Ha, I predicted this would happen although I was wrong about the timing; I thought it might happen with Ian.
This was, in my view, probably deliberate. Artemis I is unflyable. It's also past its sell-by date: it has been stacked for far longer than the design limit permits. From a safety engineering perspective it is now a slag heap. It should never be permitted to be filled with volatile chemicals and pointed at the sky.
But it is too politically sensitive to kill. It is Congress' baby. It will be put through a launch attempt, no matter how ill-advised. So what is a fearful NASA underling to do? Simple! Permit the rocket to undergo some public mishap which can later be blamed for the inevitable pad failure.
Better unmanned than manned. They were advised of the risks with Challenger and killed the crew trying to prove they knew better than the engineers and technicians.
This was, in my view, probably deliberate. Artemis I is unflyable. It's also past its sell-by date: it has been stacked for far longer than the design limit permits. From a safety engineering perspective it is now a slag heap. It should never be permitted to be filled with volatile chemicals and pointed at the sky.
But it is too politically sensitive to kill. It is Congress' baby. It will be put through a launch attempt, no matter how ill-advised. So what is a fearful NASA underling to do? Simple! Permit the rocket to undergo some public mishap which can later be blamed for the inevitable pad failure.