Did NASA’s Artemis II mission really do lunar science or go to the Moon for all humanity?
An unfortunate breakdown of too many giant leaps of imagination. | Moon Monday #271
Latest
Poem: Back to the Moon..
For me not thee, but still for humanity..
Poem: Selene, smashed not shattered
Tucked in a tiny timed capsule against its wonky, worldly windows mesmerized the momentary Moonfarers at sweeping sights of Selene Creased by craters and crowning peaks melts and mountains molded in weeks amid barrages of ballistically laid beads lingered the landscape of Luna What the world could view is impact
Artemis II astronauts gazed at our Moon with joy, curiosity, and reverence. Through finer robotic orbital views, so can you.
Thanks to our robotic explorers, and the great leveler that is the Internet, you too can “Copy, Moon joy.” | Moon Monday #270
Why haven’t humans gone back to the Moon no longer a valid question thanks to NASA Artemis II lunar flyby
Plus: A poetic ode to our exploration of Luna | Moon Monday #269
Poem: Antariksh ki pyaas / The thirst for space
Original in Hindustani, followed by its English translation (though not as lyrical): Antariksh ki pyaas Woh bachpan ki kitaabe jisne dikhaye sitaare aaj bhi yaad se nihaare Durbin ki drishti me jagmag falak aur yaano ki gati se graho ki jalak Kalpana se Chaand par chalna aur brahmand ke brahman
India’s rockets will not meet its civil space and strategic launch manifest even at peak performance
Part 3 of India’s space launch crisis | Indian Space Progress #37
Ignition, not yet liftoff, of NASA’s ambitious Artemis Moonbase plans | Moon Monday #268
Plus: NASA in final prep to launch Artemis II astronauts around Luna.
China surfaces details of spacecraft to land humans on Luna by 2030 | Moon Monday #267
From landing system development to trajectory design and landing site selection to abort scenarios.
Moon Monday #266: Current mission updates and future governance questions
* On February 25, NASA rolled back the SLS rocket and its attached Orion spacecraft from the vehicle’s launchpad at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida to its assembly building about seven kilometers away. Technicians then replaced a dislodged seal in a fueling interface of the rocket’s
NASA falters in communications yet again with Lunar Trailblazer failure | Moon Monday #265
Plus: Parallel developments show how open access NASA is when the agency is at its best.
Everything you should know and track about NASA’s Apollo-style Artemis rejig in its chase of China to the Moon
NASA is also borrowing the “manned” from Apollo while at it. | Moon Monday #264
Moon Monday
Moon Monday #263: Artemis II, a Canadian capcom, Chandrayaan, and Long March 10
Also, fun new guestbook for those who read till the end. 🌝
Moon Monday
China conducts a multi-element test unlike any other nation in firm march to Luna | Moon Monday #262
Plus NASA Artemis updates.
Indian Space
When ISRO loses a PSLV rocket, India loses a launchpad in the present and the future
To understand the pride and perils of the PSLV is to understand India’s launch infrastructure and its risky commonalities | Indian Space Progress #35-36
Moon Monday
Moon Monday #261: A shortfall in Artemis II testing and NASA’s communications
Dear NASA, China’s space missions exist too. So do your own planetary science missions.
Moon Monday
How NASA has planned to keep Artemis II astronauts safe throughout their Moon mission
Moon Monday #260: Safety planning spans all phases and aspects of the crewed lunar mission, weaved into hardware, operations, and astronaut training. 🦺
Moon Monday
Moon Monday #259: Lunarbound astronauts enter quarantine as Artemis II launch approaches
Plus mission updates.
Publicly sharing my poetry booklet’s downloads & sales stats
Does a no-nonsense approach to being an indie author work?
The next 10 years in space
And sunset on a valuable resource.
Moon Monday
Moon Monday #258: Tests China will conduct this year in prep towards landing humans on Luna
Plus: Artemis and other updates, and articles on Japan’s lunar endeavors.
Moon Monday
Moon Monday #257: NASA preps to send astronauts to Luna
Plus mission updates.
Explore
Coverage of India’s exploration of Mars
* Reviewing Mangalyaan, India’s first Mars mission * India’s Mars orbiter completes six years at the red planet, but where is the science? * Debate: Mangalyaan’s low science output still reflects on ISRO * Mangalyaan spacecraft terminated—it was never a science mission * My article on Mangalyaan was rejected 8 times
Moon Monday
All the rovers heading to the Moon over the next 10 years | Moon Monday #256
As lunar exploration ramps up worldwide, our celestial companion is slated to be explored by increasingly advanced rovers of all sorts over the next 10 years. Not all of them will be successful, and so the reason for this post is not just to garner excitement about the possibilities of
