Ad astra per aspera
A rough road leads to the stars. Yesterday, the Artemis II mission launched from Cape Canaveral, site of both glory and tragedy. It is the first step on landing astronauts back on the Moon, and eventually establishing a lunar base for further explorations into the Solar System. (Why do we need the Moon? Firstly, our satellite is filled with valuable minerals. Secondly, it is much easier to launch missions from the low gravity of the Moon than from Earth.) I was born on July 19, 1969. I was born a day before Neil Armstrong became the first human being to set foot on another heavenly body. I have vague memories of watching the final lunar missions as a toddler. This led me, with my brother's help, to Star Trek, and science fiction, and dreaming of what humanity could achieve. What I remember growing up in the aftermath of the Apollo Project was the sense that the stars were there for us to explore. That the Moon landings were merely a precursor to humanity becoming a multiplanetary s...
