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!, Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2022, editing, inspiration, moon, NASA, science fiction, Thoughts, writing on November 26, 2022| 1 Comment »
I am working on story edits today and found myself needing to look up a lunar technicality. Next thing I know, I was reading a detailed account of the first lunar spacewalk at Tranquillity Base. I thought you might enjoy it too.
Wide Awake on the Sea of Tranquillity | NASA
July 20, 1969: The day began on the farside of the Moon. Armstrong, Aldrin and crewmate Mike Collins flew their spaceship 60 miles above the cratered wasteland. No one on Earth can see the Moon’s farside. Even today it remains a land of considerable mystery, but the astronauts had no time for sight-seeing. Collins pressed a button, activating a set of springs, and the spaceship split in two. The half named Columbia, with Collins on board, would remain in orbit. The other half, the Eagle, spiraled over the horizon toward the Sea of Tranquillity.
“You are Go for powered descent,” Houston radioed…
This also got me thinking about the farside of the moon. We’ve learned a lot about it since these images in 1959:
First Photo of the Lunar Farside – Moon: NASA Science
Check out the image comparison a few paragraphs in. Or heck, here’s my version:
And since we’re talking about the moon, let’s wrap with an update from Artemis:
NASA to Share Artemis I Update with Orion at Farthest Point from Earth | NASA
Orion entered a distant lunar orbit on at 4:52 p.m. EST Friday, Nov. 25, where the spacecraft will remain for about a week to test systems in a deep space environment about 40,000 miles above the lunar surface before beginning the journey back to Earth.
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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, eclipse, moon, space on May 16, 2022| Leave a Comment »
I forgot to mention yesterday’s Super Flower Blood Moon eclipse. Hopefully you saw at least some of it, but if you missed it NASA has a number of livestreams, including this one from Georgia in the US:
Posted in Science!, Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2022, inspiration, MarsPeserverance, moon, NASA, science, Thoughts on March 10, 2022| Leave a Comment »
Need to take a quick break, maybe get off the planet for a bit? Now’s a great time to visit the Moon!
Send your name to the Moon with NASA’s Artemis mission!
Add your name here to have it included on a flash drive that will fly aboard Artemis I.
You could even do a little public service and cleanup litter once you’re up there, because Space Junk Just Crashed Into the Far Side of the Moon at 5,800 MPH.
While we’re talking space, you can also check out the current Location Map for Perseverance Rover.
Because sometimes it’s nice to be reminded of the good that humans can do, too.
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J.R. Johnson 
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