The ground crew noticed that all four core stage engines weren’t chilling to -420 degrees Fahrenheit. Engine No.3 was 30 to 40 degrees warmer than the other engines.
John Honeycutt, manager of the Space Launch System rocket said that the engineers were afraid if any engine didn’t reach the optimal cold temperature, it could break due to the sudden stress of super-cold fuel.
NASA is hard at work on 2nd try
On the second launch, the fueling process is set to start earlier. Then the mission controllers will have more time for the engines to cool to the right temperature before ignition.
Honeycutt says that he is confident a sensor is a problem in Engine No. 3. And that liquid hydrogen was flowing into all the engines during the halted countdown on Monday.
The sensors that are working right indicate that the engine would have properly cooled down. And his team is working on a “flight rationale” plan to allow the rocket to launch without changing out the temperature sensor on the engine.
The flight technicians will also try to stop a leak in a liquid hydrogen line. These types of leaks are nothing new at NASA.
