In Case You Missed It/Video: The Stakes Are High with Our Return to the Moon

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Image (Credit): Moving the Artemis I mission into place. (NASA)

With the recent glitches related to the two commercial Moon missions, an earlier NASA video on the Artemis program became all too relevant. In the video, “Farther and Faster: NASA’s Journey to the Moon with Artemis,” we hear that the stakes are high as we attempt to return to the Moon, and how we could be the generation that loses the Moon if we don’t get it right.

In addition to the risks, the video also highlights the great successes already with the Artemis I mission, as you may recall from back in 2022:

Over the course of 25.5 days, Orion performed two lunar flybys, coming within 80 miles (129 kilometers) of the lunar surface. At its farthest distance during the mission, Orion traveled nearly 270,000 miles (435,000 kilometers) from our home planet. On Dec. 11, 2022, NASA’s Orion spacecraft successfully completed a parachute-assisted splashdown in the Pacific Ocean at 9:40 a.m. PST (12:40 p.m. EST) as the final major milestone of the Artemis I mission.

Artemis I set new performance records, exceeded efficiency expectations, and established new safety baselines for humans in deep space. This is a prelude to what comes next—following the success of Artemis I, human beings will fly around the Moon on Artemis II.

It is worth pondering what we have ahead of us. NASA may be having a few issues with its commercial partners, but the main mission has done well. We cannot be discouraged with a few delays as long as we keep the course. We have done it before and there is no reason we cannot do it again. I say slow and steady.

Mars is the goal, but we need to prove ourselves with the Moon. Check out the video and determine for yourself if we have already made a fair amount of progress.

Video: A Tale About the End of Time

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Image (Credit): Image from the video Outlasting the Universe. (Cool Worlds)

If you are interested in a fascinating tale about the end of the universe, I recommend you watch a recent Cool Worlds Lab video where Professor David Kipping narrates a version of the deep future where mankind is replaced by machines as they slowly expand into and consume the known universe.

The episode, titled Outlasting the Universe, is told via images from sci-fi television series and movies that you will immediately recognize. They are weaved together into a story about one possible future where the almost endless existence of our modified intelligence continues until the very end.

It is a mesmerizing video that may shift your thinking somewhat in terms of the role of humans versus our creations in the future.

Here are some comments from others who viewed the video:

  • This might be the best sci-fi story I’ve ever seen. And it’s even rooted in true physics as we understand it right now. Amazing and powerful.
  • As sad as the ending is, am I crazy for thinking the ending of all life will be actually beautiful? I wish these videos were hours long. So meditative, relaxing and informative.
  • Beautifully written & eloquently spoken, to a backdrop of some of my favourite sci-fi movies! Thank you for this poignant & thought provoking video.

If you have 20 minutes, I suggest you sit back and watch the universe unwind.

Video: Be Sure to Download the NASA+ App

Posted on by onespaceman2000

If you are trying to learn more about the space programs at NASA, you can download the recently updated NASA+ app, which has a variety of videos and astronomy series to please anyone’s curiosity. For instance, check out the videos under “Scientific Wonders” to learn more about the James Webb Space Telescope, the New Horizons mission to Pluto, the Hubble Space Telescope, the Kepler Space Telescope, the OSIRIS-REx asteroid sample return, and much more.

This free app can bring you up to speed on the earlier space programs as well as provide updates on the latest missions. For example, you can watch the video showing yesterday’s docking of the SpaceX CRS-29 Cargo Dragon Resupply Craft with the International Space Program.

You cannot go wrong with this free app. You can read more about the updated NASA+ app here.

Video: More on the Importance of Exomoons

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Image (Credit): Artist’s rendering of an exomoon. (Cool Worlds Lab)

If you watched my earlier post on Cool Worlds Lab’s missed opportunity on an exomoon proposal with the James Webb Space Telescope, then you will enjoy this updated video where Assistant Professor of Astronomy David Kipping provides five reasons that the study of exomoons is so important.

I do not want to give too much away, but one of the reasons is that the search for life on exoplanets needs to consider not only the chemical composition of the exoplanet, but the orbiting exmoon as well. If we assume everything we are seeing in the light from the observed exoplanet comes from only the exoplanet, we may experience a number of false positives because the life-affirming chemicals may not be combined in one object but instead come from two dead objects that only appear as one.

This makes sense, but it also throws a wrench into things. If we are struggling to build telescopes large enough to truly understand an exoplanet’s composition, we are now much farther away from a useful telescope because of the impact of exomoons. Of course, this is not the fault of the exomoons, but rather a reality that must be added to the equation.

Check out the video as Dr. Kipping makes his argument. It is pretty convincing.

Video: Flyby of Jupiter’s Moon Io

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Image (Credit): View of Jupiter’s moon Io. (NASA/JPL-Caltech/SwRI/MSSS)

Last week, NASA released this video showing the Juno spacecraft’s view of Jupiter and its moon Io as it flew by on May 16, 2023. The clip includes music by Vangelis. It is short but stunning video.

Juno was launched back in 2011 and first started orbiting Jupiter in 2016. Sent to study Jupiter, the current flyby is part of the spacecraft’s extended mission.

Juno’s closest approach to Io will occur today, so you can expect more images shortly.

If you want to read more about Io and the mission, visit this NASA site.