Ag83 said:

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Kenneth_2003 said:

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Apollo, Gemini, and I'm pretty sure even Mercury all has launch abort towers.

SpaceX has it's abort system built into the capsule with the Super Draco thrusters.

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Gemini had ejection seats. Mercury and Apollo had abort towers though.

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Early shuttle launches with only two crew had ejection seats. I think they were useful for only a short time frame of the launch though, and they were removed after the early missions.

Burdizzo said:

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B-1 83 said:

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Im still amazed they landed within pissing distance (relatively speaking) of the rescue ship.

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I was listening to former astronaut interviews on Fox earlier. I learned that the capsule actually has some steering capabilities. Not much, but a little. This guy said they can influence the landing spot by about 50 miles. All this time I thought it was almost all powerless free fall.

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I noticed "puffs" of flames coming out of the capsule while the chutes were deployed. It looked like an infrared view and later learned they are called Reaction Control System (RCS) thrusters that keeps the capsule on course for landing.

torrid said:

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Ag83 said:

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Kenneth_2003 said:

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Apollo, Gemini, and I'm pretty sure even Mercury all has launch abort towers.

SpaceX has it's abort system built into the capsule with the Super Draco thrusters.

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Gemini had ejection seats. Mercury and Apollo had abort towers though.

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Early shuttle launches with only two crew had ejection seats. I think they were useful for only a short time frame of the launch though, and they were removed after the early missions.

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Correct - first 4 missions

Silvertaps said:

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Burdizzo said:

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B-1 83 said:

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Im still amazed they landed within pissing distance (relatively speaking) of the rescue ship.

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I was listening to former astronaut interviews on Fox earlier. I learned that the capsule actually has some steering capabilities. Not much, but a little. This guy said they can influence the landing spot by about 50 miles. All this time I thought it was almost all powerless free fall.

---

I noticed "puffs" of flames coming out of the capsule while the chutes were deployed. It looked like an infrared view and later learned they are called Reaction Control System (RCS) thrusters that keeps the capsule on course for landing.

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What you saw after the chutes came out was the venting of leftover fuel from those thrusters. No course corrections after the chutes come out, just wind and gravity.

What is the probability of Artemis 3 actually happening next year?

Ag83 said:

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torrid said:

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Ag83 said:

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Kenneth_2003 said:

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Apollo, Gemini, and I'm pretty sure even Mercury all has launch abort towers.

SpaceX has it's abort system built into the capsule with the Super Draco thrusters.

---

Gemini had ejection seats. Mercury and Apollo had abort towers though.

---

Early shuttle launches with only two crew had ejection seats. I think they were useful for only a short time frame of the launch though, and they were removed after the early missions.

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Correct - first 4 missions

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Seems like I read in one of the books about Columbia that those ejection seats were sort of for show only. There was no real expectation they would work had they actually been needed.

In the early development of Orion, the teams had to travel to Kennedy and see the remains of the two shuttles that we were lost. Not sure if the Apollo capsule that caught fire was included in that as well. I believe they also had to review in great detail everything that happened to the vehicles and the crew.

Edited to add what Google says about it:
Usage: Only installed on Columbia (STS-1 to 4) and used for test flights.
Applicability: Only the commander and pilot had seats; additional crew members on the mid-deck could not use them.
Operational Constraints: Usable only during the first ~95 seconds of ascent or final descent, restricted to altitudes below roughly 80,000 feet and speeds below Mach 4.
Removal: Removed after the test program because they were considered too heavy, technically complex, and of limited utility for operational missions, according to [NASA] reports.
Operational Reality: The seats required explosive charges to blow the side hatches. An ejection during the maximum dynamic pressure phase of flight would likely have been fatal, as the crew would have been subjected to, or likely hit by, the solid rocket booster exhaust.

10andBOUNCE said:

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What is the probability of Artemis 3 actually happening next year?

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Low earth orbit mission I believe, so probably decent?

Kenneth_2003 said:

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10andBOUNCE said:

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What is the probability of Artemis 3 actually happening next year?

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Low earth orbit mission I believe, so probably decent?

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It's interesting to me that they haven't named the crew, yet. Obviously, they have to be training, we just don't yet know who has been selected.

nortex97 said:

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Great to see. Blue has an actual test article at least:

LET’S GO! I have good confidence in Blue sticking the landing this year. We need more lunar landers.

Mark 1 paves the way for the Human Landing System, Mark 2. Or a Mark 1.5? Whatever is ready first I guess. Speaking of… when Starship HLS hardware SpaceX? https://t.co/tns4K2nG0d

— Ryan Caton (@dpoddolphinpro) April 9, 2026

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Fun fact: I helped design the GHe shroud upgrade for JSC Chamber A more than 15 years ago as a young engineer at Jacobs. Specifically I worked on the floor, vent system, and rails that transport payloads inside without touching the pure aluminum floor panels.

Good to see it's still getting use now for putting US back on the moon.

NASAg03 said:

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nortex97 said:

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Great to see. Blue has an actual test article at least:

LET’S GO! I have good confidence in Blue sticking the landing this year. We need more lunar landers.

Mark 1 paves the way for the Human Landing System, Mark 2. Or a Mark 1.5? Whatever is ready first I guess. Speaking of… when Starship HLS hardware SpaceX? https://t.co/tns4K2nG0d

— Ryan Caton (@dpoddolphinpro) April 9, 2026

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Fun fact: I helped design the GHe shroud upgrade for JSC Chamber A more than 15 years ago as a young engineer at Jacobs. Specifically I worked on the floor, vent system, and rails that transport payloads inside without touching the pure aluminum floor panels.

Good to see it's still getting use now for putting US back on the moon.

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My dad after he retired from the Air Force in 1965 went to work for Brown & Root/ Northrop. He started off in the large chamber and later moved to the smaller one where they tested personal equipment. When I would go visit him, I would tell the entrance guard that I was going to the museum and just drive on by. He and I'm sure many others received a commendation certificate for his work on Apollo 13.

Kenneth_2003 said:

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10andBOUNCE said:

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What is the probability of Artemis 3 actually happening next year?

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Low earth orbit mission I believe, so probably decent?

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Huh, I got the impression from all of the interviews that 3 was going to the moon itself and dropping some resources there.

10andBOUNCE said:

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What is the probability of Artemis 3 actually happening next year?

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They haven't selected crew yet and every 6 weeks Elon says starship will launch in 6 weeks so....

YouBet said:

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Kenneth_2003 said:

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10andBOUNCE said:

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What is the probability of Artemis 3 actually happening next year?

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Low earth orbit mission I believe, so probably decent?

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Huh, I got the impression from all of the interviews that 3 was going to the moon itself and dropping some resources there.

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From Google search AI...
Artemis III is planned to launch in mid-2027 and will focus on testing rendezvous and docking capabilities in low Earth orbit with commercial lunar landers from SpaceX and Blue Origin. Originally intended for a crewed lunar landing, the mission has been restructured to serve as a demonstration before the first potential lunar landing in Artemis IV.

YouBet said:

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Kenneth_2003 said:

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10andBOUNCE said:

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What is the probability of Artemis 3 actually happening next year?

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Low earth orbit mission I believe, so probably decent?

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Huh, I got the impression from all of the interviews that 3 was going to the moon itself and dropping some resources there.

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NASA/Isaacman announced a restructuring of the Artemis program a few weeks ago. Not all of the internet has caught up.

https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/nasa-adds-mission-to-artemis-lunar-program-updates-architecture/

https://www.nasa.gov/directorates/esdmd/nasa-strengthens-artemis-adds-mission-refines-overall-architecture/

10andBOUNCE said:

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What is the probability of Artemis 3 actually happening next year?

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Depends when SpaceX and/or and Blue Origin have their landers ready to test in LEO

TXTransplant said:

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Ag83 said:

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torrid said:

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Ag83 said:

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Kenneth_2003 said:

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Apollo, Gemini, and I'm pretty sure even Mercury all has launch abort towers.

SpaceX has it's abort system built into the capsule with the Super Draco thrusters.

---

Gemini had ejection seats. Mercury and Apollo had abort towers though.

---

Early shuttle launches with only two crew had ejection seats. I think they were useful for only a short time frame of the launch though, and they were removed after the early missions.

---

Correct - first 4 missions

---

Seems like I read in one of the books about Columbia that those ejection seats were sort of for show only. There was no real expectation they would work had they actually been needed.

In the early development of Orion, the teams had to travel to Kennedy and see the remains of the two shuttles that we were lost. Not sure if the Apollo capsule that caught fire was included in that as well. I believe they also had to review in great detail everything that happened to the vehicles and the crew.

Edited to add what Google says about it:
Usage: Only installed on Columbia (STS-1 to 4) and used for test flights.
Applicability: Only the commander and pilot had seats; additional crew members on the mid-deck could not use them.
Operational Constraints: Usable only during the first ~95 seconds of ascent or final descent, restricted to altitudes below roughly 80,000 feet and speeds below Mach 4.
Removal: Removed after the test program because they were considered too heavy, technically complex, and of limited utility for operational missions, according to [NASA] reports.
Operational Reality: The seats required explosive charges to blow the side hatches. An ejection during the maximum dynamic pressure phase of flight would likely have been fatal, as the crew would have been subjected to, or likely hit by, the solid rocket booster exhaust.

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They were removed because for the first 4 flights, there was only a commander and pilot (no other crew). They were (to be) ejected through overhead panels in the crew module that would also be blown out. For missions 5 and onward (i.e., more crew than just the cmdr and plt), there was no escape for the others so they (the ejection seats) were removed. If I remember correctly (huge gamble at this point in my life), John Young once said using them would have been like committing suicide in order to avoid certain death. But then again, I believe he also said if they had seen the body flap deflection during the STS-1 launch real-time in the cockpit, they would have ridden the vehicle up to a reasonably safe altitude then ejected, so who knows?

John Young: The only person to fly four different types of spacecraft.

Hi-Fi launch audio, 4k slo-mo, and cool tracker shot at 7:00

Great video!

I never thought about it before, but the personnel rescue baskets on the gantry release as the vehicle leaves the pad. There's no need for them to be on the tower, so it makes sense to send them down the wire to save them from potential blast effects.

Booster 19 with all 33 Raptor 3 Engines installed!

This actually looks really good without the heat shield.

📸: @LabPadre pic.twitter.com/EAYYYx3zGC

— Zack Golden (@CSI_Starbase) April 11, 2026

nortex97 said:

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Booster 19 with all 33 Raptor 3 Engines installed!

This actually looks really good without the heat shield.

📸: @LabPadre pic.twitter.com/EAYYYx3zGC

— Zack Golden (@CSI_Starbase) April 11, 2026

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Now that looks like a rocket

It's a shame really that they are going to toss these next couple into the water like they're merely disposable SLS.

Starship and Super Heavy moving out together at Starbase. Preflight testing in full swing for the next big one. The future is stacking up fast. 🚀 pic.twitter.com/xO0GZAAPp0

— Samuel Afolabi (@1SamuelAfolabi) April 12, 2026

I was reading through the comments on the spacex post. Every single one of them was positive. No whining about billionaires and their toys. No EDS. It was nice to see.

I'm the same. Funny though how many I come across on FB that are female realtors.

OKCAg2002 said:

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Speaking of comments, I need to take a break from reading them on social media on anything space related. My mental health needs it. The amount of "FAKE!!" comments and moon landing denial posts gives me little hope for our culture. The last week revealed just how many crazy and ignorant people there are in this world. Maybe the asteroid wouldn't be so bad.

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Yes, it was ridiculous. The thing though about the internet is not only that every dumbass in the world gets a voice, people feel compelled to debate them. As if it needs to be pointed out that the earth is round. Even when the 16th century faction of our society isn't there, instead of appreciating these amazing photographs, the comments are "Take that flat earthers!". They're living rent free in our heads.

Online their influence is HIGHLY exaggerated. In the real world I would never interact with them so I mute them in every post I see to rebalance the environment.

Yeah, I get that. I have some buddies I speak with very regularly, and they're all moon-landing deniers. Not coincidentally, they are also big on conspiracies and distrust of the government. I've found that no amount of evidence is compelling enough for them to entertain the legitimacy of the Apollo missions because "government lies." It's exhausting.

I've been told once that I'm "using human math".

OKCAg2002 said:

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Yeah, I get that. I have some buddies I speak with very regularly, and they're all moon-landing deniers. Not coincidentally, they are also big on conspiracies and distrust of the government. I've found that no amount of evidence is compelling enough for them to entertain the legitimacy of the Apollo missions because "government lies." It's exhausting.

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I've known a few like that. I've found it nearly impossible to have even casual conversation because they're so consumed in conspiracy and or denial with nearly every aspect of daily life.

A good podcast, if you're not quite ready to let go.

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/nasas-curious-universe/id1505624059

Kenneth_2003 said:

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OKCAg2002 said:

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Yeah, I get that. I have some buddies I speak with very regularly, and they're all moon-landing deniers. Not coincidentally, they are also big on conspiracies and distrust of the government. I've found that no amount of evidence is compelling enough for them to entertain the legitimacy of the Apollo missions because "government lies." It's exhausting.

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I've known a few like that. I've found it nearly impossible to have even casual conversation because they're so consumed in conspiracy and or denial with nearly every aspect of daily life.

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Reminds me of the whole "Sovereign Citizen" movement. "No, I am not driving, I am travelling, so I don't have to show a license or follow your orders officer". "Ow Ow OW!! Why did you tase me bro?"

Kenneth_2003 said:

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OKCAg2002 said:

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Yeah, I get that. I have some buddies I speak with very regularly, and they're all moon-landing deniers. Not coincidentally, they are also big on conspiracies and distrust of the government. I've found that no amount of evidence is compelling enough for them to entertain the legitimacy of the Apollo missions because "government lies." It's exhausting.

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I've known a few like that. I've found it nearly impossible to have even casual conversation because they're so consumed in conspiracy and or denial with nearly every aspect of daily life.

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I have a Facebook friend I am close to dropping. He and I went to high school together. Very intelligent guy that I have some common interests with. But he can't make a comment about the space program without injecting some TDS whining. That crap gets old after a while. Man, just enjoy the moment.

Melt. Extract. Fuel. Repeat. 🚀

To build an affordable, sustainable presence on the Moon, we must learn to live off the land. Air Pioneer is a scalable, modular system that creates purified oxygen to reduce dependency on supplies from Earth. Using Moon-extracted oxygen for… pic.twitter.com/VppQ8whaYH

— Blue Origin (@blueorigin) April 13, 2026