Comments on: HERE WE GO, BABY!

By: BuckGalaxy

BuckGalaxy — Mon, 06 Apr 2026 09:05:36 +0000

Artemis II will fly around the Moon on today (Monday, April 6, 2026), with their closest approach occurring at approximately 7:02 p.m. EDT. The spacecraft will lose communication with mission control at roughly 6:47 p.m. EDT as it passes behind the lunar far side, re-establishing contact around 7:27 p.m. EDT.
Key times for the lunar flyby (April 6, 2026, EDT):

2:45 p.m. – Lunar observation period begins.
6:47 p.m. – Predicted loss of communication (behind the Moon).
7:02 p.m. – Closest approach to the Moon (roughly 4,000 miles).
7:07 p.m. – Farthest distance reached from Earth.
7:27 p.m. – Communication with mission control re-acquired.

By: BuckGalaxy

BuckGalaxy — Fri, 03 Apr 2026 22:41:18 +0000

..Since humans have left earth orbit. The thought that four astronauts are right this moment cruising through deep space stirs a lot of emotions in me. It is my hope that this really is a new beginning for the space age. We’ll know in the next 5 to 10 years.

By: BuckGalaxy

BuckGalaxy — Fri, 03 Apr 2026 18:20:54 +0000

Here’s a very cool tracker NASA has online. Be sure to take the tour on how it works to get the full capability of it:

https://www.nasa.gov/missions/artemis-ii/arow/

By: RL

RL — Fri, 03 Apr 2026 02:37:11 +0000

Thanks to the laser, you can view it in 4k, maybe 8k

By: RL

RL — Fri, 03 Apr 2026 02:28:39 +0000

Well, maybe some video was Radio at closest approach but from now on it will be laser… no way it could be transmitted by the RF at the moon

By: podrock

podrock — Fri, 03 Apr 2026 00:25:48 +0000

Nice!

By: RL

RL — Fri, 03 Apr 2026 00:19:21 +0000

https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/youtube-live-1-e1775132136264.jpg
A still from the UHD video stream, the RF could not transmit at the high data rate the laser gives us, see community for more info. ANY live video you see from this mission is transmitted by laser.

By: BuckGalaxy

BuckGalaxy — Wed, 01 Apr 2026 23:33:18 +0000

I remember watching it on a blurry TV set with my dad. Now almost a lifetime later I’m an old man watching humanity on a flight to circle the moon. If all goes well with this flight and Artemis 3, then Artemis 4 will land on the moon within the next couple of years.

I have long felt robbed of the promised future of my childhood. We should have been to Mars by now, but instead we spent five decades circling the earth in Shuttles and Space Stations. It wasn’t a total waste. We have learned much from it. But half a century is a very long education.

If I can keep breathing for another 20 years I might yet see a moon base and a Mars landing. Or we could see another round of flags and footprints followed by another long era of stagnant space exploration.

But today at least, I am happy to see the dream of my childhood finally take flight once again.