Yes indeed, we hope. Or just as likely another spanner in the works and being rolled back to the Vehicle Assembly Building for a new warp coil.  

16th. 1:04 EST is blast off. 6:04 in the proper time, GMT.

Weather is 90% Favorable.

A huge explosion, or a successful launch and a trip around the Moon. We shall see. 

 

Edited November 15, 20223 yr by martin-w

3:04 am here? Ouch... I'll let it pass

Yeah that was awesome!

Watching the replay, as I was in bed for the launch dreaming of alien races, feline galactic federations and busty ladies.

Back to the Moon folks and a permanent presence. 

 

 

Interesting that they are testing an upgraded version of Alexa on the Orion. So astronauts will be sble to interact with the computers with their voices.

Lots of cubesats will be deployed in Lunar orbit to carry out research ready for the manned missions.

Very impressive, and great to see that the launch and ascent to orbit was executed perfectly. I am looking forward to the rest of the mission!

 

Having just watched the Artemis launch with commentary on my 55” TV with sound through a hi-fi system it left me completely cold despite the rocket being a similar size to Apollo rockets. No gravitas or tension in his voice.

Compare that to Apollo 11’s launch. Maybe having no humans on board was a factor.

 

So glad to see this, I was explaining to my 7 year old daughter the last time a rocket went to the moon I was only a 1 year old at that time, this is how long it has taken to get back there. My daughter has loved following Artemis and it's progress. This is going to be an amazing mission to watch

Apollo 11 was almost at the dawn of the Space Age, when anything space related was new and amazing. On the other hand, Artemis 1 has been launched in a world where rockets and space missions have become so frequent and normal that we almost take them for granted. Maybe that is another reason why you were left feeling "cold", Ray?

I still get the same buzz out of watching powerful rockets reach for the stars as I did when I was a kid, and the SLS did not disappoint me.

Edited November 16, 20223 yr by Christopher Low

3 minutes ago, Christopher Low said:

Apollo 11 was almost at the dawn of the Space Age, when anything space related was new and amazing. On the other hand, Artemis 1 has been launched in a world where rockets and space missions have become so frequent and normal that we almost take them for granted. Maybe that is another reason why you were left feeling "cold", Ray?

Alan Shepherd went into space in May 1961 so eight years had passed before Apollo 11. I think it’s down to the commentator and his matter of fact delivery. No emotion in his voice at all.

Maybe my interest will perk up when there are some astronauts onboard. The Space Shuttle launches were spectacular so it’s not just Apollo.

Good luck and god speed Orion...    A new chapter in space exploration. 

4 hours ago, Christopher Low said:

On the other hand, Artemis 1 has been launched in a world where rockets and space missions have become so frequent and normal that we almost take them for granted. Maybe that is another reason why you were left feeling "cold", Ray?

For a change, the launch happened to coincide with pre-dinner drinks in this neck of the woods!

Watching on the Big Screen with Dolby 360 🙂 Someone commented that the folks at mission control, and commentary team, were very restrained.
It occurred that this is how it used to be, back in the day - at best a small tremor of emotion when all went well.
All very professional.
We have perhaps become used to the Rahrah and Cheerleader Razzmatas pioneered by the SpaceX launches. 

Edited November 16, 20223 yr by WingZ

15 hours ago, Ray Proudfoot said:

Having just watched the Artemis launch with commentary on my 55” TV with sound through a hi-fi system it left me completely cold despite the rocket being a similar size to Apollo rockets. No gravitas or tension in his voice.

Compare that to Apollo 11’s launch. Maybe having no humans on board was a factor.

 

Its just commentary style. The profundity is in the act, not what some guy cementing sounds like. I guess you could say that these days rockets are launched all the time, so its more routine, perhaps that's why. There wasn't much gravitas and tension when the shuttle was launched either.

 

14 hours ago, Christopher Low said:

I still get the same buzz out of watching powerful rockets reach for the stars as I did when I was a kid, and the SLS did not disappoint me.

 

 Space cadets like you and me  still get all emotional and contemplate how profound it all is. 😏

 

10 hours ago, WingZ said:

For a change, the launch happened to coincide with pre-dinner drinks in this neck of the woods!

Watching on the Big Screen with Dolby 360 🙂 Someone commented that the folks at mission control, and commentary team, were very restrained.
It occurred that this is how it used to be, back in the day - at best a small tremor of emotion when all went well.
All very professional.
We have perhaps become used to the Rahrah and Cheerleader Razzmatas pioneered by the SpaceX launches. 

 

I think the difference between what NASA does and SpaceX is the key.

NASA are launching a big rocket like they've done many times, non-reusable, nothing new. SpaceX on the other hand have been dedicatedly striving, driven on by Elon Musk's obsessional work ethic, to create something revolutionary. Namely a fully reusable system that can land its boosters back on a pad like something from Buck Rogers, transport 100 tons to orbit, refuel in orbit, take it to the Moon and beyond... and then land the spaceship on its tail, akin to the stuff we see in science fiction So no wonder the SpaceX crew freak out when it actually works. Its revolutionary. 

I think behind the scenes, not in front of the TV screen, there are probably plenty of NASA employees screaming and shouting joyously. 

Edited November 17, 20223 yr by martin-w

13 minutes ago, martin-w said:

Its just commentary style. The profundity is in the act, not what some guy cementing sounds like. I guess you could say that these days rockets are launched all the time, so its more routine, perhaps that's why. There wasn't much gravitas and tension when the shuttle was launched either.

I think it’s two-fold for me. 1) the Apollo commentator’s voice was perfect. I’ve often wondered what else he did other than the commentary. Sadly, I imagine he’s no longer with us.

2) I was 18 when Apollo 11 blasted off. Those memories are burnt into my brain. I guess as you get older you get used to seeing these things.

But commentary is vital to accompanying images. One goes with the other. Think of those famous sporting moments. Does anyone remember ITV’s commentary when Hurst scored the final goal in ‘66? Nope, only Wolstenholme’s. 😉

15 minutes ago, Ray Proudfoot said:

I think it’s two-fold for me. 1) the Apollo commentator’s voice was perfect. I’ve often wondered what else he did other than the commentary. Sadly, I imagine he’s no longer with us.

2) I was 18 when Apollo 11 blasted off. Those memories are burnt into my brain. I guess as you get older you get used to seeing these things.

But commentary is vital to accompanying images. One goes with the other. Think of those famous sporting moments. Does anyone remember ITV’s commentary when Hurst scored the final goal in ‘66? Nope, only Wolstenholme’s. 😉

In addition to the official NASA feed, here in the US the “voice” of the space program for many of us was the late Walter Cronkite - a newsman who was the very definition of “gravitas”. He covered every manned launch from the very first Mercury flights through the entire Apollo series. He was extremely knowledgeable about space flight, and always gave informed, accurate commentary. 

You could tell he was emotionally affected by the launch of Apollo 11 - he choked up a bit when it cleared the tower and soared aloft. The only other time I saw him visibly affected by a story he was covering was when announcing the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.

The official NASA announcer for Apollo was Jack King

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_King_(NASA)