NASA’s Orion spacecraft under parachutes as it lands in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California, Friday, April 10, 2026.

The Torch Has Been Passed —  A New Era of Space Exploration 

It felt like old times on Friday night as we all watched the splashdown of the Artemis II Moon mission.
Tagged under: ,
Liftoff of the SLS rocket carrying NASA's Artemis II mission to the moon. April 1, 2026.

Artemis II Reflections: To the Moon and Beyond

It felt like 1965. I sat looking at a small screen TV last week as Artemis II was launched on America’s first moon mission in over 50 years.
Tagged under: ,
NASA’s Voyager 1 spacecraft

Interstellar News From NASA

Apparently lost and 15 billion miles from Earth, NASA’s Voyager 1 calls home.
Tagged under: ,
The famous “Earthrise,” photograph taken by Apollo VIII astronaut William Anders, December 24, 1968.

The Death of Astronaut William Anders and the Promise and Challenge of Earthrise

Astronaut William Anders, died on June 7, 2024 at the age of 90. Anders, a member of the Apollo 8 team, will always be remembered as the man who took the famous Earthrise photograph on Christmas Eve 1968.
Tagged under: , ,
President John Kennedy announcing the goal of putting a man on the moon by the end of the decade.On May 25, 1961. (NASA)

Space: The Final and Unforgiving Frontier 

The inverted landing of the $125 million Japan Space Agency lunar probe makes us realize not what can go wrong but how many things must go exactly right for one of these incredibly complicated space missions to succeed.
Tagged under: ,
Astronaut Buzz Aldrin stands on the moon facing a US flag during the Apollo 11 mission in July 1969. (NASA)

My Life as a Space Junkie

I’ve been captivated by humanity’s exploration of the heavens since I was a boy growing up on the plains of western North Dakota.
Tagged under: , , ,

And Then There Were Six: A Tribute to Frank Borman

I was saddened to learn of the death (November 7) of Frank Borman, the American astronaut who commanded the astonishing 1968 Apollo 8 mission to the moon. He was the oldest living astronaut.
Tagged under:

India’s First Lunar Landing and America’s Sense of Wonder

Today, I read in my news feed that India has successfully landed a probe on the south pole of the moon. Chandrayaan-3 touched down at 8:30 a.m. EDT, August, 23, 2023. U.S. news of the event seemed decidedly matter-of-fact.
Tagged under: ,