Artemis delays: NASA addressing Orion Spacecraft heat shield issues

The report from NASA's Office of Inspector General said engineers have found more than 100 places where the heat shield cracked and broke off the Orion Spacecraft during reentry.

"Anytime you're talking about the heat shield, you're talking about life and death," said former NASA Advisory Council member Mark McDaniel.

In the role, McDaniel offered advice on the space program and policy issues. He was in the position in 2003 when the Space Shuttle Columbia broke up as it returned to Earth, killing the seven astronauts on board.

"I think Columbia actually changed everything," McDaniel said. "You cannot just step back and say maybe it'll work."

A later investigation found that a piece of foam broke off the shuttle and damaged the wing, a problem that has been known about within NASA for years.

"I can tell you in Columbia that information was, the foam, was not getting to NASA headquarters," McDaniel said. "It was not getting to that level. Certainly, after that, it's critical that every situation, every issue get to the NASA administrator's office."

McDaniel said the disaster created new policy, resulting in a safer, more transparent NASA.

"They expect these situations then they resolve them," McDaniel said.

NASA said it has been working to correct the heat shield issue since the mission ended. Engineers have successfully recreated the shield char loss in recent ground tests, a first step toward fixing the problem according to a statement NASA provided to News 19.

The process may take some time. NASA has already pushed back the Artemis 2 launch timeline to September 2025.

"You'll probably see some delays there, but when it's done, it's got to be done right because it will be done over and over," McDaniel said.

He said the work happening now is the building blocks that will return humans to the moon and eventually take them to Mars.

In a congressional hearing with NASA Administrator Bill Nelson on Tuesday, Rep. Dale Strong pointed out delays will cost additional money. Nelson responded that NASA is working to hit scheduled dates, but if Artemis teams are not ready, the rocket will not launch.