I remember getting up in the middle of the night to watch the first man walk on the moon. Neil Armstrong in 1969. It was astounding, if rather fuzzy.

I also was watching in 1986. I was taking a class at the time and we were on break. What a horrendous moment.

I know my son sees Starlink launches from time to time in CA. One time I saw a rocket that had launched from Wallops Is,and and traveled up the east coast.

Thinking back to 1969, I am amazed we did what we did back then without all the modern equipment we have today. I agree with Olychick. We could use all the money spent on this planet that we are rapidly destroying. My central AC is now running when two days ago I had a down coat and a wool hat on. Over 80 today and 40 two days ago. No snow in the Rockies and 100 degree temps in March that never happened before.

It is not an exercise in wasted technology and money. There are vast implications in each and every flight and the science and our lives and health have benefitted . c

The NASA space program has generated over 2,000 documented "spinoff" technologies—commercialized products and innovations—since 1976. These advancements span daily life, health, and industry, including memory foam, CMOS image sensors used in cell phone cameras, scratch-resistant lenses, cordless tools, and water filtration technology. NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) (.gov) +3Key innovations and their origins include:

• Consumer Tech: CMOS sensors (phone cameras), modern golf ball dimples, and wireless headsets.
• Safety & Materials: Memory foam, firefighting equipment, scratch-resistant lenses, and emergency blankets.
• Health & Medicine: Infrared ear thermometers, cochlear implants, and CAT scanners.
• Industrial/Commercial: GPS advancements, water purification systems, and 3D printing in microgravity. NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) (.gov) +7

NASA maintains a running list of these innovations, with over 750 experiments occurring annually on the International Space Station to drive further development

Personally I can think of far more wasteful government spending than funding NASA, but I do see the point of those who object.

The American space programs have been political and military from the start. The science and technology developments have been very significant. The curtailment of NASA funding in recent decades can be assessed from that perspective.

A little known and secretive (at the time) US intelligence operation in 1945 involved the US Army (otherwise busy with the invasion of Germany) snatching something over 100 of the German scientists and engineers who worked on the V2 ballistic missile program. The V2 was used to bomb the UK towards the end of the war. This group formed the backbone of the new US rocket and space development team that ultimately wound up in the Huntsville, Alabama area. They developed the rocket systems used for American space launches (and military uses too).

The widely known and respected fellow Wernher von Braun was the project leader, both for the V2 in Germany during the war and then, after being snatched and transplanted, in the US.

The origin of the people who were behind our rocket and missile advances was kept quiet in the press. On a visit to the US Rocket and Space Center in Huntsville (highly recommended), I had the good fortune of having a personal and detailed tour presented by a volunteer docent who was a retired rocket scientist. Yeah, the real thing. He'd started there in the 1950s and prompted by my questions, he talked at length about the importance of the Germans and the roles they played for American rocket development.

For anyone interested, the effort to get to the German rocketry experts before the Soviets did was called Operation Paperclip. There is a poorly written book of the same name that tells the story, for anyone interested in the details. My impression was that the research was reasonably well done but the author seemed to have difficulty making it into an interesting book to read.

And speaking of climate change, look at this forecast! Its sunny and 77 degrees at the moment.

😉😉😉😉😉😉😉

How can anyone with half a brain deny that climate change is real and very damaging to our Earth?

Well, climate change is for real but maybe not quite as dramatic as the forecast above. Remember todays date!

I think NASA is helpful in tracking and confirming climate change, as well as predicting weather changes.

Looks like the launch went textbook well. I still get nervous for them though.

It was wonderful and very moving. My DH worked at NASA Houston in ClearLake in the 80’s. We had dinner with the astronauts who flew the mission and the kids got to watch them doing their pool routines for weightlessness.

It’s a shame that there are such negative opinions about such an important part of our scientific presence in this world.

^ Wow, it wouldn't get more thrilling than that!! How fortunate to have that experience. I agree about it being a shame to have negative views about this amazing feat that we accomplish. One man addressed the people who say we should spend the money taking care of the people in this country. His response was that there was enough money to do both and that it is not an either/or situation.

Just watched the glow and trail from Artemis on my pool deck. Gave me goosebumps! I have always loved NASA and our space program.

“I still get nervous for them though.”

Same! Hard not to think of Challenger. This time was amazing!

The Challenger memory always makes me worry about these missions. I'll bet the four of them will be lifetime best friends spending ten days in that capsule.

I believe it takes great leadership from the top.

I had my time zones off and got to watch while eating a quick dinner before going out. The launch was delayed by 10 minutes which made me nearly late myself. But it was satisfying to watch them set off safely.

Yes, we watched. We are too inland to see anything our local meteorlogists said. It's so exciting to get the high definition video from the launch. Like many others said, so many innovations come from the space programs, and many of the physiological challenges that come with microgravity are similar to aging, frailty, and long-term bed rest, so it's important to study these to help those on earrth as well as the astronauts maintain physical function.

I didn’t get the chance to watch the rocket launch today, but I’m glad it went well. Political setbacks shouldn’t overshadow the drive to pursue scientific advancements that benefit humanity. They will pass - nothing in this world is permanent.

I was in the middle of a big project in the upstairs guest bedroom when DH reminded me that the countdown had begun. I'm glad I watched - such a beautiful day and the images were spectacular. It's hard to watch without remembering the Challenger and I hope that this mission is a success.

Yeah I love that stuff. HA-HA.... I got to annoy my DH by reciting word for word from the movie Contact from the book by the late, great Carl Sagan. Systems? Elle (Jody Foster) ...."Systems go.....Wait!! That man! He's not suppose to be there! He's got somthing strapped to him! It's a bomb!! The recital aside, I loved to see all went well with the launch. It's going to be so exciting to see the Artimus project play out in the coming years.

Yes, I watched, I've been 'hooked' on the space program ever since I first learned about it, back in the 60's. I watched the first moon walk in '69 from a hospital bed after a major surgery. I was moved from ICU to a private room a day early specifically so I could watch it. I've gotten up at all hours of the night to watch space events. Remember the splash downs? Even they were exciting!

And yes, there are many other things on this earth that need 'fixing'. But the fact is "You can please some of the people all the time and all of the people some of the time, but you can't please all the people all the time." I don't recall who originated that staement, but it is so very very true.

My nephew who lives n Florida sent me some photos of the launch that he took from his driveway. They are spectacular!

Rusty

I do.

We were invited to attend the launch of Deep Space I sevearal years ago (my husband had done some work related to the project). It was breathtaking! After the successful launch, the NASA employees around us (not in the control room!) opened bottles of champagne. The whole thing was a thrill.

Let's make this very simple and easy for anyone to understand.

You can please some of the people all the time and all of the people some of the time, but you can't please all the people all the time."

All this means is that you can't make everyone happy. That seems an easy concept to understand for me.

They just splashed down. Home again after a ten day trip. Astounding .

Amazing! My heart was racing until splashdown.

It was thrilling, wasn't it? I watched the whole thing. They were having trouble with communicating with the astronauts now that they have landed. They were "rebooting" at one point. LOL I am sure they will figure it out. I know their families have to be so happy to have them back home safe and sound.

I got the news on my watch. I'm so glad they're back safely. They seem like a nice group .

We've been watching on CNN....so amazing. Now looking at them outside the helicopter watching them walking across large ship tarmac. Now if this joy can last for awhille & not be ruined....

I turned CNN on about 3:00 and am still watching almost 5 hours later. So exciting. Science, exploration and curiousity are wonderful characteristics for us to have.

Life is Good! A successful launch, mission, and return! An excellent mission for NASA.

On a sad note, the guy who was the NASA/MSFC Public Affairs Officer under Dr von Braun passed away just a few days after the launch.. He was the first director of the Space & Rocket Center (museum with all things rocket and space & rocket history in Huntsville) and Space Camp when it was first established. He was one of the nicest guys.

I know several here think it’s a waste of money. I thought along those lines (and sometimes still do honestly over some decisions we hear about). But today i was reminded of several things that space exploration has led to and some they hope to find out more about with these 4 astronauts. Did you know what initial use of what became Corning Ware bakeware was? Missile nosecones.

Other items attribited to being developed as a result of space exploration needs: scratch-proof lenses in glasses; miniaturization design and development of microchips, now used in cell phones; shock-absorbing air cells now used running shoes (I think Nike was the first to use this); improved water filtration systems. And one of the current experiments involved bone marrow tests before and after to measure any radiation exposure in space.

Yes I watched it. So so awesome. Im so happy all turned out well. It feels so good to feel good about something!!

Oh, and the reason(s) for the gap? One biggie was that someone decided NASA needed a new rocket booster. The old one was a workhorse and worked fine but someone wanted more. Yes, there was a major accident (which never should have happened if they had held the countdown perhaps one more day btw).

It takes many many years to design, develop and produce a rocket booster system. NASA formerly designed and managed their own rocket systems. Then came budget cuts and then that decision was made to turn the rocket development over to commercial contractors to build ‘bigger and better’. The price to launch one of these big rockets again went way up, and there are only so many times you can orbit earth and learn new things at a price so high. Research didn’t stop though with the space station and foreign partnerships helping absorb the financial load. It was a matter of time before another flight to the moon took place.

Dear outside, thank you for your intelligent posts. Westsider40

Didn't watch the launch but caught the splash down. When faced with incredible bravery I tear up everytime!! Years ago, did the 'trip to Disney' in Fl with the kids and of course had to take a day for the Kennedy Space Center. Talk about inspirational!! The mutitude of great inventions adjacent to getting astronauts to the moon cannot be discounted. Ya it's a TON of money--but given what we are learning about fraud, waste and abuse in this country--we have it for the betterment of society--so the whiners can just take a back seat! What a proud proud day for our space program!! Keep it up NASA!!!

Outside, it's an honor to read your posts and have you here with us.

And arcy, I couldn't agree more. It is so money well spent.

It blows my mind at every minute of this mission. I admire all the work that takes years to plan and perfect, but mostly I admire the astronauts who really are taking a risk since anything could go wrong. I recorded and watched it all later when I got home. Marvelous.

It was cool to watch Christina Koch, Victor Glover Jr., Jeremy Hansen, and Reid Wiseman exit individually. I’d love to know how NASA decided the exit order - but I’m glad to see even rocket science couldn’t beat ‘ladies first.’

…and now I have ”Fly Me to the Moon” stuck in my head!

“I’d love to know how NASA decided the exit order -”

I’d guess that Reid Wiseman exited last because he was the commander. Protocol, perhaps.

Or maybe they did "rock, paper, scissors". Just kidding. I am sure there is protocol though I do like "ladies first", personally.

Thank you, Outsideplaying, for all you've shared here, and for your years spent in scientific pursuit.

The astronauts are TV now telling their stories, hope nothing pops out of one of their chests while up on stage...

@murraysmom Zone 6a OH & @Feathers11, y’all make me blush with your kind words. I’ve watched a few more small moments with the Artemis crew today. I hope they do continue to be close. And likely their paths may cross again at some point when new astronaut teams are announced and need to be trained.

These astronauts are such a nice team and obviously will be close all their lives. When you share such a small space and such a monumental event , it's a given.

I like that it was a diverse group of people. We should all strive to be like them. What a great moment in time to be alive.

“I like that it was a diverse group of people. We should all strive to be like them”

The crew were selected through NASA and Canadian Space Agency processes that are historically very rigorous. These roles demand years of technical experience, flight training, engineering or scientific expertise, and proven performance under pressure. Reasonably they are all highly qualified. So we have a crew that is both operationally strong and publicly meaningful - a combination of merit and a desire to reflect broader representation.

Diverse and all well qualified. Any action, and even visible efforts, big or small, matter more than just sitting around wondering.

During the launch, my YDS (19) texted me that woman (Apologize that I cant remember her name.) did a Q&A with his group at Space Camp and spoke at their “graduation.” I‘m actaully suprised he remembered. He would’ve been in late elementary school at the time. She must’ve made an impact.

She probably saw you on looney tunes.