Moon joy
I had planned a new Starbright piece today about Moon Joy and the spaceship Integrity. But I’m not sure how to write or post about joy and amazement when this doomsday clock is ticking down. Still, I feel compelled to try to capture, in my small way, the excitement and uplift that the ongoing Artemis II mission has brought to the world. This is my tiny candle against darkness and chaos.
I readily admit that I cry during space launches. Hope and astonishment mix with realistic fear as crews and payloads rocket beyond our atmosphere on fiery plumes. It’s easy to forget how much work and planning goes into each and every mission, and how hard space travel truly is. The second-by-second countdown followed by a launch is a reminder that we are not living in a science fiction novel. This is real. It’s difficult. And it’s wondrous.
This time around, however, I wasn’t alone for the launch. My father and stepmother were on FaceTime with me — along with the strange complication of their video feed running a full thirty seconds ahead of mine. I was distracted by their questions: Would Artemis II launch any satellites into Earth orbit? Did the astronauts have exercise equipment aboard to help them stay in shape during their ten-day mission? Before I knew it, the rocket had ignited and the Orion capsule was in orbit, and I had barely shed a tear.
The screens in my living room and home office have been tuned more often than not to NASA’s 24/7 live feed of the mission. Camera views include the interior and exterior of the spacecraft as well as Mission Control and NASA’s Science Evaluation Room (SER). Naturally, I found myself drawn into trying to figure out what kinds of backpacks were on the floor behind and around CAPCOM. I enjoy the wider views of Mission Control with all the lived-in, human elements: a bouquet of flowers, a container of cheeseballs, a bag of oranges, and more. Seeing all of the snacks and personal items make Mission Control relatable, with a friendly authenticity.
Because I am a space nerd, my BlueSky became a Moon stan account.
The livestream brought us Christina Koch calling down to ask Mission Control where the hand lotion is stowed. We’ve seen so many media events. And there’s been the running theme of the problematic on-board toilet and troubleshooting the waste water dumps. Prior to the Orion Crew Survival System (OCSS) suits test, watching the Integrity crew reassemble their cabin seats felt similar to my putting together an IKEA Poang chair.
All the big and small moments, headed to the Moon — and all leading up to Mission Day 6: Lunar Flyby Day. Monday, 6 April 2026.
I kept the two virtual appointments already scheduled for the day, while the NASA feed was live on my screen. For the full seven hours of the flyby, and then some, I got little else done. I kept looking at the screen, laughing, bursting into astonished tears.
It was wild to see the crescent Earth, while the Moon was massive on the screen. Absolutely amazing that those of us on Earth could watch the flyby in real time, with the extemporaneous and detailed descriptions from the astronauts about what they were observing, including their expressions of awe. At one point, astronaut Victor Glover commented on the “magic” of the lunar terminator — I’ve seen for myself, through my telescope, how this line between shadow and light highlights the topography of the Moon and provides truly stunning views. We witnessed the unconstrained delight in Mission Control and SER at the news that the Artemis II crew was seeing impact flashes on the Moon.
The accomplishments and realizations of this mission aren’t only scientific discovery and feats of engineering. In the words of astronaut Christina Koch, “I just had an overwhelming sense of being moved by looking at the Moon. … Something just drew me in suddenly to the lunar landscape; it became real. And the truth is, the Moon really is its own body in the universe. It’s not just a poster in the sky that goes by — it is a real place. And when we have that perspective and we compare it to our home of the Earth, it just reminds us how much we have in common. Everything we need, the Earth provides, and that in and of itself is somewhat of a miracle.”
Then the flyby was winding down. And then it was over.
Watching the NASA live feed now, it’s bittersweet to see the “Distance to Moon” measurement ticking up instead of down. I want the crew to return home safely, but I also wanted this realized dream of the Moon to last a little longer. And that was before the apocalyptic threats against Iran coming from Donald Trump.
Conflicting emotions in this moment are formidable. The contrast between Moon Joy and impending genocide here on Earth couldn’t be more stark. Working together, we can do great, transformative, and inspiring things! Working against each other, we are the instruments of our own destruction.
The Artemis II mission isn’t over until the crew splashes down safely this coming Friday, and this won’t be the last of the Artemis program. In seemingly slow but deliberate steps, we are returning to the Moon, and embracing joy and wonder. May we work together to ensure the good for us all.
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Images:
1. A Setting Earth, NASA
https://www.nasa.gov/image-detail/amf-art002e009289/
2. The Edge of Two Worlds, NASA
https://www.nasa.gov/image-detail/amf-art002e009285/