This Week in Space 232

In this week's episode we turned to Chelsea Gohd, former writer for NASA/JPL and now with Space.com, to talk about the recent large data dump from the Artemis II mission. What was included? Why is this new data important? What observations were made, and what discoveries might result from them? What kind of annotations and notes did the astronauts include that make these observations uniquely valuable? And finally, we talk about Artemis III - what is the mission profile and what are the stakes for SpaceX and Blue Origin?

Headlines:

• SpaceX Seeks Approval for 450 Starship Launches Per Year
• Flying Tesla Roadster Demo Features SpaceX Thrusters and Suction Fan
• Astronomers Spot Possible First Green Star – the Cosmic Zombie
• Perseverance Rover Breaks Martian Distance Record

Main Topic: Artemis II Mission Data Dump and Lunar Science

• NASA Releases 800GB of Artemis II Lunar Mission Data
• Science, Images, Audio, and Annotations Collected by Astronauts
• Crew’s Training to Make Detailed Lunar Observations
• Importance of Human Eyes on the Moon Versus Remote Sensing
• Astronauts Witness Spectacular Impact Flashes on Lunar Surface
• Firsthand Descriptions of Moon’s Subtle Colors and Terrain
• Insights Into Crew Experience and Data Collection Process
• Astronauts’ Career Moves Following Artemis II Mission
• Artemis III Plans: Docking, Landers, and Science Objectives
• Challenges Facing SpaceX Starship and Blue Origin Blue Moon Lander
• The Role and Status of New Axiom-Prada EVA/Mobility Suits for Artemis III
• Reflections on Historical and Current Lunar Exploration Approaches

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Links

• SpaceX wants to launch Starship more than 450 times per year from South Texas
• The 1st SpaceX Starship to survive a launch to space just came home to its launch site
• SpaceX thrusters just made a Tesla Roadster 'fly' (and Elon Musk's car is still out there in space)
• Astronomers discover the 1st ever green star, a cosmic zombie just in time for Halloween
• NASA dumped over 800GB of Artemis II data online
• Artemis 2 astronauts fly around the moon in record-breaking lunar loop by NASA
• NASA Releases Artemis II Lunar Science Data, Images
• Artemis II: Sights & Sounds of Science
• Artemis II Crew Saw Impact Flashes on the Far Side of the Moon
• NASA to Discuss Artemis Acceleration, Status of Upcoming Moon Missions
• Prada and Axiom just revealed the stylish cooling suit Artemis astronauts will wear under their spacesuits on the moon