Mmm… a New American Spaceship on the Pad; like Apollo or like Starliner?

Ross365 · 2026-01-18T10:26:58+0000

So, the spacecraft is called Orion and the launch vehicle is called Artemis. The crew-section is made by Lockheed and the service module made by Astrium in Germany.

The first personned flight (crew of 4) should be next month and then folks may go around the Moon, maybe next year (?) but it’s not so clear when they’ll next land on the Moon….just like they first did in ...1969

.

I wonder…will this “Make America Great Again”? Is it kin to Apollo or Starliner? Of course the Russian's keep on launching in to orbit in the same old tub that they had in 1970's? They hint that you cannot send people to the Moon because the radiation outside the Van Allen belts will seriously mess with you. The British, they may, or may not, build a railway 'up North' at some time.

I saw the last Apollo mission (#17) launch from the Kennedy Space Centre in December 1972; very cool :clapping:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cly148lvyevo

The_Yellow_Ardvark · 2026-01-18T10:29:26+0000

All ready to go.

Ross365 · 2026-01-18T11:14:53+0000

The model highlights something; jointed solid rocket motors back close to a manned spacecraft

. As the dentist said in the film, "Is it safe?"

Misterg · 2026-01-18T11:27:11+0000

Ross365 said:
Is it kin to Apollo or Starliner? Of course the Russian's keep on launching in to orbit in the same old tub that they had in 1970's?

Yes.

(image from here )

Launching stuff to low earth orbit (like the ISS, etc.) is *much* easier than the moon (see size of Soyuz above). ISS is the innermost blue line below. The moon is a bloomin' long way away! If a trip to the ISS was a walk to the corner shop, a trip to the moon is walking Lands End to John O'Groats.

(image from here )

Erie Fred · 2026-01-18T13:24:48+0000

Misterg said:
Yes.

View attachment 527079
(image from here )

Launching stuff to low earth orbit (like the ISS, etc.) is *much* easier than the moon (see size of Soyuz above). ISS is the innermost blue line below. The moon is a bloomin' long way away! If a trip to the ISS was a walk to the corner shop, a trip to the moon is walking Lands End to John O'Groats.

View attachment 527080

(image from here )

That's all well and good.

However the USofA went to the moon, landed on the moon, took golf clubs and a CAR to drive around on the moon, and then brought the people all back safely.

Decades Ago..... :whistle:

Without CAD....... :dontknow:

The_Yellow_Ardvark · 2026-01-18T13:27:54+0000

Erie Fred said:
and a CAR

Tinbasherdan · 2026-01-18T14:36:30+0000

Erie Fred said:
That's all well and good.

However the USofA went to the moon, landed on the moon, took golf clubs and a CAR to drive around on the moon, and then brought the people all back safely.

Decades Ago.....

Without CAD.......

To be fair, they also blew up challenger and Columbia because at almost every stage there was inherent corruption and people pleasing going on…….

Ross365 · 2026-01-18T14:44:10+0000

Erie Fred said:
That's all well and good.

However the USofA went to the moon, landed on the moon, took golf clubs and a CAR to drive around on the moon, and then brought the people all back safely.

Decades Ago.....

Without CAD.......

Probably because they did not have CAD, probably because they did not have any MS software and spending all their time doing spreadsheets :vsad:

.

You know the Vehicle Assembly Building at the Cape - I've been in there. Tourists were allowed just inside one of the doors during Apollo, but that was stopped when the Shuttle came along with its solid rocket ~~bombs~~ motors, because the VAB was then an explosives building, so no tourists.

In fairness to many people, it was just a handful of people down at NASA's Marshall Space Flight centre (in sunny and humid Alabama) who insisted on launching Challenger despite the passionate pleadings of the motor makers not to do so in the extremely low temperatures. Everybody knew for years that the original O ring design was marginal, especially in cold conditions. The primary ring had failed allowing partial destruction of the second and final ring on a number of cold flights. I think it's public domain who was key in that decision.

With Columbia, again, it was just a small handful of people who really might have done more when that was lost. DoD offered to get a spysat to take hi-res pictures of the orbiter, but someone at NASA told DoD "Nah, it's OK, don't bother". I think it's public domain who was key in that decision.

It occurred to me that whatever quantity of good luck NASA was due, it all went on Apollo and none was left for the Shuttle, which was an extraordinary vehicle.

Apollo also had Lyndon Johnson writing blank cheques. The Shuttle had Nixon, who was writing cheques for the Watergate "plumbers"!

I wish Artemis and Orion well! How did Boeing's Starliner get in such a mess? I know, accountants....

Maxakarudy · 2026-01-18T14:45:24+0000

Tinbasherdan said:
To be fair, they also blew up challenger and Columbia because at almost every stage there was inherent corruption and people pleasing going on…….

Deceased Challenger astronauts

DanZac · 2026-01-18T14:49:45+0000

Erie Fred said:
However the USofA went to the moon, landed on the moon, took golf clubs and a CAR to drive around on the moon, and then brought the people all back safely.

Didn't bring all their space junk back with them though did they.

Be alright if the new space car breaks down, or they loose the ball playing golf next time round, there's already a spare on the moon. :whistle:

Maxakarudy · 2026-01-18T14:55:47+0000

DanZac said:
Didn't bring all their space junk back with them though did they.

Be alright if the new space car breaks down, or they loose the ball playing golf next time round, there's already a spare on the moon.

Who filmed them leaving the moon?

The_Yellow_Ardvark · 2026-01-18T15:16:55+0000

Maxakarudy said:
Who filmed them leaving the moon?

Oh that is easy, google tells you.

Welderpaul · 2026-01-18T15:24:46+0000

Don't start this nonsense again please....

roofman · 2026-01-18T15:27:50+0000

Erie Fred said:
That's all well and good.

However the USofA went to the moon, landed on the moon, took golf clubs and a CAR to drive around on the moon, and then brought the people all back safely.

Decades Ago.....

Without CAD.......

my father-in-law (now deceased) worked on the apollo missions in the propulsion dept..i still have his original cotton sleeve patch that they wore on the Ma1 style jackets.

badabec · 2026-01-18T15:41:04+0000

Maxakarudy said:
Who filmed them leaving the moon?

Wallace and Gromit, it was a grand day out. And they brought back cheeeese.

frank horton · 2026-01-18T15:45:07+0000

I wonder where Elon Musk's sports car is now.....
last I heard is that radiation will destroy it.....
I really liked his sense of fun......

tom2207 · 2026-01-18T15:48:40+0000

badabec · 2026-01-18T16:05:07+0000

Welderpaul said:
Don't start this nonsense again please....

Did you know the moon is flat?

Tinbasherdan · 2026-01-18T16:14:04+0000

badabec said:
Did you know the moon is flat?

Is it balls. How would the clangers and the soup dragon live on a flat moon?

Wozzaaah · 2026-01-18T16:19:10+0000

Maxakarudy said:
Who filmed them leaving the moon?

Mmm… a New American Spaceship on the Pad; like Apollo or like Starliner?

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