Spaaaaace! - The Spare Oom https://community.narniaweb.com/community/the-spare-oom/spaaaaace/ NarniaWeb Forum Discussion Board en-US Sun, 10 May 2026 02:58:06 +0000 wpForo 60 RE: Spaaaaace! https://community.narniaweb.com/community/the-spare-oom/spaaaaace/paged/7/#post-367055 Sat, 18 Apr 2026 14:49:46 +0000 Could the James Webb Space Telescope see the Earth any larger than in Carl Sagan’s Pale Blue Dot photograph?   I wonder if it would look like something more like a disc than a mere point of light.  Then again I wonder if the scientists would use the telescope for such a purpose if it had scientific value.  Perhaps Carl Sagan did it with Voyager One for posterity, although I think that was a good reason for taking the photograph.  It showed how tiny the earth is in relation to the universe.

]]> The Spare Oom Narnian78 https://community.narniaweb.com/community/the-spare-oom/spaaaaace/paged/7/#post-367055 RE: Spaaaaace! https://community.narniaweb.com/community/the-spare-oom/spaaaaace/paged/7/#post-366949 Mon, 13 Apr 2026 22:37:52 +0000 It may be more with the focal length of the telescope. It wasn't that it was too far, it was probably too close. I can't get a photo of anything within 30ft of me with my 70-200 lens, but anything 70-500ft... Not a problem. 

They just released a bunch of new photos to the gallery according to NASA's threads account.

]]> The Spare Oom starkat https://community.narniaweb.com/community/the-spare-oom/spaaaaace/paged/7/#post-366949 RE: Spaaaaace! https://community.narniaweb.com/community/the-spare-oom/spaaaaace/paged/7/#post-366945 Mon, 13 Apr 2026 18:55:52 +0000 I would imagine that the Artemis II spacecraft was too small and far away to be seen by the James Webb Space Telescope.  Earth’s Moon would look pretty tiny from James Webb’s location if it could be seen at all.   Oh well, it was just a thought. 

]]> The Spare Oom Narnian78 https://community.narniaweb.com/community/the-spare-oom/spaaaaace/paged/7/#post-366945 RE: Spaaaaace! https://community.narniaweb.com/community/the-spare-oom/spaaaaace/paged/6/#post-366919 Sat, 11 Apr 2026 00:59:24 +0000 The Artemis II, having completed its mission to the Dark side of the moon, has just landed, about 20 minutes ago, off the coast of California. On my computer, it is currently 10.54 AM AEST, on 11/4/26. Eldest daughter is still watching it on TV. It came to Earth on a trajectory from south-west, towards the Pacific Ocean so that it passed over northern NSW onwards. I'm sure there will be replays on the news within 24 hours. {ym}:smile:  

]]> The Spare Oom waggawerewolf27 https://community.narniaweb.com/community/the-spare-oom/spaaaaace/paged/6/#post-366919 RE: Spaaaaace! https://community.narniaweb.com/community/the-spare-oom/spaaaaace/paged/6/#post-366880 Wed, 08 Apr 2026 15:42:48 +0000
Posted by: @jo

An interesting fact: two years ago, my husband, an electrical engineer, helped design the pilot line winches (bright yellow) for the escape basket, mounted on top of the Artemis II launch structure. But thankfully there was no emergency, so they did not have to use them. 

Wow, that's quite the claim to fame! Hey better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it right??

 

 

 

]]> The Spare Oom Glenwit https://community.narniaweb.com/community/the-spare-oom/spaaaaace/paged/6/#post-366880 RE: Spaaaaace! https://community.narniaweb.com/community/the-spare-oom/spaaaaace/paged/6/#post-366877 Wed, 08 Apr 2026 13:39:52 +0000 That gallery is stunning, and almost surreal, thanks, @Glenwit! I have not been able to watch any of Artemis II's journey, but have followed it on the radio news. It will be good to know these astronauts have landed safely in the Pacific Ocean this Friday evening. No doubt their families are counting the hours!

A fun and interesting fact: two years ago, my husband, an electrical engineer, helped design the pilot line winches (bright yellow) for the escape basket, mounted on top of the Artemis II launch structure. Yes, a Canadian company was awarded this bid. {ym}:smile: But thankfully there was no emergency, so they did not have to use them.

'Though hubby was only one little cog in a huge NASA wheel, it was quite something to be able to have a small part in this. The company he works for has done other projects for NASA, as well. (He has a fascinating and full-of-variety vocation!)

]]> The Spare Oom johobbit https://community.narniaweb.com/community/the-spare-oom/spaaaaace/paged/6/#post-366877 RE: Spaaaaace! https://community.narniaweb.com/community/the-spare-oom/spaaaaace/paged/6/#post-366854 Wed, 08 Apr 2026 02:03:18 +0000 I've been going through NASA's image gallery of their lunar flyby and this is actually like nothing I've ever seen in my life.  

https://www.nasa.gov/gallery/lunar-flyby/

 

]]> The Spare Oom Glenwit https://community.narniaweb.com/community/the-spare-oom/spaaaaace/paged/6/#post-366854 RE: Spaaaaace! https://community.narniaweb.com/community/the-spare-oom/spaaaaace/paged/6/#post-366845 Wed, 08 Apr 2026 00:15:11 +0000 I enjoyed the lunar flyby quite a bit. I recognized many of the nearside craters and features they named, and it was fun to hear the enthusiasm in their voices, and see it in the science officer on the ground.

The solar eclipse by the moon was also spectacular and I'm looking forward to seeing better images of it soon.

]]> The Spare Oom stargazer https://community.narniaweb.com/community/the-spare-oom/spaaaaace/paged/6/#post-366845 RE: Spaaaaace! https://community.narniaweb.com/community/the-spare-oom/spaaaaace/paged/6/#post-366818 Mon, 06 Apr 2026 21:08:58 +0000 I've been geeking out for days. Watched the launch and have been off and on ever since. Been watching since around 1 today. I just missed the wake up call. The tributes to Apollo 8 were so emotional and touching. I can't believe they got Jim Lovell to record a message. I also loved the tribute to the commander's late wife. It also felt like a continuation of the tribute Lovell gave his wife by naming a mountain on the moon after her in addition to the remembering her. 

And of course the photographer in me is totally geeking out in a different way over the camera tech on board. I do actually get why there is only a single mirrorless on board and the DSLRs are 15 years old. DLSRs are basically the same tech they've been using on the ISS and Space Shuttle for decades. The mirrorless needed a shakedown test for how it would handle views further out with the harsh lighting and the launch vibrations. 

NASA employee's Christian faith is showing all over the place and I love it. The news may be editing it out, but the livestream isn't!

]]> The Spare Oom starkat https://community.narniaweb.com/community/the-spare-oom/spaaaaace/paged/6/#post-366818 RE: Spaaaaace! https://community.narniaweb.com/community/the-spare-oom/spaaaaace/paged/6/#post-366786 Sat, 04 Apr 2026 23:04:17 +0000 Time to dust off this thread!

At the moment, the Artemis II craft is approaching the first flyby around the Moon in over 50 years (when I was but a starry-eyed lad ;) ).It's the first time since Apollo 17 in 1972 that humans have gone beyond low-earth orbit.

The flyby itself occurs on Monday.

NASA has two sites where space fans can keep tabs on what's happening:

Live Mission coverage on YouTube (since it is live, there's not always a lot going on, but it also shows daily press briefings and other things in addition to the flight itself). 

Follow Artemis This is an interactive display with a variety of functions, including space craft views and diagrams showing its location in space relative to the Moon and Earth. When I opened it the first time it had a helpful brief tour of some of its features.

]]> The Spare Oom stargazer https://community.narniaweb.com/community/the-spare-oom/spaaaaace/paged/6/#post-366786