I know I'm not supposed to get too excited about space launches. I know things could be delayed or postponed up to the last second (almost literally). I know that today's weather briefing put the chances of launching tomorrow at only 80 percent.
But SPACE. SPACE SPACE SPACE.
Watching NASA launches and reentries is the closest thing I have ever known to a transcendental experience. Watching a NASA launch is, I imagine, how 12th century peasants felt when they entered a cathedral for the first time. We fling HUMANS into SPACE using MATH and we BRING THEM BACK.
NASA launches represent the best of what humanity can be: a closely-planned, meticulously-coordinated joint effort, involving thousands of us, aimed solely at satisfying our bone-deep curiosity about the place in which we find ourselves.
This one - Artemis II - features not only the first non-American astronaut to visit the moon but also a payload of high-orbit space weather satellites from multiple other nations' space programs. Like the ISS, this is an international effort.
Assuming all goes as planned overnight, the crew gets their weather briefing tomorrow around 12:30 p.m. They enter the Orion capsule around 2:30 p.m. Launch will likely be around 6:30, though there's a four-hour window there with which to accommodate weather and other events.
I will be glued to the livestream starting tomorrow morning. Join me:
This article explains the stuff on the Launch Countdown in more detail
The countdown clock is ticking
NASA's Youtube Livestream starting at 12:40 EDT (UTC -4:00)
Another livestreamed pre-launch party, in case you want to chat with other SPACE SPACE SPACE people
In a previous post, I noted that Little Molly was obsessed with radios. Little Molly was also obsessed with space. Mae Jemison was my hero for proving that one could actually be a ballerina AND an astronaut (also a doctor!). Everyone told me I had to choose one of those as a kid; Dr. Jemison showed me that no, actually, you don't have to choose.
As part of my Artemis II nerdout, I have learned that if I had an amateur radio license, I could do cool stuff like send NASA my ionosphere data. As if I needed another reason to consider getting my amateur radio license.
I will be glued to the livestream tomorrow starting around 2:30 (though I'll definitely have it running before that). During the 30 minute hold I will probably travel to a friend's house so we can all watch the terminal countdown together. What kind of wine pairs best with GOING TO THE MOON?
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