Update: The mission was scrubbed for today.
…however today is a Bank Holiday weekend here in England, so for those of us on leave here is something extra. It is either a “Because It’s Friday” or a “Weekend Read” feature, you can choose!
For the regular reader, you know that I often feature space stories in the “Because It’s Friday” feature, here at Smart Thinking. I was going to use this story next Friday, but as it is the Bank Holiday and we could do with a bit of cheering up in among all the doom and gloom cyber security stories I thought I would run it today.
NASA, the only organisation so far to have successfully landed people on the moon, is planning to return people to the moon by 2025, using the new Space Launch System heavy rocket. The mission program is called Artemis and Artemis 1 is scheduled to launch today.
Many people will be disappointed that the system is not reusable, that would be true sustainable space flight. It looks like this was a mission funded by where the investment went and how much influence US Senators and Members of the US Congress had or were influenced by big US business. Less politics, less special interest and there would have probably been a better vehicle. Here’s what Eric Beger, a long time space correspondent, says about the project and the politics, over on Ars Technica:
The SLS rocket is the worst thing to happen to NASA—but maybe also the best? | Ars Technica
Still as a child of the ’60s, who’s Dad got him up to watch the first person on the moon in 1969, I will be watching the launch and following the story.
Clive Catton MSc (Cyber Security) – by-line and other articles
Further Reading
Because It’s Friday – something to smile about at the end of the week from Smart Thinking Solutions
Because it is Friday… The Space Race – Smart Thinking Solutions
Space Launch System – Wikipedia
Space Launch System (SLS) Infographics | NASA
Image Credit:
NSAS – future_of_exploration_sls.jpg (960×720) (nasa.gov)
