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Posts Tagged ‘Artemis’

A Bold Mission

Posted in Science!, Writing, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , 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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Photo by Armand Khoury on Unsplash

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Another View

Posted in Science!, tagged , , , , 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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Photo by Towfiqu barbhuiya on Unsplash

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Nice Shot

Posted in Science!, tagged , , , , , , 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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Photo by Hebert Santos

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Third Time’s A Charm?

Posted in Science!, tagged , , , , , 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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Photo by Siim Lukka on Unsplash

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And So We Wait

Posted in Science!, tagged , , , , 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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Photo by Arno Senoner on Unsplash

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Because It’s Hard

Posted in Science!, tagged , , , , , 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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Photo by Riley on Unsplash

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