NASA to Send Four Astronauts Around Moon in Artemis II Mission

 NASA is scheduled to launch a manned crew around the moon for the first time since 1972 this evening. I have gathered a few links of where to watch and a couple of places to learn about the mission.

The launch window opens at 6.24pm and the four astronauts are expected to spend the next ten days in space.

Learn more at

Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artemis_II

NASA Webpage
https://www.nasa.gov/mission/artemis-ii/

Here are a few places to watch it if you're not close to the television:

C-SPAN
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QaBaQ9EruJs

NASA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tf_UjBMIzNo

NASA Spaceflight (citizen journalists)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8c-GAkIzpGE

Spaceflight Now
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ut729170L0M

The Launch Pad
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E-aBqi221p0

Everyday Astronaut
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QOsSRRBMNoc

#MaconSpace #MannedSpaceflight #ArtemisII

Wednesday 04-01-2026

Read More

Artemis 1 August 29th Launch Coverage

**update** Today's attempt has been scrubbed. They will try again at 12:48am on Friday, September 2nd, if they can fix the problem with engine number three.

If all goes well, NASA will be launching the Artemis 1 unmanned mission today at 8:33am Eastern Time. There is a two-hour window for the launch attempt today. If the rocket does not launch today, the next launch window will begin at 12:30am Friday, September 2nd.

Artemis 1 will last for six weeks and will test all the rocket stages and spacecraft that would be used in later Artemis missions. After reaching orbit and performing a trans-lunar injection (burn to the Moon), the mission will deploy ten CubeSat satellites and the Orion spacecraft will enter a distant retrograde orbit for six days. The Orion spacecraft will then return and reenter the Earth's atmosphere, protected by its heat shield, and splash down in the Pacific Ocean.

The original launch date of Artemis 1 was planned in December 2016, but it was delayed at least sixteen times due to technical issues with the SLS and the Orion spacecraft. Other factors contributing to the delays are the cost overruns and budget limits imposed by the federal government. After the Artemis 1 mission, Artemis 2 will perform a crewed lunar flyby and Artemis 3 will perform a crewed lunar landing, five decades after the last Apollo mission.

Live video feeds from NASA, NASA Spaceflight, and Everyday Astronaut have been embedded below, along with some information from the NASA Press Packet and explainer videos about this mission from various sources. For more detailed information about this mission, download a PDF of the Artemis 1 Reference Guide from the NASA website.

---

DAY SPONSOR

Young Tree Service is sponsoring Macon Media for today.

They provide complete tree care, and are licensed and insured. Specializing in low ground impact. Danger tree removal. Crane Service, Pruning, Views, 24 hr emergency service. Call 828-421-0967 for more information.

---

NASA VIDEO (starts at 6:30am)



NASA Spaceflight



Everyday Astronaut

Mission Overview

Artemis I is the first integrated test of NASA’s deep space exploration systems: the Orion spacecraft, Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and the ground systems at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The first in a series of increasingly complex missions, Artemis I is an uncrewed flight test that will provide a foundation for human deep space exploration and demonstrate our commitment and capability to return humans to the Moon and extend beyond.

Launch site: Launch Pad 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida
Launch date: Aug. 29, 2022
Launch window: 8:33 a.m. EDT to 10:33 a.m.
Mission Duration: 42 days, 3 hours, 20 minutes
Destination: distant retrograde orbit around the Moon
Total mission miles: approximately 1.3 million miles (2.1 million kilometers)
Targeted splashdown site: Pacific Ocean, off the coast of San Diego
Return speed: Up to 25,000 mph (40,000 kph)
Splashdown: Oct. 10, 2022
During this flight, Orion will launch atop the most powerful rocket in the world and fly farther than any spacecraft built for humans has ever flown. Over the course of the mission, it will travel 280,000 miles (450,000 kilometers) from Earth and 40,000 miles (64,000 kilometers) beyond the far side of the Moon. Orion will stay in space longer than any human spacecraft has without docking to a space station and return home faster and hotter than ever before.

This first Artemis mission will demonstrate the performance of both Orion and the SLS rocket and test our capabilities to orbit the Moon and return to Earth. The flight will pave the way for future missions to the lunar vicinity, including landing the first woman and first person of color on the surface of the Moon.

With Artemis I, NASA sets the stage for human exploration into deep space, where astronauts will build and begin testing the systems near the Moon needed for lunar surface missions and exploration to other destinations farther from Earth, including Mars. With Artemis, NASA will collaborate with industry and international partners to establish long-term exploration for the first time.

---

Explainer Videos What's The Big Deal About Artemis - NASA's New Massive Moon Rocket | Scott Manley



The Full Plan For Artemis Part 1: The Robotic Missions | Answers With Joe



Artemis I: We Are Ready | NASA

---

Support Macon Media

If you receive value from what Macon Media provides to the community, please consider becoming a supporter and contribute at least a dollar a month. Those who support Macon Media with at least a dollar a month receive early access to video of some events and meetings before they are made public on the website. Videos and news involving public safety are not subject to early access.



Become a Patron!


Or, if you prefer Pay Pal, try PayPal.me/MaconMedia


Published at 6:00am on Monday, August 29, 2022
Author: Bobby Coggins

Read More

Watch the January 31, 2018 Total Lunar Eclipse

The total lunar eclipse that is happening this morning won't really be noticeable to the human eye until around 6:48 am when the moon will be less than 10 degrees above the northwestern horizon. Unless you are on a mountaintop or are in a location with a clear view horizon that is free of trees and mountains, you won't be able to see it in Macon County. The above image shows the locations of the moon (above the horizon) and the sun (below the horizon) as seem from Rankin Square in Franklin, NC.

NASA has a fact sheet on the eclipse available at
 https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/LEplot/LEplot2001/LE2018Jan31T.pdf

You will be able to see it online at the following locations:

NASA will air a live feed of the total lunar eclipse starting at 5:30 am, showing off the lunar body as it dips into Earth's shadow.



Slooh will also host a live feed of the lunar eclipse starting at 5:45 am.

Read More

Penumbral Eclipse of February 10, 2017

There was a penumbral eclipse of the moon that was visible from Franklin tonight. The moon entered into the penumbral shadow of the moon,

There was a faint lunar eclipse tonight The moon passed through the earth's penumbral shadow, but not the umbral shadow. It rose already partially in the shadow. The moon appeared to be slightly darker on the top half for a couple of hours. It was not noticeable in the photos I took tonight, nor in the time lapse. 

Our next total lunar eclipse won't be until January 18, 2018, but it will set while at full eclipse. The next total lunar eclipse that will be visible from beginning to end for us won't happen until January 21, 2019. On the plus side, we will have a total solar eclipse on the afternoon of August 21st of this year. The last total solar eclipse to occur in Franklin was on July 20, 1506 and the next one will be on October 17, 2153. More details on that event are at the end of this article.

Details of tonight's eclipse

Penumbral eclipse began: 5:34 p.m. (on February 10) (The moon rises at 6:06 pm...the time may be later if you have mountains in the way)
Greatest eclipse (nearest umbra): 7:44 p.m. (on February 10)
Penumbral eclipse ended: 9:53 p.m. (on February 10)

Read more about this event at EarthSky. [LINK]








Here is a video of the eclipse from someone with a telescope, and even with it, the faint shadowing on the top of the moon is hard to see:

Photos taken during the eclipse.







THE 2017 SOLAR ECLIPSE 

More details about the solar eclipse that will take place on Monday, August 21, 2017 and the total solar eclipse will last for 2 minutes and 30 seconds.

The partial phase begins at 1:00 pm.
Totality will begin at 2:35:26
Totality will end at 2:37:56
The partial phase ends at 4:00 pm

Image showing the areas in western North Carolina that will see the total eclipse. The shaded area between the two red lines sow all the places from which the total eclipse will be visible, barring clouds.

A table showing the timing of the eclipse for Main Street and Phillips Street. The times are in Universal Coordinated Time, a system of time used by astronomers, to get the local time for the events, just subtract 4 hours.

A graphic showing in more detail the center line of the eclipse that passes through Macon County.

Read More

Moon-Jupiter Conjunction

The Moon and Jupiter had a very close conjunction last night. I would have grabbed a wider shot, too...but it was so bone-chilling cold that I cold only get one shot and was forced to return to the house. I was glad that it turned out to be a good one.

Read More

A Christmas Message from the Moon

At the end of a turbulent 1968, the first manned mission to orbit the moon sent back a message on Christmas Eve that is still a good message for people to reflect upon today, 44 years later.





Apollo 8, the first manned mission to the Moon, entered lunar orbit on Christmas Eve, December 24, 1968. That evening, the astronauts; Commander Frank Borman, Command Module Pilot Jim Lovell, and Lunar Module Pilot William Anders did a live television broadcast from lunar orbit, in which they showed pictures of the Earth and Moon seen from Apollo 8. Lovell said, "The vast loneliness is awe-inspiring and it makes you realize just what you have back there on Earth." They ended the broadcast with the crew taking turns reading from the book of Genesis.

William Anders:
"For all the people on Earth the crew of Apollo 8 has a message we would like to send you".
"In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep.
And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.
And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness."

Jim Lovell:
"And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.
And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.
And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so.
And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day."

Frank Borman:
"And God said, Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so.
And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and God saw that it was good."

Borman then added, "And from the crew of Apollo 8, we close with good night, good luck, a Merry Christmas, and God bless all of you - all of you on the good Earth."

Read More

Sunset Triumvirate

The Nantahala Mountains in Macon County at sunset this evening.

Here are a few photos I took this evening of the sunset and the conjunction of the Moon, Jupiter and Venus. I hope you enjoy them.



The Moon is beside Jupiter, with Venus below.



The same group, with the horizon in view.

Read More

The Shuttle Era Is Over. Will the Next Man on the Moon Be Chinese?

Hat Tip: @jacklail


Glenn Reynolds is The Blog Father.
Jerry Pournelle blogs at Chaos Manor

Commentary

I think that a $10 billion X-Prize for something like a lunar colony is not enough. I think that perhaps $100 might make it a worthwhile target for someone.


The problem with man in space is affordability. A lot of money and time will be needed before that can happen, and that won't happen unless corporations realize just how much wealth is available in space for the taking once it has been mined and processed. See PERMANENT for more information on what I believe our next step in space should be focused upon...mining and processing raw ore from the asteroids.


Another source of great wealth is Helium-3 on, and in, the surface of the moon. It has excellent properties for nuclear fusion reactors, as well as in other industries.


we currently lack the will to make the next step, and as Jerry Pournelle pointed out in the above video, "There's not enough opportunity for graft to get Congress involved". That may be the most concisely accurate statement regarding how the United States Congress operates than any I've ever heard.

Read More

Information on the Total Lunar Eclipse of 12-21-2010 Updated with Live Stream

**1.21am** Here is a live stream of the eclipse from the Marshall Space center in Alabama: SpaceVidCast: (the NASA stream isn't showing anything...)

Orion is on the upper right and Canis Major is on the lower left. Photo Credit: Bobby Coggins

The night skies are clear for the first time in over a week. I missed out on this years Geminid meteor shower, which I hear was spectacular. Figures. Anyway, I'm hoping that the forecast for mostly cloudy skies for next week's Total Lunar Eclipse proves to be wrong, because I've been waiting on it for over two years, since the Feb 2008 Total Lunar Eclipse. [see 2008 live-blog photos] [see 2008 post eclipse photos]


A very good source of information on next Tuesday morning's Lunar Eclipse is Fred Espenek's Mr Eclipse page. He is the author of the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center's Eclipse Page. Science at NASA also has a brief article.


Other good sources of info:


Astronomy Magazine
Sky and Telescope Magazine


I've swiped an image from his website that provides a very good overview of the event for the lay person:















I will be outside watching the eclipse very early next Tuesday morning...and will be tweeting and uploading pics to TwitPic during the event from my @ThunderPig twitter account.


**3.12am** I should add that the next opportunity (after this one) for observing a Total Lunar Eclipse in our area will be in April 2014 [pdf]...then we'll be blessed with four total lunar eclipses over the next eighteen months.

Read More

Moon and Venus at Dawn

What a wonderful, beautiful universe we live in!!!

Read More

Waning Crescent in the Morning

Here is a waning crescent moon for you to enjoy on this brisk morning that is a  harbinger of autumn. 

Read More

SpaceVidCat #3.24: Why we should colonize the moon with Dennis Wingo

Spacevidcast is my favorite place to go to find out what is going on in manned exploration of space, and a required place to visit when there is a manned mission in the near future. Here is the latest live show put out earlier this week by Ben and Cariann Higginbotham:








From the show notes...


"Moonrush" author Dennis Wingo joins us from a converted McDonalds where he is converting old Lunar Reconnaissance to digital files for our latest live show. If you think that description sounds impressive, just wait until you see this show! Dennis has very compelling arguments for us to not only go back to the moon but how we can colonize and monetize as well. We even cover how we can use the ISS as a building station to get to GEO to push to the moon to use as a launch pad for Mars. How's THAT for awesome? This is a show you simply don't want to miss!Want an awesome tour of McMoons where you can see the 2" AMPEX tape machine Dennis is working on, or the reels he has, or a huge chunk of meteorite? No problem! The conversation continues in post show which is available to Spacevidcast epic subscribers. Head on over tohttp://www.spacevidcast.com/epic for more information.

Read More

The Moon Sets

The Moon sets during an eclipse. 

The next lunar eclipse won't be visible from North America until December 21, 2010. It seems to me that most of the lunar eclipses happen when it is cold weather, but that is about to change. The next two eclipses after the December 2010 eclipse will happen on April 15, 2014 and September 28, 2015. Then, back to cold weather for the Jan 21, 2019 lunar eclipse.


Of course, the big one that I'm waiting on is the solar eclipse of August 21, 2017. I'm already making plans for that one...

Read More

Saturday Morning Moon

Taken this morning with my new toy.

Read More

Moon and Walnut Tree

.

Read More

NASA Spacecraft set for Kamikaze Run on the Moon this Morning Watch LCROSS Hit the Moon Live!!! Updated with Video Replay

**8.03am** Here is the Explo-TV video of the impact.







**7.57am** Here is the first video uploaded to YouTube of the event. It occurs shortly after the three minute mark. I didn't see it, either. There will be a Press Briefing at 10 am EDT, and I'll carry that live as well. --TP














Image Courtesy NMSU/MSFC LCROSS Ground-based Impact Observations










Streaming live video by Ustream


This is the video feed from NASA. It is scheduled to start the live broadcast at 6.15 am this morning. 


**7.00 am**
I have replaced the NASA Feed with the SpaceVidCast Feed because the NASA announcers are annoying. Click here to continue watching via NASA-TV.


Early on Friday morning, October 9th, gravity and momentum will conspire to draw NASA's Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS) and its Centaur rocket into the Moon. They will strike an obscure crater named Cabeus that's 60 miles (100 km) across and close to the Moon's south pole.


It's the latter characteristic that will have countless telescopes on Earth — and a few off of it — locked in on Cabeus. (Impact site finder charts.) Based on NASA's latest (Oct. 7th) predictions, the rocket body will strike at 11:31:19 Universal Time (7:31:19 a.m. EDT, 4:31:19 a.m. PDT). The smaller, instrumented LCROSS shepherding craft will crash a few minutes later, at 7:35:45 UT, just after flying through and sampling the debris plume from the first strike with nine onboard instruments.


Here are some other places on the Internet to watch the impact...


Explo-TV has a web player.
SpaceVidCast has a live feed of NASA-TV via UStream, so if the other options don't work for you, this is your best shot at seeing it. They also have a large community of people who communicate with each other in real time.
SLOOH Space Camera will be transmitting two video feeds, one from New Hampshire and another from Arizon, and an audio commentary as well.


You can watch NASA-TV three ways:
Windows (works on most systems and browsers)
Real Player
Quiktime


 NASA's LCROSS Page, a Twitter page for the spacecraft and a Facebook Page you can check for updates.


Mauna Kea Observatories will have live video from their telescopes, with two options for viewers
Windows and Flash Users
Mac people can watch it with Quicktime.


I think it is safe to say that millions of people will be watching NASA bomb the moon live today.

Read More

We Choose the Moon Re-enacts Apollo 11 Mission

A website has been created that celebrates the greatest achievement of humankind will allow you to follow the progress of the Apollo 11 mission in real-time 40 years after the fact.

It is called We Choose the Moon and there have also been three twitter accounts, @AP11_CAPCOM , @AP11_SPACECRAFT , @AP11_EAGLE created that will be tweeting the mission in real time as well.

Here is a video of the Apollo 11 Launch in honor of our greatest achievement:

May we one day return to the Moon, this time to stay!

Read More

A Hunter's Moon Sets

I got this one on the campus of WCU this morning.

Read More

Lunar Photo Opportunity

If you are interested in taking some interesting photos of the moon in a star cluster, then mark your calenders for April the 8th just after the sun sets. Check out this Astronomy Picture of the Day from April 2005!

The crescent moon will be very close to the Pleiades cluster of stars:


For more information, visit Astronomy Magazine

Read More

Live-Blogging The Lunar Eclipse (With Photos)

I will be live-blogging the total lunar eclipse tonight with photos added every little bit as the eclipse progresses.

I have already been out playing with my camera (specs) and here are a few:


Moon Rise


Canis Major and Orion


Flying Through Orion





I am puzzled...because I should...crap...I am ahead 24 hours....

I should look at this as practice...sorry folks. I hate it when this happens. Come back in 24 hours for the real show...after I spend some time in the corner...


Egads, I feel so stooopid!!!


**update** 02-20-008 (910am):
You can see the rest of the photos I took in this *cough* dry run *cough* for tonight's show.

Read More