Archive
08/31/2020 – Ephemeris – Artemis, NASAs new program to land men and women on the Moon
This is Ephemeris for Monday, August 31st. Today the Sun will be up for 13 hours and 15 minutes, setting at 8:20, and it will rise tomorrow at 7:05. The Moon, 2 days before full, will set at 6:10 tomorrow morning.
The Artemis program is the United States follow on, after more than 50 years, to return to the Moon. It’s main rocket, the Space Launch System or SLS uses components of the Space Shuttle that include the main engines, using 4 instead of three, and two longer solid boosters. The Orion capsule sits atop the second stage. Unlike Apollo, the lunar lander will be sent up on a separate rocket into lunar orbit. Eventually there will be a lunar orbiting space station called the Lunar Gateway as a way point. But not for the first attempt. NASA has accepted three bids for commercial landers, Dynetics with a squat lander with drop-tanks. The National team of several companies with an Apollo-like lander on steroids, and SpaceX’s Starship.
The event times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Block 1 Space Launch System with Orion Capsule. Credit NASA.
Three Lunar Lander proposals. Credit Dynetics, SpaceX, and Blue Origin.
07/19/2019 – Ephemeris – 50 years ago tomorrow humankind set foot on the Moon
Ephemeris for Friday, July 19th. Today the Sun will be up for 15 hours and 7 minutes, setting at 9:22, and it will rise tomorrow at 6:16. The Moon, 3 days past full, will rise at 11:14 this evening.
On this day, 50 years ago the combined Apollo 11 spacecraft Command and Service module with attached Lunar Module dropped into orbit of the Moon. The crew spotted a glow coming from the Aristarchus region, still on the night side of the Moon. Armstrong and Aldrin entered the LM to power it up and to get it ready for landing. The next day they undocked from the Command Module and began their 2 hour 33 minute descent to the Moon’s surface. As they neared the surface The astronauts found out they were going to miss the planned landing area and would land in a more boulder strewn area. Armstrong took control and guided the LM to a safe landing with less than 30 seconds of fuel remaining. The Eagle had landed.
The times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Left to right Neil Armstrong, Mission Commander; Michael Collins, Command Module Pilot; and Buzz Aldrin, Lunar Module Pilot. Credit: NASA.
The Saturn V for the Apollo 11 mission lifts of from Pad 39A. Credit: NASA.
Aldrin with the PSEP instrument looking back at the LM. Credit NASA/Neil Armstrong.
Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter image of the Apollo 11 landing area. Compare the location od the objects in the picture above with this image. The flag was blown down by the lift off of the Ascent module when the Astronauts left the Moon. Credit NASA/LRO.
Bob Moler's Ephemeris Blog 