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Artemis II Launch Day Updates

nasa.gov

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Re: Artemis II Launch Day Updates

#491

Post by partiallypro »

mullingitover wrote: post #414
partiallypro wrote: post #379

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Don't confuse bureaucracy with "gutted." The federal government is bigger than at most any point in US history. Arguably that fact is -why- it's 15 years behind schedule.

Nope, the federal workforce is now the smallest it's been in a half century[1]. February 2026: 2.693 million, the lowest number since July 1965. [1] https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/CES9091000001

That's per 100k (which just says it's mostly flat per 100k), net spending of the federal government is more than ever, and actual workforce is bigger than ever. Federal spending as a percentage of GDP is stubbornly high despite us being in "peace time," and not recession spending.

https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/W068RCQ027SBEA

https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/USGOVT

https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/FYONGDA188S

If you all don't think bureaucracy is the main driver of government delays...well you clearly have never worked with or in and around government. I try to live in reality.

Re: Artemis II Launch Day Updates

#493

Post by Metacelsus »

birdsongs wrote: post #316
IshKebab wrote: post #299

[flagged]

I don't know why you're getting downvoted. The camera work was atrocious. It's not just frilly video, it's how the world sees it, emotionally connects to it, and grows up loving it, and wanting to support more. We had black screens as it left the pad, they didn't know what camera to switch to and kept changing feeds every 2-3 seconds, they switched to a grainy feed of the crowd just looking up while booster separatio…

Yeah, missing the booster sep was a real bummer

Re: Artemis II Launch Day Updates

#494

Post by multiplegeorges »

tsunamifury wrote: post #445
richwater wrote: post #412

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Come on man be honest. There were multiple, massive delays with the program related to literally every aspect. You're not engaging seriously.

[flagged]

> novel path

Reusing Apollo-style stack, reusing Shuttle engines, reusing Shuttle-style SRBs. Novel?

Re: Artemis II Launch Day Updates

#496

Post by XorNot »

PaulDavisThe1st wrote: post #322
robotnikman wrote: post #227

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Seems like its at least bigger than the Apollo Lunar Module from the 70's And with modern forms of entertainment to make the trip less boring.

> And with modern forms of entertainment "We're sorry, your Prime subscription appears to have cancelled. Would you like to renew it? We can send you a text message to get this started ..."

I wonder if Starlink works if the dish is above the satellites. Technically GPS can work from the moon.

Re: Artemis II Launch Day Updates

#497

Post by dingaling »

ssl-3 wrote: post #348
spike021 wrote: post #308

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's hard enough to train a camera on race cars speeding by at 250+ kilometers an hour.

It is hard, but Everyday Astronaut had a manually-operated camera with a 2,000mm lens that captured everything from engine start all the way through a reasonably-clear view of SRB separation. In 4k, at 720fps. (I didn't bother with watching the NASA feed.)

I wish we'd known this before the launch

Both myself and my 12yo were disappointed by the NASA feed, it was more like the matter-of-fact coverage of 'routine' Shuttle launches of the 1980s than something worthy of this historic mission.

Re: Artemis II Launch Day Updates

#498

Post by general_reveal »

bawolff wrote: post #473
general_reveal wrote: post #365

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well. You are getting down voted but here I am in later stages in life watching this Moon launch, and unlike other times in past, I didn’t feel any inspiration. Honestly, it’s a waste of money. That’s my final answer, there’s kids that need food. I am no longer inspired by this stuff. I’ve seen enough advanced technology for many lifetimes, we need something else as a species (more of that humanity thing).

I find it crazy how whenever space stuff or even fundamental science stuff in general gets talked about, the its a waste of money crowd comes out. Everyone is totally fine with the AI bullshit of the day or the people spending millions on a start ups whose pitch is so stupid it sounds like something that would have been rejected from silicon valley the tv show, but suddenly if its for science its a bridge to far. You…

The same crowd comes out because in every human generation, a young boy will have seen the advances of human technology and ambition, and will have also seen the sheer scale of our curious contraptions by the time they are an old man. That’s why you get the same “revelation” generation after generation.

Some people truly grow up.

Re: Artemis II Launch Day Updates

#499

Post by protocolture »

0xffff2 wrote: post #282

I do hope the doomers who think that the entire US government has been completely gutted will take note of this. The government workforce is in a bad spot for sure, SLS is far from a perfect program, but this still demonstrates that we are doing some real work still.

Not entirely a doomer, but I would wait to grandstand until after the crew is returned safely, considering the allegations regarding the capsule heat shield.

Re: Artemis II Launch Day Updates

#500

Post by kokanee »

GreenSalem wrote: post #455

Waiting to see what happens to the heat shield on reentry... https://idlewords.com/2026/03/artemis_ii_is_not_safe_to_fly.... https://theconversation.com/heat-shield-safety-concerns-rais...

> the agency said it was confident that a change to the re-entry trajectory would be more than adequate to offset any spalling issues. Somewhat confusingly, they also announced their intention to switch to a new heat shield design, starting with Artemis III.

It's fine to be concerned, but this kind of take is why public agencies are damned no matter what they do. In the private sector, operating with the suboptimal resources you have while working on a better iteration is standard practice, even in industrial settings. But when you're a public organization, if anyone can find anything that is less than 100% optimal, the same people who complain about how slow the public sector is will complain that you're cutting corners, or that you're inept.

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