Time to Advocate for NASA on the Hill

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Image (Credit): Former Planetary Society CEO Bill Nye in front of the NASA building in Washington, DC. (The Planetary Society)

There is no rest for the weary when it comes to reminding Congress about the importance of NASA. Even with last week’s successful Artemis II mission, it will be another uphill battle for supporters of NASA pushing against proposed White House cuts to NASA’s programs in Fiscal Year 2027.

Fortunately, the Planetary Society is making such advocacy easier by sponsoring another Day of Action in Washington, DC on April 19th and 20th. This gives you the chance to reach out to your own members of Congress and highlight all of the great work NASA has already accomplished as well as plans for the future.

You can register to participate at the Planetary Society’s Day of Action site. Registration includes:

  • Online and in-person advocacy training from The Planetary Society’s space policy team;
  • At least three meetings with congressional offices booked for you by The Planetary Society with opportunities for more; and
  • Access to special events, social gatherings, and space-themed experiences for you and fellow members while you’re in D.C.

Here is a comment from one of the earlier participants, Marko K.:

As I am a late bloomer in my passion for space, participating in the day of action has introduced me to people similar to myself and others who have dedicated their lives with this love of the cosmos. It is an extremely fulfilling experience to help promote funding for NASA and instill the importance of supporting it to the decision-makers in our government.

It is very encouraging that Congress reversed most of the Fiscal Year 2026 cuts proposed by the White House last year. When you add the successful Moon mission just last week, it should be an easy sell to Congress. Even so, eternal vigilance is needed here.

Even if you cannot participate in this event, sending a letter to your congressional members is the next best thing. We need to maintain pressure if we want to reverse these potential cuts so NASA can continue with its great work.

Artemis II Was a Success

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Image (Credit): NASA’s Orion spacecraft splashing down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California, Friday, April 10, 2026. (NASA/Joel Kowsky)

We are now one step closer to putting astronauts on the Moon, again.

The Artemis II crew safely landed off the coast of California earlier today after a 10-day, 694,481 mile trip around the Moon. Now NASA needs to spend some time reviewing the results, including the 7,000 images taken of the Moon and surroundings.

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman stated:

Artemis II demonstrated extraordinary skill, courage, and dedication as the crew pushed Orion, SLS (Space Launch System), and human exploration farther than ever before. As the first astronauts to fly this rocket and spacecraft, the crew accepted significant risk in service of the knowledge gained and the future we are determined to build. NASA also acknowledges the contributions of the entire NASA workforce, along with our international partners, whose expertise and commitment were essential to this mission’s success. With Artemis II complete, focus now turns confidently toward assembling Artemis III and preparing to return to the lunar surface, build the base, and never give up the Moon again.

I like that part about never giving up the Moon again, though I doubt anyone in the 1970s thought it would be so easy to walk away from the lunar accomplishments and shut down the Apollo program. We were dealing with a war-torn world and a troubled presidency then, and little has changed today.

We shall see if we have changed at all.

Pic of the Week: Earthset from Orion

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Image (Credit): The Earth as seen by the Artemis II astronauts on April 6, 2026. (NASA)

This week’s image was captured by the Orion spacecraft Integrity during its Moon flyby on April 6, 2026. It puts a lot of today’s politics into perspective.

As the Earth was setting, NASA pilot Victor Glover stated:

And to all of you down there on Earth and around Earth, we love you, from the Moon. We will see you on the other side.

The photo above can be found with many other photos in NASA’s Astronomy Pictures of the Day Archive.

Note: As Carl Sagan said of Earth, in part, many years ago:

That’s home. That’s us. On it everyone you love, everyone you know, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever was, lived out their lives. The aggregate of our joy and suffering, thousands of confident religions, ideologies, and economic doctrines, every hunter and forager, every hero and coward, every creator and destroyer of civilization, every king and peasant, every young couple in love, every mother and father, hopeful child, inventor and explorer, every teacher of morals, every corrupt politician, every “superstar,” every “supreme leader,” every saint and sinner in the history of our species lived there…

Artemis Quote: A New Feat for Humanity

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Image (Credit): An image showing three new unnamed craters located on the Moon, two of which were noted by the Artemis II crew. The crew is proposing names for both of these unnamed craters. (NASA)

“From the cabin of Integrity here, as we surpass the furthest distance humans have ever traveled from planet Earth, we do so in honoring the extraordinary efforts and feats of our predecessors in human space exploration. We will continue our journey even further into space before Mother Earth succeeds in pulling us back to everything that we hold dear. But we most importantly choose this moment to challenge this generation and the next to make sure this record is not long-lived.”

–Statement by Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen after the Orion capsule traveled 248,655 miles from Earth earlier today, breaking the record of Apollo 13. The capsule, named Integrity, continued on its mission to fly past the Moon before starting its trip back to Earth.

Where are the Chinese in this Moon Race?

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Image (Credit): China’s Long March 10 rocket. (South China Morning Post)

Now that Artemis II is well underway as NASA prepares for an eventual crewed landing on the Moon, one might ask where the Chinese are in their own race for the Moon.

The answer is that the Chinese are moving along with their program as well, as noted in a recent Ars Technica article that highlighted China’s test in February of its new reusable booster and crew capsule. The test of the Long March 10 rocket and Mengzhou spacecraft (“dream vessel”) was considered a success, moving China closer to its own lunar mission. The next test will be to put the Mengzhou spacecraft into orbit later this year.

At the same time, the Chinese are testing a lunar lander to bring the taikonauts to the lunar surface.The lunar lander is called Lanyue, which means “embrace ​the moon.”

China is still aiming for a crewed landing on the Moon before 2030, followed by an International Lunar Research Station by 2035. The country is also planning to have a station orbiting the Moon by 2045, similar to the Gateway that NASA has decided to drop from its plans for now. The Chinese orbiting station would assist with scientific work on the Moon as well as a future trip to Mars.

Neither NASA nor China have the luxury of any detours over the next few years as each plans to be the first to return to the surface of the Moon. The current Artemis II mission puts the US in a good position to meet its own goal to land on the Moon before China assuming everything goes as planned with the mission and any technical issues can be easily resolved.