Spaced Out

 

I suppose if the Chinese beat us and try to claim the Moon as theirs, we could pull out our trump card. Sorry China - we have been on the Moon since July of 1969, and the Moon is ours. BTW China - you are now trespassing. Now, put that in your pipe and smoke it~ 

Color me shocked. I was certainly not a believer in NASA and their Artemis II Moon fly-by. SpaceX on the other hand, I am all in for. Why? The tales of success are long and impressive with Elon Musk's rocket company. The tales of success for NASA recently? Not good. However, this new guy running the joint, Jared Isaacman, is a real go-getter. A former astronaut himself, he knows his way around the block (so to speak). As far as reaching the Moon for a landing (again), beating the Chinese is the be all, end all. Second place is no good. 

Tonight, the Good Lord willing, Artemis II will splash down right off the coast of San Diego. Hopefully, all four of the astronauts pop out of that capsule hale and hearty. How good has this mission been so far? Way beyond expectations. The pics which have been taken and transmitted back to Earth have been jaw dropping good. More to come once they land.

Has Artemis II pushed SpaceX out of the space race? Knocked them out of the Moon landing? Not a chance. Elon still wants to put a base on the Moon. Knowing how Elon works - he will. But Elon (as most know), is the champion of walking and chewing gum at the same time. His gaze is still fixed on Mars, but the Moon might come first. Plus - Elon's Tesla Giga-plant is about to get a whole lot bigger. Not to worry - Elon can do it all. He has in the past, and he will in the future.

In any event, I have confidence in young Mr. Isaacson. Due to his pedigree, many of the astronauts feel very comfortable with him. But, as the old saying goes, success breeds success. After safe landing, and if it is very close to the bullseye, we can chalk this one up as a win. Now it is on to the bigger and better Artemis III. This one will be for all the marbles - a crewed landing on the Moon. We want to land this thing on a stretch of land we have not been to before - the South Pole area. But what if China gets to the Moon before we do? Then things will get interesting.

I suppose if the Chinese beat us and try to claim the Moon as theirs, we could pull out our trump card. Sorry China - we have been on the Moon since July of 1969, and the Moon is ours. BTW China - you are now trespassing. Now, put that in your pipe and smoke it~