Posted in Science!, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2026, Artemis, inspiration, NASA, science, space, space exploration on April 1, 2026| Leave a Comment »
NASA’s Artemis II mission is (as of right now!) still a go. Here’s a site with a countdown to launch and a tracker for when it happens.
Artemis II Mission Tracker | Live Orion 3D Timeline
And here’s a video on the mission in case you didn’t get enough background material yesterday.
And here are a couple of Artemis-themed games to play, just for fun: Artemis Game Hub
Just over six hours now if all goes well. Fingers crossed!
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Posted in Science!, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2026, Artemis, moon, NASA, science, space, spaceflight on March 31, 2026| 1 Comment »
The countdown has begun! Tomorrow is the first April launch date for the Artemis II flight. (If the weather or tech doesn’t cooperate, the mission will be pushed forward, so the next couple of days could be interesting!)
NASA’s Artemis II Launch Mission Countdown Begins – NASA
The countdown for NASA’s Artemis II test flight is underway at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, with members of the launch team arriving at their consoles inside the Rocco Petrone Launch Control Center. The onsite countdown clock started ticking down at 4:44 p.m. EDT to a targeted launch time of 6:24 p.m. on Wednesday, April 1.
Who will be in that shiny new rocket, you ask?
Meet the first Artemis crew flying to the moon since the Apollo era
The Americans who blazed the trail to the moon more than half a century ago were white men chosen for their military test pilot experience. This first Artemis crew includes a woman, a person of color and a Canadian, products of a more diversified astronaut corps.
Speaking of the comparison to Apollo, what else is different, how are they similar, is that an excellent graphic showing time and trajectory (yes!) and more:
Apollo vs. Artemis: What to know about NASA’s moon missions | AP News
Let’s revisit: Why are we doing this again?
Artemis II: Why is Nasa sending people back to the Moon?
There’s still prestige in being the first to plant your flag in the lunar dust. But now it really matters where you plant it.
(In short: resources, scientific and technological discovery, and did we mention resources?)
We can all follow NASA’s feed, but there’s another option for tracking the flight:
When Artemis II launches to the Moon, we’ll be able to track it on our smartphones. Here’s how
NASA has announced that Artemis II’s journey around the Moon will be available to track online and via a downloadable app called Artemis Real-time Orbit Website (AROW).
And here’s what it will be like inside Firing Room 1 a.k.a. Mission Control:
The NASA mission control masterminds who will keep the Artemis II astronauts safe
…who has the Artemis II astronauts’ backs as they make the 10-day, roughly 685,000-mile journey around the moon, aboard a rocket and spacecraft that haven’t carried humans before? And what does it take to work in the high-stakes, behind-the-scenes roles that keep astronauts safe and the mission on track?
Because astronauts are just the most visible part of what it takes to get a project like this off the ground. Here’s to the engineers, adventurers, and dreamers too!
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Posted in Entertainment, Science!, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2026, Artemis, full-moon, inspiration, movies, NASA, science on February 4, 2026| Leave a Comment »
Sadly, NASA’s Artemis mission launch has run into some issues (hydrogen leaks bad!) and will be delayed until at least March.
NASA Conducts Artemis II Fuel Test, Eyes March for Launch Opportunity
That said, safer is better, so you do what you need to do, NASA. (Maybe rehiring some of the folks who were let go last year might help? Just saying.)
What do we hope to see when the mission does launch? This site has a nice explainer.
The flight path of Artemis 2, step by step
And for more on the long-term goals, see this in-depth article: How Artemis will land humans on the Moon.
As we wait to hear more from the launchpad, here’s something fun I ran across the other day that may help keep you entertained:
We asked former astronauts about their favorite space movies, and this is what they said
I mean, I’m more The Martian and Galaxy Quest than 2001, but that’s me. So many good movies!
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Posted in Science!, Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2023, 25% Canadian, Artemis, free fiction, genre fiction, inspiration, NASA, science, space exploration, Thoughts, Writers on April 4, 2023| Leave a Comment »
NASA recently released the Artemis II roster for the next crewed lunar mission. As one article put it, “this is not your grandfather’s moon mission” and that’s a good thing. The crew is 25% female, 25% African American, and even (gasp!) 25% Canadian! (Think you too have what it takes? Here’s a link to get started: Astronaut Selection Program | NASA. Good luck!)
Why go to space? There are a lot of potential answers. Given the complex, diverse and fascinating future of exploration, here’s a collection of stories and essays that address this very question.
Visions, Ventures, Escape Velocities: A Collection of Space Futures from ASU’s Center for Science and the Imagination
Stories by: Madeline Ashby, Steven Barnes, Eileen Gunn, Ramez Naam, Carter Scholz, Karl Schroeder, Vandana Singh
Essays by: Jim Bell, Lawrence Dritsas, Linda T. Elkins-Tanton, Emma Frow, Roland Lehoucq, Andrew D. Maynard, Clark A. Miller, Deji Bryce Olukotun, Steve Ruff, William K. Storey, Sara Imari Walker, G. Pascal Zachary
Interview with: Kim Stanley Robinson
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Posted in Science!, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2022, Artemis, inspiration, moon on November 28, 2022| Leave a Comment »
To supplement my previous post on the progress we’ve made imaging the far side of the Moon, here are a number of snapshots from the Artemis I Orion flyby.
See the Far Side of the Moon: Incredibly Detailed Pictures From Artemis I Orion Close Lunar Flyby
I’m pretty sure I see a forest. Or possibly Bigfoot’s footprints.
And it definitely looks like cheese.
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Posted in Science!, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2022, Artemis, inspiration, moon, NASA, science on November 22, 2022| Leave a Comment »
The Artemis moon mission is now underway, which means fun updates like this video flyby of the Moon.
… NASA’s Orion spacecraft performs a close approach of the lunar surface on its way to a distant retrograde orbit, a highly stable orbit thousands of miles beyond the Moon. During the Artemis I flight test, launched on Nov. 16, Orion will travel 280,000 miles (450,000 km) from Earth and 40,000 miles (64,000 km) beyond the far side of the Moon, carrying science and technology payloads to expand our understanding of lunar science, technology developments, and deep space radiation.
— Artemis I Close Flyby of the Moon – YouTube
Check out Orion’s location with the Artemis Real-time Orbit Website: NASA: Artemis I.
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Posted in Science!, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2022, Artemis, inspiration, NASA, science on November 15, 2022| 1 Comment »
Will the Artemis moon mission finally fly? The answer seems to be, “Probably.”* The weather has been challenging but tonight’s forecast looks good. Here’s hoping all goes well tonight!
NASA’s new Artemis moon rocket is once again being readied for its first flight : NPR
A successful launch would be a key milestone for NASA’s Artemis program, which aims to put the first woman and first person of color on the lunar surface. The agency has not launched a space vehicle designed to send astronauts to the moon since 1972.
* Edit from the future: the answer is yes!
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Posted in Science!, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2022, Artemis, NASA, space exploration on September 6, 2022| Leave a Comment »
You may have heard that NASA scrubbed the Artemis moon launch for technical reasons. The good news is that the launch will be rescheduled.
NASA could again try to launch Artemis moon mission as soon as late September : NPR
Until then, we wait.
Why Is NASA’s Hold Music So Catchy? – The Atlantic
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Posted in Science!, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2022, Artemis, inspiration, NASA, space exploration on August 29, 2022| Leave a Comment »
This morning at 8:33 a.m. EDT (12:33 GMT), NASA’s Artemis rocket is set to launch for the moon.
Watch NASA’s Artemis 1 moon launch online today | Space
The space agency will host Artemis 1 launch webcast on Aug. 29 to showcase the uncrewed launch on NASA’s first Space Launch System megarocket from Launch Pad 39B at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
As of this writing, live updates have begun. Weather forecasts are good but there is an engine issue. Engineers are working the problem but some delays are expected.
The fact that humanity has been going into space, and to the moon, for decades doesn’t mean it’s easy. And that’s ok.
“I don’t need easy. I just need possible.”
— Katie Bone, 16-year old nationally-ranked athlete and Type 1 diabetic
Follow launch live updates or watch it on NASA’s livestream now.
Update: Today’s launch has been scrubbed. More later!
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