What happens when lightning strikes a rocket?

The lightning event begins when lightning strikes the rocket, launched from the Rocket Triggered Lightning launch pad at Kennedy Space Center, and the 3,000-foot copper wire being trailed from the rocket. The wire is then vaporized as it follows the path to a lightning rod attached to the instrumented launcher.

Can you get struck by lightning in space?

The phenomenon of triggered lightning was experienced in 1969 when Apollo 12 launched through clouds that produced a weak electrical field. The spacecraft triggered two lightning strikes, even though no natural lightning was present.

Can rockets accelerate in space?

The simple act of accelerating something in a particular direction (the rifle bullet or hot gases from a rocket exhaust) creates an equal force acting in the opposite direction (Newton’s 3rd law). This reaction is what propels a spaceship upwards or through space, regardless of the presence of ground or atmosphere.

What happens if the weather is bad before a SpaceX launch?

If any aspect of the weather is unfavorable, SpaceX will postpone the launch and wait until the weather improves. In most cases, this means pushing the launch back one or two days.

Are rockets safe from lightning when they launch?

Rockets sitting on the launch pad are safe from lightning due to lightning rods around the pad, but after lift off, they are susceptible to being struck. NASA has eight different launch weather criteria that relate to thunderstorms to ensure that a rocket is safe from lightning throughout its entire launching process.

What happens if a launch is delayed by weather?

A weather-related delay during fueling can result in the postponement of a launch as well, but NASA officials have a few hours of cushion time in which a delayed tanking can be resumed and completed for an on-time launch attempt later that day.

How dangerous is it to launch a rocket in Florida?

Thunderstorms can be one of the most dangerous types of weather for rocket launches, especially in Florida where thunderstorms pop up nearly every day in the summer. Rockets sitting on the launch pad are safe from lightning due to lightning rods around the pad, but after lift off, they are susceptible to being struck.