Image (Credit): Status of Tropical Storm Nicole on Thursday morning. (The National Hurricane Center)
Florida does have its issues this time of year (and I don’t mean elections), making rocket launches more difficult. Now Tropical Storm Nicole is battering the state, leading to a delay in the upcoming Artemis I launch. The new launch date is November 16, as noted on NASA’s latest Artemis blog:
NASA is continuing to monitor Tropical Storm Nicole and has decided to re-target a launch for the Artemis I mission for Wednesday, Nov. 16, pending safe conditions for employees to return to work, as well as inspections after the storm has passed. Adjusting the target launch date will allow the workforce to tend to the needs of their families and homes, and provide sufficient logistical time to get back into launch status following the storm.
Image (Credit): Astrobiologist Carl Sagan. (Nautilus.us)
On this day in 1934, scientist and communicator Carl Edward Sagan was born in Brooklyn, NY. He was to become a great communicator of all things related to astronomy. He has played a key role over the years introducing millions to our place in the universe through his books, television series, speeches, and scientific work. His television series Cosmos was a milestone in educational television, bringing the stars and planets into everyone’s living room, while his books (Contact, Pale Blue Dot, The Dragons of Eden) continue to encourage the next generation of astronomers.
Dr. Sagan has a long resume, but I am most fascinated with his work to communicate with extraterrestrial life. He was a strong supporter of the Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence (SETI) and worked with NASA to ensure our spacecraft were equipped with a record of human activity to educate other planetary civilizations, including the gold records placed on the Pioneer 10 and 11 space probes as well as the two Voyager space probes.
Years ago, the Smithsonian magazine had a good summary of Dr. Sagan’s life in the article “Why Carl Sagan is Truly Irreplaceable.” I recommend the article as a good way to get to know the man, though delving into his books is even better.
Credit: Ballantine Books
Extra: Carl Sagan was also the founder and first president of the Planetary Society. Visit this Planetary Society site, Ann Druyan wishes you a happy Sagan Day, for more on Dr. Sagan’s work.
Image (Credit): Lego Lunar Research Base playset. (Lego)
While we await the Artemis III crew landing on the Moon and related lunar base, you might want to create your own mission with the Lego Lunar Research Base (shown above), which has “NASA-inspired” details. The playset has almost 800 Lego pieces, so you can build it yourself (to NASA specs, of course).
The playset comes with a “… lunar lander, VIPER rover and a domed accommodation module with laboratories, garage and air lock, plus 6 astronaut minifigures. I’m assuming the rocket that gets the astronaut minifigures to the Moon is sold separately.
It’s great to see that Lego is allowing kids to build their own space missions at home.
Image (Credit): Lego International Space Station playset. (Lego)
Some of you may have played with Star Wars and Star Trek sets as kids, but at least these latest Lego set have a ring of credibility. Star Wars helped you destroy the galaxy, whereas Star Trek seemed more interest in exploration and at least had the veneer of Artemis CXXV.
The Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center playset comes with a Long March 2F rocket and an authentic warning sign stating, “Those stealing secrets will be caught, once they’re caught they will be killed [decapitated].”
Maybe even reality is not always the best model for play.
Extra: You can find more Lego space models at the NASA gift shop.
Take a look at the image above. Can you determine where this image originated? Take a guess and then check your answer by going to the menu and selecting the “Where is This? The Answer Sheet” page.
Image (Credit): Nighttime photograph of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, taken in November 2012 by one of the Expedition 33 crew members aboard the ISS. (NASA)
While the Biden Administration appears to have its issues with Saudi Arabia, this is not stopping the visit of two Saudi Arabian private astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS). Space Newsreports that NASA has confirmed that a male and female astronaut from Saudi Arabia will travel to the ISS next spring aboard a SpaceX rocket as part of the privately-run Axiom Space. Plans for this mission were reported back in September.
This will be the second Axiom Space mission to the ISS. Other missions are being planned involving additional countries, including astronauts from Turkey, Hungary, Canada, and the United Arab Emirates. Mission participants need to be approved by a NASA-chaired panel that includes the countries involved with the ISS program.
Axiom Space will send four crew members to the ISS for 12 days. Here is the pitch for the second mission, or Ax-2:
The Axiom Mission 2 (Ax-2) astronauts are part of the latest class of space explorers and Axiom’s next crew to advance a new method of access to the International Space Station (ISS) and low-Earth orbit. Aboard the orbiting laboratory, the four-person, multinational crew will conduct extensive research, investigate novel technologies, and engage with audiences around the world as champions of science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and the arts. Their efforts will continue to lay the groundwork and establish key capabilities for the future Axiom Station, the world’s first commercial space station.
You may recall that Saudi Arabia also signed onto the Artemis Accords over the summer. The Accords were established in 2020 to affirm each signatory’s commitment to sustainable space exploration “guided by a common set of principles that promote the beneficial use of space for all of humanity.”
All of this shows that space still remains a realm that does not need to be militarized or abused even if we have yet to figure out to resolve these issues here on Earth. Whatever problems with have with our neighbors, it’s good to see we are building some things together.
As noted earlier, even if the press on this Ax-2 mission demonstrates some unity, let’s just hope these “astronauts” are there for more than a joy ride. I am not convinced that space tourism is what we need. But given that Axiom Space is considering its own commercial space station, maybe there is some interest in real work in space by these parties.
