De la Terre à la Lune

[mtbc]

I am a fan of manned spaceflight. If we are confined to this planet only, especially if we remain such poor stewards and with such capacity for destruction, then we will be limited and eventually gone, leaving nothing behind but artifacts.

I was concerned for Artemis II, fearing that something like Apollo 8 was a jump too far too fast after a long fallow period, and that showhorses had too greatly replaced sober experts in program management. It was with considerable relief that I watched the astronauts achieve orbit and I am glad that their time in orbit has provided the confidence for their present journey onward to the moon, incidentally arriving at around the dates of first contact for Star Trek and Babylon 5.

I do not know if my children will get to see us establish a longer-term presence on the moon, perhaps even among asteroids, but I can dream. In the meantime, at least I can reasonably hope for the astronauts' safe return.

Comments

[lovelyangel]

Well... I found this article disconcerting: Artemis II is Not Safe to Fly.

[mtbc]

Ah, my goodness. I remember reading of the pit in the stomach of those who anticipated exactly the Challenger disaster. Here's hoping that wishful thinking about the reentry trajectory pays off, enough time for plenty of prayer before we find out.