NASA's Artemis II Crew Launches To The Moon

[Lisa558]

Yeah, it just drives me crazy how so many people really have no picture of just how the universe actually works, the Sun, Moon, planets, etc. I once had a guy walk up to me who owned a $25,000 telescope (probably $35,000-$50,000 now) and ask me which was closer, the Sun or the Moon.

Oy,

I was once in a car driving at night, and my cousin asked how far we would have to drive to get to the other side of the moon!

(Of course, he was 7.)

 

[toobfreak]

So…..did they fix the toilet?

Yep.

 

[toobfreak]

Oy, I was once in a car driving at night, and my cousin asked how far we would have to drive to get to the other side of the moon! (Of course, he was 7.)

The answer would have been about 250,000 miles, about the same distance as driving all the way around the Earth more than ten times. At least the kid understood the far side of the Moon wasn't the dark side of the moon.

 

[Lisa558]

Yep.

Whew. I’ve been worried!

 

[Leo123]

So…..did they fix the toilet?

Christina Koch (female astronaut) fixed the toilet guided by the men at Mission Control.
https://phys.org/news/2026-04-artemis-ii-moonbound-toilet-astronauts.html

 

[toobfreak]

Whew. I’ve been worried!

Turns out that little 7 year old was rather hep, a lot more than many adults.

The Moon is gravitationally locked with the Earth due to gravitational dragging with our oceans (high tide is always a few hours behind when the Moon passes the local meridian), which is just a fancy way of saying that unlike the Earth where our days and years are two different periods, with the Moon, its daily rotation period (spinning on its axis) and monthly orbit about the Earth revolution period ARE THE SAME.

The net result is that one side of the Moon always faces inward towards the Earth (with slight oscillations/wobbling called librations), and there is a far side of the Moon, but not a "dark side" (except on Pink Floyd albums), the near side having all of the big "Seas" which comprise the man on the Moon.

 

[drudge X]

just pointing it out, if we were landing on the moon for the first time in 53 years well yeah, that's huge

we are just going close to check it out closer but no boots on the ground

is this really a huge deal? we built a quality rocket that can get up close but not there, not yet

not trying to ruin anything, just being realistic

when we land on the moon and hang out for a week or so with rovers collecting samples and doing tests
then I will be excited

this is equal to getting the stanley cup final and losing.......so close but not close enough......

I managed to get up all the steps to the last 30 at the statue of liberty but I could not go forth

close but not the destination you started out at

I agree with this partially. Why this is important if the US already set foot on the moon and this is just a flyby? The first landing was full of excitement. Folks witnessed the landing then and other flybys aren’t impressed anymore. This hype is geared toward the current generation which is a good idea. I know the moment China lands on the moon, the entire country will be in pandemonium mode for a week. For me, it’s no big deal. My reaction will be the same if NASA lands humans on the moon in 2028. The excitement comes when the US starts building a moon base but I will probably be dead then given the length this country takes to do anything. I was very impressed when Cassini released Huygens to land on Titan. Imagine the thrill of being able to see a Saturnian moon surface back on earth. My hope is for NASA to send a hydrobot to Europa and drill through the ice to reach the ocean beneath and possibly of life. But… that’s sci-fi for now.

 

[toobfreak]

I agree with this partially. Why this is important if the US already set foot on the moon and this is just a flyby?

This is a shakedown to test everything in a dry run doing everything to go to the Moon without actually landing yet as a dry run. If all goes well this time, next year they might return to the Moon and try launching the LEM into orbit. Last test, they had a problem with the heat shield so this mission is also to test that fix.

The excitement comes when the US starts building a moon base but I will probably be dead then given the length this country takes to do anything.

A lunar base is a prerequisite for attempting any Mars mission, but I rather see any lunar base as being a multi-national venture. Makes more sense than every country building their own Moon base.

 

[drudge X]

A lunar base is a prerequisite for attempting any Mars mission, but I rather see any lunar base as being a multi-national venture. Makes more sense than every country building their own Moon base.

US and allies building a moon base, yes. Leave China and Russia out. From now until 2028, it’s a race with China. If China lands on the moon first, the geopolitical fallout for this country will be huge.

 

[toobfreak]

US and allies building a moon base, yes. Leave China and Russia out. From now until 2028, it’s a race with China. If China lands on the moon first, the geopolitical fallout for this country will be huge.

Maybe, just that it'll take big money that Europe doesn't have. The Russians and Chinese have more money and more advanced space programs, so they make better partners.

We got to the Moon nearly 60 years ago, the Russians tried for it as are the Chinese now. It'll take a massive effort of international cooperation to reach Mars, land there and build a martian colony, and international harmony and cooperation is just what this world needs.

 

[drudge X]

Maybe, just that it'll take big money that Europe doesn't have. The Russians and Chinese have more money and more advanced space programs, so they make better partners.

We got to the Moon nearly 60 years ago, the Russians tried for it as are the Chinese now. It'll take a massive effort of international cooperation to reach Mars, land there and build a martian colony, and international harmony and cooperation is just what this world needs.

Whatever the case, the global community cannot allow China to seize control or claim the ice and helium 3 on the moon.

 

[toobfreak]

Whatever the case, the global community cannot allow China to seize control or claim the ice and helium 3 on the moon.

It must be share and share alike. There is no way China can get to Mars, land there and build a base there all on their own.

 

[WorldWatcher]

Fair Winds and Following seas to the brave crew of Artemis II.

Flawless launch, and hopefully the rest of the mission will go as well.
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With that said, the Artemis program and Musk's Starship still run up against physics in what is called "The Rocket Equation".

Now I don't claim to be an engineer or a mathematician but my understanding is that the logic is something like this...

Say you design a rocket to lift a 1 Kg payload to orbit. Size, thrust, fuel, rocket size, etc. - all worked out. Now if you want to increase the payload to 2 Kg, you would think that you can just add enough fuel for an extra Kg. But that's not how it works. You have to consider:

• Expanding the payload bay, that adds mass.
• Increasing the size of the fuel tanks, that adds mass.
• Increasing the size of the main stage of the rocket, that adds mass.
• Increassing the thrust from the engine to be able to lift the additional mass from above. That means either a larger engine (more mass) or adding more engines (more mass). For example the Falcon 9 has 9 engines, however Starship has 33 engines in the main stage.
• Oops, larger engines or more engines means more complex fuel management systems, that adds mass.

Increasing payload isn't a linear increase in fuel for the larger payload, the rocket equation says you need ever expanding amounts of fuel to account for the increased mass for larger rockets, but the increased in fuel JUST TO LIFT the additional fuel.

So why do I point this out?

Because we are limited by current technology to be slaves of the Rocket Equation, to really unlock access to the solar system, we need different propulson technology. Current chemical rockets rely on high thrust short burns to create "coasting" trajectories. That's why it take 6-9 months to go from the Earth to Mars, and then the lauch window occurs only every 26 months.

However if we were able to create ships in space that could operate at a constant 1g acceleration continiously, then the one way time would be about 1.5 Days. Yes 1.5 Days, but then you would be traveling over 1,000,000 Km/s. You would fly by Mars and eventually into interstellar space. So you would have to accelerate for the first half, flip the ship, the use thrust to decelerate for the 2nd half. Then the travel time would be about 5 days. With such a system:

• You reduce crew exposer from solar/cosmic radiation from 6-9 months to 5 days.
• The savings in life support (oxygen, food, water, etc.) would significant.
• Not having to haul extra mass on the ship for chemical rockets would be huge.
• Payloads would increase.
• Because of the speed, the number of lauch window allowing for 5 to 14 days of travel care greatly expanded. So in stead of a very short window one ever 26 months, you could have 10-12 months of launch windows for realistic trips with just a 1 year gap when Earth and Mar are on opposite sides of the sun.

WW

 

[WorldWatcher]

However if we were able to create ships in space that could operate at a constant 1g acceleration continiously, then the one way time would be about 1.5 Days. Yes 1.5 Days, but then you would be traveling over 1,000,000 Km/s. You would fly by Mars and eventually into interstellar space. So you would have to accelerate for the first half, flip the ship, the use thrust to decelerate for the 2nd half. Then the travel time would be about 5 days. With such a system:

Just as an asside. There are two ways to "generate" artificial gravity. One is centripetal force and the other is constant acceleration. If the ship is under a constant 1g accelertion, the crew would effectively be under gravity the whole trip, which has it's advantages.

WW

 

[fncceo]

Yeah, it just drives me crazy how so many people really have no picture of just how the universe actually works

Our concept of how The Universe works does change as we continue to explore and has changed more in the past century than in the preceding 10,000 years.

We are still very much like an ant on an anthill in Central Park with no concept of the city of New York that surrounds us.

I can’t blame Mr and Ms Joe T-Shirt for not knowing, or caring how things work as it has zero impact on them.

This is why space ceased to become an interest of our species except for those with a higher than average curiosity of things other than The Cardassian’s cup sizes.

Just revel in the knowledge that you dream of more than exists in their minds.