What's Up? The Space Place

 Hey, Space Placers! Greg Redfern Following the successful Artemis II launch last week, NOVA will present a new special,  RETURN TO THE MOON,  that  follows the four members of the Artemis II crew as they undertake a perilous 10-day journey around the Moon and back, venturing beyond Earth’s orbit for the first time since Apollo and traveling farther into the Solar System than any humans before them.    Viewers will follow the Artemis II mission from launch to splashdown, getting an inside look at the new SLS rocket's design, the engineering challenges of human spaceflight, and how NASA solved the safety hurdles that stood between the crew and the launchpad. The special will feature the latest footage captured during the mission itself.   RETURN TO THE MOON  premieres on  Wednesday, April 15, 2026, at 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CT  on PBS (check local listings), and  will also be available for streaming at pbs.org/nova ,   NOVA on  Y...

Hey, Space Placers! ARTEMIS II STACK JANUARY 17, 2026 GREG REDFERN MY NOTES FROM TODAY'S NASA ARTEMIS II PRESS CONFERENCE : THE ARTEMIS II CREW PARTICIPATED VIRTUALLY IN THE TWO DAY FLIGHT READINESS REVIEW, WHICH CONCLUDED ARTEMIS II IS GO FOR LAUNCH.  NET APRIL 1, 2026 AT 6:24 PM.  NASA HAS ADDED AN EXTRA DAY 4/2, SO 4/1-4/6 WITH MAYBE 4 LAUNCH OPPORTUNITIES DURING THAT TIMEFRAME. ROLL OUT TO THE LAUNCH PAD IS PLANNED FOR 3/19/26. BEFORE ROLL OUT MORE WORK TO BE DONE AT THE VAB AND THE PAD. NOT A LOT OF WORK AT THE VAB LEFT. IT WAS TWO WEEKS AGO NASA HAD TO DO A ROLL BACK AFTER A VERY SUCCESSFUL WET DRESS REHEARSAL. FIXED THE HELIUM LEAK TO THE UPPER STAGE, CAME UP WITH A DESIGN FIX WHICH HAS BEEN IMPLEMENTED. FLIGHT TERMINATION SYSTEM IS BEING UPDATED IN THE VAB.  QUICKEST TURN AROUND OF A ROLL BACK TO VAB AND BACK TO THE PAD IN THE ARTEMIS PROGRAM IN 22 DAYS. CREW IS IN EXCELLENT SHAPE AND READY TO FLY. THEY WILL START QUARANTINE ON THE 19TH. NASA IS TOTALLY FOCUSED ON...