this year. The test started on April 1, but did not go smoothly. NASA tried to power the rocket three different times, only to cancel any attempt due to technical problems. A faulty valve in the Artemis 1 stack launch tower is the cause of the last delay. Mission Artemis 1 is an unmanned test flight that will launch an Orion spacecraft full of experiments and mannequins around the moon. If the flight goes well, NASA will launch the first astronauts with an SLS rocket in 2024 on the Artemis 2 mission, which will also fly around the moon. The next mission, Artemis 3, will transport astronauts to land near the Moon’s south pole in 2025 or 2026, NASA said. Email Tariq Malik at [email protected] or follow @tariqjmalik. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook and Instagram.
