Important update on the toilet situation: "Houston, we have a [loo] problem" They are working on fixing it and there are back up plans, and it still works for number twos, which are the more critical one when it comes to comfort for the next 10 days! Already its the most distant plumbing job ever

We're still tracking #Artemis II with the Dwingeloo radio telescope, with four very enthousiastic amateurs staying up all night in the control room. We just witnessed the Orion upper stage separation burn in our doppler tracking.

Very cool ABC Australia article with some retro (even TRON-like) looking visual graphics that help visualise the distance and milestones along the way that #ArtemisII will be undertaking from launch and over the next few days 🔭

We are tracking #Artemis II with the historic Dwingeloo radio telescope. In the doppler shift of the carrier signal we see the manual manoevers that the astronauts perform while flying formation with the upper stage.

Fantastic piece about the DSN infrastructure. Recommended. Our umbilical cords out to all the space probes, planetary exploration robots, and human spaceflight. In a way, and through the DSN, humanity's influence can be measured to a finite distance that keeps extending with time. 📡〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️🛰️

Yay, they've got signal! This is exactly what my story is about: the good folks at the DSN stations (in my story, Canberra DSN in particular) being involved in all these excellent missions! www.spaceaustralia.com/feature/aust... Fun fact, only DSS-43 (at Canberra) can chat with Voyager 2!

Personally I think (a) is fine. The Lunar gravity environment is still part of the Moon! (I count the gravitational fields of bodies to be a part of their environments) I've been using "Lunar space" a lot (e.g. "humans are returning to lunar space for the first time in 50+ years")

Huge shout out to all the folks who added alt-text to their images of the launch! I know we go on and on about this (becaue it is important), but it shows you care about your communities and good digital standards!

YES

Look at this gorgeous exhaust plume pattern coming off #ArtemisII The atmosphere is a fluid!

💯

ITS BEAUTIFUL

GO #ARTEMISII GO!!!! 🚀 Godspeed, humans!

This is it! <1-min to go!

~2.5M watching online! T-2 mins! #ArtemisII

It would be incredible to be out at the Cape today. Not just watching the launch .... but feeling its rumble in your chest as it Artemis roars into the sky

getting real! access arm moves away!

clock restarted

1.9 million people now watching

We've waited long for this day to come For all the midnight lights we've burnt into the morning sun I can't wait to see your sweet mysteries The stars, the sun, the universe, the galaxies Fly home on your silver wings With a new song for the world to sing Light this candle, make it right

Countdown resumed! We are GFL! LFG! T-10 Mins! 🚀

Good grief, thankfully I missed this. 🤮

Looks like they're working through some stuff, this is a T-10 planned hold. Right now nothing they are talking about on the feed is a constraint for launch.

10 min hold

Christina Koch is the only member of the Artemis II crew that does not come from a military background. 🧪 #WomenInSTEM

Just over 1M people watching live on the NASA channel now www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tf_U... T-17 mins! 🚀 #ArtemisII

Gonna start a thread of songs that are in theme for tomorrow's planned #ArtemisII launch. What I really want to know, though ... what's on the astronauts playlists?! Starting with this classic!

Battery sensor is believed to be an instrumentation issue and will not affect the launch.

Astronaut Jeremy Hansen is taking Indigenous culture past the Moon: his mission patch was designed by Henry Guimond, an Anishinaabe artist, incorporating one Indigenous perspective about the seven sacred laws, which are represented by animals. 🧪 #ArtemisII

GFL! (go for launch!)

The Space Shuttle — still giving us what we need. (and FYI, Atlantis is the best Space Shuttle, and I will not be taking questions on this)

Hi there, I'm Barbara and I work on the Artemis II Lunar Science team. I'll be here for a couple hours while watching the preparations for launch and happy to take your questions! www.youtube.com/live/Tf_UjBM...

Just under two hours out until #ArtemisII launch and BlueSky astro and space vibes are good and feelin’ like (dare I say it) ….. the “old days” LFG!

Important. In the very near future, this toilet will be the furthest working toilet ever sent by humans out into the Universe. Also, if you are not following @jthutt.bsky.social then you are missing some excellent primary source info about the upcoming #Artemis program/missions, like this thread!

And what I think is the most important aspect of the #ArtemisII mission - for the first time, a more diverse crew will extend their reach out into deep space, and look back and see our beautiful, blue spaceship home planet. Their experience will be representing so many more people!

Did you know that there is also another Aussie team that is working with the #ArtemisII mission? Radio frequencies are not chock-o-block with all the different applications that use them. So, people are thinking about using lasers to transfer data. Demo happens on this mission with Mt Stromlo!

Exactly 12 hours out of lift off time for #ArtemisII ! 🚀 I'm super excited to share this story, once again on the little valley, just tucked away outside Canberra will play a huge role in this historic mission. Look at these beautiful antennas at the @canberradsn.bsky.social #SpaceAustralia

Sunrise On Launch Day Artemis II is ready to go ahead of an afternoon commute to the Moon.

And what I think is the most important aspect of the #ArtemisII mission - for the first time, a more diverse crew will extend their reach out into deep space, and look back and see our beautiful, blue spaceship home planet. Their experience will be representing so many more people!

Did you know that there is also another Aussie team that is working with the #ArtemisII mission? Radio frequencies are not chock-o-block with all the different applications that use them. So, people are thinking about using lasers to transfer data. Demo happens on this mission with Mt Stromlo!

Exactly 12 hours out of lift off time for #ArtemisII ! 🚀 I'm super excited to share this story, once again on the little valley, just tucked away outside Canberra will play a huge role in this historic mission. Look at these beautiful antennas at the @canberradsn.bsky.social #SpaceAustralia

About to have the Prime Minister make a national address ….. not often we get these!

Gonna start a thread of songs that are in theme for tomorrow's planned #ArtemisII launch. What I really want to know, though ... what's on the astronauts playlists?! Starting with this classic!

This was a real fun chat and very timely topics relative to tomorrow's big launch attempt! 🚀

Interview with a supermassive black hole S3.3: Lack of Privacy “You call them ‘flares.’ I call them private moments. Must every transient increase in luminosity be documented & timestamped? Would you like it if I set up a 7m telescope right outside your window? A radio array in your loo?” 🔭 😂😂😂

Australia: "no mate, wait, mate .... no, too close! Whoooooaaaa, too close there mate!"

Background playlist just served up some excellent late-80s timeless classic from the husband-and-wife duo Womack and Womack. 'Teardrops' charted so well in so many places, incl. here in Australia, but didn't chart at all in the US, where they're from. HOW?!?!?! It's superb! Listen 👇

We’re forecasted to break Apollo 13’s record, so you’re going to be correct.

It's just under 24 hours (by a few mins) of when #ArtemisII is scheduled to lift off. Fingers crossed for the folks over in the US, hope all is stable and goes well over the next day for the launch to go ahead! Look out for my story on this mission coming tonight/tomorrow morning too!