The Artemis II Orion spacecraft has launched, and the mission is underway!
There is also a livestream from Orion itself (claustrophobes need not apply), but availability is spotty due to bandwidth and popularity. Because space!
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Posts Tagged ‘space’
We Have Liftoff!
Posted in Science!, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2026, Artemis, NASA, space on April 2, 2026| Leave a Comment »
Fingers Crossed!
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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Artemis II, Take II
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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Sad but Happy
Posted in Science!, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2026, astronomy, NASA, science, space on February 26, 2026| Leave a Comment »
Sadly, the Artemis II moon mission has been pushed back again, and the new launch window now won’t happen until April at the earliest. Pesky helium flow issues!
Happily, this week we can entertain ourselves with a planetary conjunction!
APOD: 2026 February 24 – Planet Parade over Sydney Opera House
Look up this week and see a whole bunch of planets. Just after sunset, looking west (mostly), planets Mercury, Venus, Saturn, and Jupiter will all be visible to the unaided eye simultaneously.
Mercury Completes the Planetary Parade at Dusk
Seeing all the naked eye planets at once is set to become a rarity in coming years.
Here’s hoping the skies are clear where you are!
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If We Look
Posted in Other, Science!, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2026, full-moon, NASA, science, space, Thoughts, unexpected joys on February 1, 2026| 8 Comments »
We’ve lived in this house for years but this morning I discovered something new. Some confluence of sun angle, time of day and positioning meant that the lampshade in the kitchen reflected a rainbow-colored series of textured light onto the ceiling. It was both joyful and unexpected, reminding me that there is beauty everywhere.
If I look.
Speaking of reflected light, there’s a full moon tonight.
Tonight’s moon is known by many names, including the Wolf Moon, Cold Moon, and Snow Moon. We may finally have clear skies tonight, too, and I’m looking forward to looking up.
Snow Moon: Full Moon in February 2026
February’s Full Snow Moon reaches peak illumination at 5:09 P.M. EST on Sunday, February 1. Step outside after dusk to see the Full Moon in all of its glory!
Since we’re here, I’ll share a link that led to a flurry of conversation in my family.
1969 Apollo 11 First steps on the Moon (16mm footage)
On July 20, 1969, the Apollo 11 Lunar Module with Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin aboard touched down on the surface of the Moon 4 days, 6 hours, and 45 minutes after having launched from Cape Canaveral. At 02:56:15 GMT, Neil Armstrong became the first human to set foot on another celestial body.
My parents were remembering where they were when it happened (at the next-door neighbor’s in Michigan, because they didn’t have a television), and what it felt like to watch the landing. Uplifting.
And looking ahead, NASA’s first crewed mission around the moon in over half a century will be happening soon.
Something to look forward to!
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A Hot Second in a Cold Place
Posted in Science!, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2026, science, space, winter on January 24, 2026| Leave a Comment »
Like many of you, we caught some of the winter weather that’s making such a splash this weekend. I feel for those who are digging out from the snow and sleet and ice many got, but for us it was a little snow and a lot of cold.
We hit -34C last night, which is (checks notes) really really cold! Which made today the perfect day to post this quick @ScienceandtheCity video on how space would feel, temperature wise.
Would space feel cold without a suit?
Yes. The answer is yes.
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Say Hello!
Posted in Science!, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2025, astronomy, inspiration, meteor shower, space on November 16, 2025| Leave a Comment »
We Earthlings are in the middle of the Leonid meteor shower. It takes place this year from November 6th through the 30th, but will peak overnight tonight. Even better, the moon is only 9% full, so the only competition will be from human light sources.
Leonid meteor shower: All you need to know in 2025
The Leonid meteor shower is back! Leonid meteors are already flying. The peak is on the morning of November 17.
Love this animation!
Meteor Showers 2025 – 2026 – American Meteor Society
So tonight, if you find yourself in a place with clear skies, look up.
The Universe is saying hello.
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Yours in Syzygy
Posted in Science!, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2025, space, supermoon on November 5, 2025| 1 Comment »
Tonight, friends, we have yet another supermoon, the brightest of the year. This month is the Beaver Moon.
The biggest, brightest Supermoon of 2025 rises Tuesday night – The Weather Network
Overnight from Tuesday to Wednesday, November 4-5, the Sun, Earth, and Moon will align in syzygy, with the Earth-facing side of the Moon fully illuminated by the Sun.
So last night, tonight, and tomorrow all showcase the moon at its best. I don’t know about you, but I do not get tired of that big bright ball in the sky getting even bigger and brighter.
If you don’t either, look up!
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Curiosity Knows
Posted in Science!, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2025, MarsCuriosity, NASA, science, space, Thoughts on September 18, 2025| Leave a Comment »
Some days the day job is a little hectic, and what I’d really like is a moment to get away from it all, you know?
Curiosity knows. The intrepid rover has been on Mars since 2012 and is still very much out of the office.
In fact, let’s check in. Where is that little bundle of human ingenuity is now?
Curiosity Rover Location Map – NASA Science
And what has it seen? So much!
Being away from the rest of us doesn’t mean Curiosity isn’t getting the best dirt. In fact, its latest discovery has the potential to stir up what we know about life on Mars!
Here’s Neil deGrasse Tyson to break it down for us:
As Neil asks, “Could we have Martian neighbors?” If yes, would they fancy a mid-afternoon coffee break?
I know I could use one.
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A Little Perspective
Posted in Other, Science!, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2025, space, Thoughts on September 11, 2025| Leave a Comment »
Because some days it’s helpful to remember that even the biggest challenges are literally small.
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