Outer space thread

[GoCubsGo]

[Vrede too]

Artemis II Briefings and articles at https://www.nasa.gov/ .

[GoCubsGo]

For those that have Facebook.

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1GWzjAzTve/

[Vrede too]

For those that have Facebook.

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1GWzjAzTve/

Nice, thanks! No need to be an NSAbook registrant.

Your jinx almost worked, Houston lost comms with Artemis II for 51 minutes during the launch. There was also a toilet issue, fixed by the girl, of course. Then, there was a Microsoft Outlook glitch, surprise surprise.

[GoCubsGo]

Your jinx almost worked, Houston lost comms with Artemis II for 51 minutes during the launch. There was also a toilet issue, fixed by the girl, of course. Then, there was a Microsoft Outlook glitch, surprise surprise.

Did they have to reboot the rocket?

[Vrede too]

No eclipse show for us. It might have gotten a little less light for a while, but it's hard to tell if it was due to the eclipse or just cloud movement - of which there is much. Only ring of fire show we get is this one:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b-zNQA5Xi4Q

Do you have hopes of watching the return of Orion? Can you get on the roof of your building? SW of SD, 5:07 p.m PDT.

[O Really]

Do you have hopes of watching the return of Orion? Can you get on the roof of your building? SW of SD, 5:07 p.m PDT.

We can get on the roof, but I don't know there's a reasonable expectation of looking at just the right place at the right time - but they say there may be a sonic boom when it hits the atmosphere so if I looked immediately after, and managed to look in the right spot it might work. I think I'll watch it play on TV.

[GoCubsGo]

Do you have hopes of watching the return of Orion? Can you get on the roof of your building? SW of SD, 5:07 p.m PDT.

We can get on the roof, but I don't know there's a reasonable expectation of looking at just the right place at the right time - but they say there may be a sonic boom when it hits the atmosphere so if I looked immediately after, and managed to look in the right spot it might work. I think I'll watch it play on TV.

Nothing to see.

The Orion capsule will land far offshore, roughly 200 to 300 miles southwest of San Diego, in the open Pacific near Baja California.
https://www.ktvu.com/weather/artemis-ii ... -san-diego

Artemis II splashdown timeline
A carefully timed sequence will guide Orion through the final stages of descent:

7:33 p.m.: Orion’s crew module will separate from the service module, exposing its heat shield for the spacecraft’s return through Earth’s atmosphere, where it will encounter temperatures of about 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit.
7:37 p.m.: Following separation, Orion will perform an 18 second crew module raise burn beginning to set the proper entry angle and align the heat shield for atmospheric interface.
7:53 p.m.: When Orion reaches 400,000 feet above Earth’s surface while traveling nearly 35 times the speed of sound. The crew is expected to experience up to 3.9 Gs in the planned entry profile. This moment marks the spacecraft’s first contact with the upper atmosphere and the start of a planned six-minute communications blackout as plasma builds around the capsule.
8:03 p.m.: Around 22,000 feet in altitude, the drogue parachutes will deploy, slowing and stabilizing the capsule as Orion nears splashdown.
8:04 p.m.: At around 6,000 feet, the drogues will release, and the three main parachutes will deploy, reducing Orion’s speed to less than 136 mph.
8:07 p.m.: Slowing to 20 mph, Orion will splash down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of San Diego, completing the Artemis II crew’s return to Earth and a 694,481-mile journey.
From there, teams from NASA and the U.S. military will extract the crew from Orion and fly them via helicopter to the USS John P. Murtha.
Within two hours after splashdown, the crew will be extracted from Orion and flown to the USS Murtha. Recovery teams will retrieve the crew, assist them onto an inflatable raft, and then use helicopters to deliver them to the ship. Once aboard, the astronauts will undergo post‑mission medical evaluations before returning to shore where awaiting aircraft will take them to NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.
https://www.nasa.gov/blogs/missions/202 ... plashdown/

[Vrede too]

Nothing to see.

The Orion capsule will land far offshore, roughly 200 to 300 miles southwest of San Diego, in the open Pacific near Baja California.
https://www.ktvu.com/weather/artemis-ii ... -san-diego

April 8, 2026.

TV news today says 50-60 miles off San Diego. Still a long way to see even large parachutes. Might be a hopping gated community PARTY on the roof, though.

[GoCubsGo]

Nothing to see.

The Orion capsule will land far offshore, roughly 200 to 300 miles southwest of San Diego, in the open Pacific near Baja California.
https://www.ktvu.com/weather/artemis-ii ... -san-diego

April 8, 2026.

TV news today says 50-60 miles off San Diego. Still a long way to see even large parachutes. Might be a hopping gated community PARTY on the roof, though.

Really big parachutes.

Thinking the O Really's might be better off sipping wine on the couch and watching on their 60 inch.

[O Really]

Yeppers

[Vrede too]

TV news today says 50-60 miles off San Diego. Still a long way to see even large parachutes. Might be a hopping gated community PARTY on the roof, though.

Really big parachutes.

Thinking the O Really's might be better off sipping wine on the couch and watching on their 60 inch.

They know best, but those TV images will be widely available as re-runs forever.

[Vrede too]

Yeppers

ICYMI:

How to see astronauts off California’s coast in historic Artemis II splash down Friday

California residents will have a golden opportunity to witness history when NASA’s Artemis II splashes down on Friday off the San Diego coast.

For those who live in southern California or want to travel to see it, the historic moment is expected to happen at 5:07 p.m. on Friday April 10, when the crew of the 10-day moon mission returns to earth.

The Orion capsule is expected to splash down into the Pacific Ocean, somewhere between 50-70 miles offshore, between Catalina Island and San Clemente Island.

... Francisco Contreras, an Oceanside resident and board member for the San Diego Astronomy Association, said, if people in San Diego County want to get a chance to catch some of the history, the best bet is to “head to the coast.”

“Because it’s so high up and so far away, you should be able to see it from the coast; you don’t have to get close to San Clemente, I don’t think,” Contreras told CBS 8 News.

... There will also be a watch party held at the San Diego Air and Space Museum, with fun activities for the kids....

[O Really]

We're on the coast and only about 30ish miles south of San Clemente. Maybe.

[Vrede too]

Yay!

[GoCubsGo]

WELL DONE NASA!

[Vrede too]

WELL DONE NASA!

O Really is still partying with his gated community on the roof.

[GoCubsGo]

WELL DONE NASA!

O Really is still partying with his gated community on the roof.

Hope he doesn't trip and fall on his face.

[O Really]

Couldn't see a damn thing, didn't even get the sonic boom. TV only but it was still good to see it be so successful.

[GoCubsGo]

Couldn't see a damn thing, didn't even get the sonic boom. TV only but it was still good to see it be so successful.

You ventured out?