Deep Space and Interplanetary Exploration - Houston, we are go for launch!

[Natasha Kerensky]

when they do actual landing hopefully in three years or so.

If it happens, the Artemis III lunar landing will probably be out in the 2028+ timeframe. 

The next mission, Artemis II, has a two-year iron bar in the schedule because it reuses avionics from the Orion capsule on this mission (Artemis I).  Orion/SLS are too hardware poor to afford a faster schedule.

Although NASA has nominally slipped Artemis III from 2024 to 2025, the NASA Inspector General has testified before Congress that the earliest that lunar landing mission will occur is 2026.  Following a Gaussian distribution of probabilities, that means that the mission is most likely to occur sometime after that.

When we look at all the elements that have to come together for Artemis III, greybeards like myself estimate 2028 or later.  Here’s a similar such greybeard’s projection:

https://arstechnica.com/science/2022/11/the-oracle-who-predicted-slss-launch-in-2023-has-thoughts-about-artemis-iii/

It’s cool that we’re finally sending a crew capsule around the Moon again.  But folks should understand that the program is set up to maintain old Space Shuttle jobs in their old states and districts, not to go faster or do more than Apollo did.

[Wrangler]

Well, I know Elon Musk is not terribly popular and I don't care for him either lately. 

However, his SpaceX company is doing some interesting things with their Super Heavy lift Booster and Starship vehicles.   I'm not so keen on the catching tower concept for landing on Earth.   However, the vehicle was chosen as the landing vehicle for the moon, HLS.  Which is modification of the Starship, mean to land and be reused on the moon.  Their on the verge of launching the thing for sub-orbital flight, the Booster takes off right will be pumping supposedly more thrust than the SLS itself and its all new.

[Daryk]

That Earth-Moon shot IS pretty incredible!  :thumbsup:

[Wrangler]

Meanwhile screaming around the moon at height 80 miles above the surface, Orion 2 Capsule  / Artemis I.

[Daryk]

Woo!  :D

[Wrangler]

Titan as seen from the James Webb Space Telescope.

Titan's surface is seen in colors to depict the different gases in it's atmosphere.  The image itself was uploaded by on Twitter by Michael Radke, a Ph.D. student who studies planetary atmospheres using laboratory photochemistry experiments at John Hopkins University (JHU).  Its certainly very eye popping view.

The article in Universe Today goes on to describe after being taken offline for evaluations. The big eye in the sky was able see some incredible views not seen before.
As per the article, the colors appear to correspond to the absorption spectrum of carbon monoxide (green), methane (blue), and nitrogen (red), the gases that make up the majority of Titan’s atmosphere.

If anyone thought a person could visit that place. Maybe facing interesting challenges including atmosphere pressure is 50% more than of Earth's atmosphere.

[Prospernia]

This article was in Universe Today:

https://www.universetoday.com/158755/whats-the-best-mix-of-oceans-to-land-for-a-habitable-planet/

I might steal the planet-type graphics, but, there's really no formula for life that we know of.  Earth didn't start off with 71% oceans; it was most likely 99% ocean with a few, volcanic and crater-rims before plate-tectonics started; the Earth was just too hot(interior) for large-continents to form.  Also, Earth gained a lot of water from the Late Heavy Bombardment, and, sunlight, can create water by combining hydrogen and oxygen in the upper-atmosphere. 

As for the other planets; Mars had a lot more water, for its size, than the Earth and Venus probably had a shallow-sea, before, you know.

[Daryk]

Interesting... the article asserts that another paper found land planets are most common, followed by water planets.  Unfortunately, that other paper is behind a paywall, and its free abstract doesn't go into that.

[rebs]

I've found that free info is just as.... informative... as pay info.  A Paywall is someone interrupting the free flow of information for a tiny profit.

Patience is key, it will be free soon.  @&#% corporate greed.

[Daryk]

I suspect not... the link was to a professional journal.  It might be free eventually, but it won't be anytime soon...

[rebs]

I suspect not... the link was to a professional journal.  It might be free eventually, but it won't be anytime soon...

Don't put it past a YouTuber to verbalize the content.  I know of some very reputable channels that love actual knowledge and spreading it. 

[Daryk]

True, but it was pretty esoteric.  Fingers crossed it happens!  :thumbsup:

[rebs]

True, but it was pretty esoteric.  Fingers crossed it happens!  :thumbsup:

Absolutely.  But also, it may only be a few months before it's free in print in a more common science journal online.  I still have a few decades to live, so I can be patient.  Things will advance, and there will be new discoveries they can try to charge us to peek at.

[Daryk]

Indeed!  :thumbsup:

[rebs]

Edit
Whoops!  I went to post the new pics of Titan from the JWST, then noticed it was already covered.

[Wrangler]

Edit
Whoops!  I went to post the new pics of Titan from the JWST, then noticed it was already covered.

This is what happens when you miss meetings/posts.  ;D

[rebs]

This is what happens when you miss meetings/posts.  ;D

That's the thing.  I saw your post earlier in the week, but so much has been going on in my life, I simply forgot.

But here's one...  JWST has been doing great work viewing the most distant/earliest galaxies formed in the universe.  Of course the work is just getting started, but it's already impressive.

I love this.  We truly are seeing galaxies from long, long ago, and that are far, far away.

https://www.space.com/james-webb-space-telescope-distant-galaxies-early-results

[Daryk]

Sounds like they might have found another way to explain the missing mass problem...

[Wrangler]

The Orion is now in it's Retrograde Orbit, here view of the spacecraft as it's seeing Earth as it's about head home.

[Daryk]

Nice shot, and thanks again for attaching it too!  :thumbsup:

[Prospernia]

Interesting... the article asserts that another paper found land planets are most common, followed by water planets.  Unfortunately, that other paper is behind a paywall, and its free abstract doesn't go into that.

You can download it.  I did; or at least, I downloaded something.

[Daryk]

Hmmm... I got the paywall when I tried.  Not sure what's going on there.

[Prospernia]

Dunno: maybe it's geography, Ad-ware, space-aliens from space, or more likely, the links are different.

[Daryk]

The last is probably the most likely.

[Wrangler]

Orion now REALLY far out now.  Both the Moon and Earth are in the same shot.

[Daryk]

That's a FANTASTIC shot!  :o

[rebs]

Dayum!  That's a great pic, Wrangler.

Building on the lunar surface (and eventually on Mars) has to start somehow.  So a Texas firm has been awarded 57.2 million dollars to help fund a system of using lunar (and Martian) soil and rock to construct permanent structures on these bodies that can safely house humanity.

https://www.space.com/icon-moon-construction-project-olympus-nasa-funding

[wantec]

Orion now REALLY far out now.  Both the Moon and Earth are in the same shot.

This by far is my favorite shot that I've seen from the Orion capsule. I can't wait to see the new 3 launches as well.

[Wrangler]

Almost the same shot, the nose cone is now pointing towards Earth and the Moon.  As it's about to thrust towards forwards home.

[Daryk]

That is a fantastic shot of "home"...  8)