The annual Lunar New Year Festival at Disneyland Resort is ideal for foodies who like to taste and share as they stroll from one food stall to the following on an Asian-inspired culinary adventure.

I got down to sample all the recent foods available this 12 months on the six festival marketplace booths during a soft-opening preview on Thursday, January 16, at Disney California Adventure.

The 2025 Lunar New Year Festival, celebrating Chinese, Korean and Vietnamese cultures and traditions, officially begins on Friday, January seventeenth and runs until February sixteenth at Anaheim Theme Park.

Sip and Savor passes ($48 for most of the people, $45 for Magic Key annual passholders) allow visitors to buy a prepaid card with six digital coupons good for individual items at food and drinks vendors throughout the festival are valid.

The 2025 festival, celebrating the Year of the Snake, also includes a parade-like procession starring Mulan, the Hurry Home introduction to the World of Color water show, live music and photo ops with Disney characters.

Let's take a more in-depth have a look at the five best recent edibles in the marketplace stalls of the Lunar New Year Festival.

1) Chocolate crackers

It's especially great when high expectations are exceeded.

At Disney's food festivals, there's at all times something on the menu that I hope and pray tastes nearly as good because it looks and sounds.

This 12 months's top contender was the chocolate cracker. It looks fun and tastes even higher.

The Chocolate Firecracker is strictly what I wanted. Soft mousse and tender cake inside. Discreet chocolate shell on the surface. Topped with flavorless Pop Rocks that add some surprise and crunch without competing with the triple chocolate flavor profile.

This is a fully perfect treat. If you simply eat one thing at Disney's Lunar New Year Food Festival, make it the Chocolate Firecracker. You won't be sorry.

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2) Pho Dip

Wrapped with Love Festival Marketplace Stall

What I really like about Disney's food festivals is that the chefs take a well-recognized concept and provides it a bit twist. In this case, it's a French dip sandwich with Asian flavors.

The sandwich includes a delicious flavor combination of savory beef, gorgeous pickled onions, a touch of jalapeno heat, and creamy dressing on an excellent soft hoagie bun. The highlight is the Chinese five-spice dip that mixes all of the flavors.

By Disney standards, the pho dip is a good portion at a food festival, where that isn't at all times the case.

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3) Tangerine cream puffs

Wrapped with Love Festival Marketplace Stall

From the surface, the pastry looks like a concha-style Mexican sweet bread in the form of a sliced ​​orange.

The real surprise is if you dig into dessert. You higher watch out. I like to recommend starting with a fork moderately than biting into the dough unless you should carry the cream puff filling throughout the remaining of your visit.

The inside is full of a spicy tangerine jam. The orange filling oozes like chocolate from a lava cake.

Disney is commonly too sweet with its desserts. But not here. The cream puff is excellent.

4) Light chicken wings

Stall on the Red Dragon Spice Traders Festival Marketplace

The “fire” within the wings’ name definitely delivers – but in a Disney way. I'd call this “theme park hot” – enough heat to be noticeable, but nothing that a sip of whatever you're drinking can't cool it down.

The Korean barbecue sauce was delicious and plentiful – however the chicken was a bit dry.

This is an ideal dish to share with three wings as you proceed tasting your way through the food festival.

The wings were briefly supply through the soft opening preview – and the long queues on the stand suggested they might be a preferred alternative when the festival is in full swing.

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5) Spicy Gochujang Chicken Tacos

Stall on the Red Dragon Spice Traders Festival Marketplace

Don’t let the “tacos” within the menu description idiot you. This is a single street taco – which makes the $8 price a bit high even by Disney standards.

The highlight here is the Korean flavors of an otherwise extraordinary Mexican taco.

The gochujang pepper paste gives the taco a spicy, savory and barely sweet taste.

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Char Siu pork knuckles

Stand available in the market square of the Bamboo Blessing Festival

Not all the recent foods were available through the soft opening preview – so I'll must try the pork knuckles one other time.

But that's the perfect thing about Disney's food festivals. There is at all times something recent to try next time. And luckily I still have one item left on my Sip and Savor pass.

Originally published: January 17, 2025 at 5:07 am PST

NASA upcoming Artemis II mission The plan is to return astronauts to the Moon no sooner than April 2026. The last time astronauts were on the moon was in 1972 Apollo 17 mission.

Artemis II will use NASA's Space Launch SystemThis is a particularly powerful rocket that may enable human space exploration beyond Earth's atmosphere. The crew of 4 will travel in a single Orion spacecraftwhich the agency launched across the moon and returned successfully during Artemis I mission.

But before Artemis II, NASA will send two missions to explore the surface of the lunar south pole for resources that would support human spaceflight and enable latest scientific discoveries.

Planetary geologists like me are desirous about data from Lunar Trailblazer, certainly one of these two exploration missions. The data for this mission might be help us to grasp how water forms and behaves on rocky planets and moons.

Starting with scientific exploration

PRIME-1or the Polar Resources Ice Mining Experiment, might be mounted on a lunar lander. The start is planned for January 2025.

There are two instruments on board the lander: The regolith and ice drill for exploring latest terrainTrident and the Mass spectrometer for observing lunar operationsMSOLO. TRIDENT will dig as much as 1 meter deep and collect lunar soil samples, and MSOLO will assess the chemical composition and water content of the soil.

Participating within the lunar mining experiment is Lunar Trailblazer, a satellite launching on the moon Falcon 9 rocket.

Think of this setup as a multimillion-dollar satellite Uber Poolor a ridesharing arrangement wherein multiple missions share a rocket, minimizing fuel consumption while avoiding Earth's gravitational pull.

Bethany Ehlmann, a planetary scientistis the principal investigator of Lunar Trailblazer and leads an operations team Scientists and students from Caltech campus. Trailblazer is a NASA Small, progressive planetary exploration mission, or SIMPLEx.

The aim of those missions is to supply practical operational experience at a lower cost. Each SIMPLEx mission is capped at a budget of $55 million – Trailblazer is barely over budget at $80 million. Even if it goes over budget, this mission will cost a couple of quarter of a typical robotic mission NASA's Discovery Program. Discovery program missions typically cost around $300 million, with a maximum budget of $500 million.

Building small but powerful satellites

Decades of research and development in the sphere of small satellites or SmallSatsopened up the likelihood for Trailblazer. SmallSats perform highly specific measurements and complement data obtained from other instruments.

Multiple SmallSats working together in a constellation can take various measurements concurrently, providing a high-resolution view of the Earth or Moon's surface.

SIMPLEx missions can use these SmallSats. Because they’re small and cheaper, they permit researchers to research questions that include one higher technical risk. Lunar Trailblazer uses for instance commercially available commercially available parts to maintain costs down.

These low-cost, high-risk experimental missions might help geologists higher understand the origins of the solar system, what it’s product of and the way it has modified over time. Lunar Trailblazer will specifically give attention to mapping the Moon.

A Brief Timeline of Water Discoveries on the Moon

Scientists have long been fascinated by the surface of our nearest celestial neighbor, the Moon. As early because the mid-Seventeenth century, astronomers incorrectly characterised ancient volcanic eruptions as Monthly maximumderived from the Latin word for “seas”.

Almost two centuries later, astronomer Calculations by William Pickering suspected that the moon had no atmosphere. From this he concluded that the moon couldn’t have water on its surface because this water would evaporate.

In the Nineties, nonetheless, NASA Clementine Mission discovered water on the moon. Clementine was the primary mission to completely map the lunar surface, including the lunar poles. This data showed the presence of ice inside permanently shaded areas on the moon in low resolution.

The first discovery of water by scientists sparked further investigation. NASA began this Lunar prospector in 1998 and the Lunar reconnaissance orbiter in 2009. The India Space Research Organization launched its Chandrayaan-1 mission with the Cartographer of lunar mineralogyM3, instrument in 2008. Although M3 was not designed to detect liquid water, it unexpectedly found it in sunlit areas on the Moon.

These missions collectively provided maps showing how water-containing minerals – minerals that contain water molecules of their chemical composition – and ice water are distributed on the lunar surface, especially within the cold, dark, permanently shadowed regions.

Novel mission, novel science

But how do the temperature and physical state of water on the Moon change attributable to variations in sunlight and crater shadows?

Hosted by Lunar Trailblazer two instrumentsThe Lunar Thermal MapperLTM and an additional development of the M3 instrument, the High-resolution lunar mapper for volatiles and mineralsHVM3.

The LTM instrument will map surface temperatures, while the HVM3 will measure how lunar rocks absorb light. These measurements enable the detection and differentiation of water in liquid form and ice form.

Together, these instruments will provide thermal and chemical measurements of water-bearing lunar rocks. You will measure the water level when you do that different times of the lunar daywhich is reminiscent of about 29.5 Earth days, to point out how the chemical composition of water varies depending on the time of day and site on the Moon.

These results will tell researchers what phase – solid or liquid – the water is in.

Scientific significance and what comes next

There are three leading theories in regards to the origin of moon water. It could possibly be water that has been stored within the moon since its formation. in its mantle layer. Some geological processes can have caused it to slowly rise to the surface over time.

Or the water could have it arrived on asteroids and comets that collided with the lunar surface. Maybe it even was arise through interactions with the solar wind, a stream of particles that comes from the sun.

Lunar Trailblazer could make clear these theories and help researchers make progress on several other big scientific questions, including how water behaves on rocky bodies just like the moon and whether future astronauts can use it.

In 2024, space exploration fascinated the world.

NASA Europe Clipper began his journey to explore Jupiter's moon Europa. SpaceXs spaceship achieved its first successful landing, a vital milestone for future space missions. China made headlines with this Chang'e 6 missionwhich successfully returned samples from the far side of the moon. Now it’s International Space Station continued to host international crews, including private missions equivalent to Axiom Mission 3.

As Aerospace engineer, I'm thrilled for 2025, when space agencies world wide prepare for much more ambitious goals. Here's a take a look at essentially the most exciting missions planned for the approaching yr that can expand humanity's horizons even further, from the Moon and Mars to asteroids and beyond:

Exploration of the lunar surface with CLPS

NASA Commercial lunar payload servicesThe CLPS initiative goals to move scientific and technological payloads to the Moon using business landers. CLPS delivered it Odysseus lander from Intuitive Machines to the moon in February 2024, marking the primary U.S. moon landing since Apollo.

NASA has several CLPS missions planned in 2025, including corporate deliveries Astrobotic, Intuitive machines And Firefly Aerospace.

These missions will bring quite a lot of scientific instruments and technology demonstrations to varied lunar locations. Payloads include experiments to explore lunar geology, test latest technologies for future manned missions, and collect data in regards to the lunar environment.

Measuring the sky with SPHEREx

In February 2025, NASA plans to launch the Spectrophotometer for the History of the Universe, the Epoch of Reionization and the Ices Explorer, or SPHERExObservatory. This mission will survey the heavens Near infrared lightThis is a sort of light that’s invisible to the naked eye but will be detected using special instruments. Near-infrared light is helpful for observing objects which can be too cool or too distant to be seen visible light.

SPHEREx will create a comprehensive map of the Universe by studying and collecting data from greater than 450 million galaxies and over 100 million stars within the Universe Milky Way. Astronomers will use this data to reply big questions on the origins of galaxies and the distribution of water and organic molecules inside them excellent kindergartens – where stars form from gas and dirt.

Low Earth Orbit Survey with Space Rider

The European Space Agency (ESA) is planning a test flight in orbit Space rider unscrewed spaceplane within the third quarter of 2025. Space Rider is a reusable spacecraft designed to conduct various scientific experiments low earth orbit.

These scientific experiments include: Research in microgravitythat is the virtually weightless environment of space. Scientists will study how plants grow, how materials behave and the way biological processes occur without the influence of gravity.

Space Rider can even show latest technologies for future missions. For example, a sophisticated test is carried out Telecommunication systemsthat are crucial for maintaining communication with spacecraft over long distances. It can be being retested Robotic exploration tools for future missions to the Moon or Mars.

Exploring the Moon with M2/Resilience

Japan M2/Resilience Missionscheduled for January 2025, will launch a lander and a microrover to the lunar surface.

The Mission will study of the lunar soil to know its composition and properties. Researchers can even conduct a water splitting test to provide oxygen and hydrogen by extracting water from the lunar surface, heating the water and splitting the captured vapor. The water, oxygen and hydrogen produced will be used for long-term lunar exploration.

This mission can even show latest technologies, equivalent to advanced navigation systems for precise landings and systems for autonomous operation of the rover. These technologies are essential for future lunar exploration and may very well be utilized in missions to Mars and beyond.

The M2/Resilience mission is a component of Japan's broader effort to contribute to international lunar exploration. It builds on Japan's success Smart lander for exploring the moonor SLIM, mission that landed on the moon in March 2024 using precise landing technology.

Studying an asteroid with Tianwen-2

China's Tianwen-2 The mission is an ambitious asteroid sample return and comet probe mission. Tianwen-2 is scheduled to launch in May 2025. The goal is to gather samples from a near-Earth asteroid and study a comet. This mission will improve scientists' understanding of it Origin and development of the solar systemconstructing on the success of China's previous lunar and Mars missions.

The first goal of the mission is near Earth Asteroid 469219 Kamoʻoalewa. This asteroid is a quasi-satellite of Earth, meaning it orbits the Sun but stays near Earth. Kamoʻoalewa is about 40 to 100 meters in diameter and will be a fraction of the moon. thrown into space by a past impact.

By studying this asteroid, scientists hope to learn more in regards to the early solar system and the processes that shaped it. The spacecraft will use each Touch and Go And anchor and fasten Techniques for collecting samples from the asteroid's surface.

After collecting samples from Kamoʻoalewa, Tianwen-2 will return them to Earth after which set course for its second goal, the major belt Comet 311P/PANSTARRS. This comet is positioned within the Asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter.

By analyzing the comet's materials, researchers hope to learn more in regards to the conditions that prevail there early solar system and possibly the origins of water and organic molecules on Earth.

Solar system flybys

In addition to the launch missions planned above, several space agencies are planning to conduct exciting space flyby missions in 2025.

A flybyor gravity assist, is when a spacecraft flies close enough to a planet or moon to make use of its gravity for a lift in speed. As the spacecraft approaches, it’s pulled by the planet's gravity, causing it to speed up.

After orbiting the planet, the spacecraft is ejected back into space, allowing it to alter direction and proceed on its intended path less fuel.

BepiColomboA joint mission between ESA and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, JAXA, will conduct its sixth flyby of Mercury in January 2025. This maneuver will help get the spacecraft into orbit around Mercury by November 2026. BepiColombo is designed to check Mercury's composition, atmosphere and surface geology.

NASA Europe Clipper The mission, launched in October 2024, will make significant progress on its journey to Jupiter's moon Europa. In March 2025, the spacecraft will conduct a flyby of Mars.

This maneuver will help the spacecraft achieve the mandatory speed and trajectory for its long journey. Later in December 2026, Europa Clipper will conduct an Earth flyby, using Earth's gravity to further increase its momentum in order that it might reach Europa in April 2030.

The ESAs Hera mission can even conduct a Mars flyby in March 2025. Hera is a component of it Asteroid Impact and Deflection Assessment Mission to check the binary asteroid system Didymos. The mission will provide useful data on asteroid deflection techniques and contribute to planetary defense strategies.

Lucy from NASA The mission will proceed its journey to explore the Jupiter Trojan asteroids, which share Jupiter's orbit across the Sun, in 2025. A key event for Lucy is her flyby of the inner major belt Asteroid 52246 Donaldjohansonscheduled for April 20, 2025.

This flyby will provide useful data in regards to the composition and surface features of this ancient asteroid that will help researchers gain insight into the early solar system. The asteroid is known as after the paleoanthropologist who discovered the famous asteroid “Lucy” fossil.

This Jupiter ice moon discoverersThe JUICE mission will conduct a flyby of Venus in August 2025. This maneuver will help JUICE achieve the mandatory speed and trajectory for its journey to Jupiter. Once it arrives, JUICE will study Jupiter's icy moons to know their potential to host life.

2025 guarantees to be a groundbreaking yr for space exploration. With NASA's ambitious missions and significant contributions from other countries, we’ll make remarkable progress in humanity's understanding of the universe. These missions is not going to only advance scientific knowledge, but in addition encourage future generations to look to the celebs.

There have been many attempts to land on the moon within the 2020s, although a few of them have crashed or overturnedWith all the joy surrounding the prospect of a human return to the Moon, each industrial interests and scientists have something to achieve.

The Moon is uniquely suited to researchers to construct telescopes that they can’t arrange on Earth, because there may be less satellite interference than on Earth and no magnetic field to dam radio waves. But only recently Astronomers like me began to think about possible conflicts between the will to expand knowledge in regards to the universe on the one hand and geopolitical rivalries and industrial gains on the opposite, and the way these interests might be reconciled.

As an astronomer and Co-Chairman of the International Astronomical Union Working Group on Astronomy of the MoonI’m obliged to analyze this query.

All to the South Pole

By 2035 – in nearly 10 years – American and Chinese missiles could carry people to long-term lunar bases.

Both bases are planned for a similar small areas near the South Pole, where solar energy is nearly continuously available. on this region and the wealthy source of water that scientists say could possibly be present in the darkest regions of the moon.

Unlike the Earth, the Moon is just not tilted relative to its orbit across the Sun. As a result, the Sun orbits the horizon near the poles and almost never sets on some crater rims. There, the never-setting Sun casts long shadows on nearby craters. to guard their floors from direct sunlight within the last 4 billion years, 90% of the age of the solar system.

These craters are principally pits of everlasting darkness. And it is just not only dark down there, it is usually Cold: below -418 degrees Fahrenheit (-250 degrees Celsius)It is so cold that scientists predict that the water in the shape of ice at the underside of those craters – probably led to by the collision of ancient asteroids with the lunar surface – won’t melt or evaporate for a really very long time.

Studies from the lunar orbit suggest that these craters, the so-called permanently shaded regionscould hold half a billion tons of water.

The constant sunlight for solar energy and proximity to frozen water make the Moon's poles attractive for human bases. The bases also need water for drinking, washing, and growing crops to feed hungry astronauts. Bringing long-term water supplies from Earth is hopelessly expensive, so an area watering hole is a giant deal.

Telescopes on the Moon

For a long time, astronomers had ignored the Moon as a possible location for telescopes since it was simply unimaginable to construct them there. But human bases open up recent possibilities.

The radio-shielded back of the Moon, which we never see from Earth, allows the recording of very low frequency radio waves. These signals probably contain signatures of the Universe's “Dark Ages“a time before stars or galaxies formed.”

Astronomers could also Gravitational wave detectors on the poles, since these detectors are extremely sensitive and the polar regions of the Moon aren’t disturbed by earthquakes as they’re on Earth.

A gravitational wave detector on the moon could enable scientists to gather data from Pairs of black holes orbit one another very closely just before they merge. Predicting where and when they may merge tells astronomers where and when to search for a flash of sunshine they might otherwise miss. With these additional clues, scientists could determine how these black holes form and the way they evolve.

The cold on the lunar poles makes infrared telescopes way more sensitive from Shift of the blackbody radiation of the telescopes to longer wavelengths. These telescopes could give astronomers recent tools to go looking for all times on Earth-like planets outside the solar system.

And an increasing number of ideas are coming. The first radio antennas are land on the opposite side next yr.

Conflicts of interest

But the frenzy to construct bases on the Moon could affect the very conditions that make the Moon so attractive for research in the primary place. Although the Moon surface larger than that of Africa, human researchers and astronomers need to visit the identical places just just a few kilometers in size.

But activities that help maintain human presence on the Moon, resembling water mining, will generate vibrations that could destroy a gravitational wave telescope.

In addition, most of the elements found on the Moon are extremely precious on Earth. Liquid hydrogen and oxygen make precious rocket fuel, and Helium-3 is a rare substance used to Improving quantum computers.

But certainly one of the few places on the Moon where helium-3 is wealthy is in certainly one of the most probably places to establish a medieval radio telescope on the back.

Finally, at the very least two Internet and GPS satellite constellations are planned to orbit the moon in just a few years. Unintended radio emissions from these satellites could render a medieval telescope unusable.

The time is now

But a compromise is just not out of the query. It could just a few alternative spots to position each telescope.

In 2024, the International Astronomical Union has put together the Astronomy from the Moon Working Group to define which websites astronomers would love to preserve for his or her work. This includes rating the sites in accordance with their importance for every form of telescope and holding discussions with a most significant committee of the United NationsThese steps could help astronomers, astronauts from many countries and personal interests share the Moon.

The damage to the Orion capsule from the Artemis I mission is already a priority for NASA as it really works to make the Artemis II mission protected for humans. But a brand new agency report revealed the extent of the issue, including quite a few cracks in Orion's critical heat shield.

The NASA Office of Inspector General Report outlined six issues that require NASA's attention, with heat shield damage discovered after the uncrewed Artemis I test mission in late 2022 topping the list.

NASA found greater than 100 spots on the warmth shield where the so-called carbon layer “ruptured, breaking the spacecraft into fragments that left a trail of debris instead of melting as intended,” the report said. Images published for the primary time within the report showed the extent of the damage.

It says re-entry speeds emanating from a lunar orbit reach nearly 25,000 miles per hour, which is about 40% faster than the speeds astronauts face when coming back from low-Earth orbit on SpaceX's Crew Dragon. The heat shield must withstand temperatures of roughly 5,000 degrees Fahrenheit.

“Although there was no evidence of an impact on the crew module, the amount and size of the debris may have caused enough structural damage to cause one of Orion's parachutes to fail,” the report said. “If the same problem occurs on future Artemis missions, it could result in the loss of the vehicle or crew.”

“Given the high risks of the first manned flight, the agency is working to identify and mitigate all risks and challenges to ensure the safe return of the Artemis II crew and to support NASA's significant investment in Artemis vehicles and systems protect,” the report says.

Artemis II is scheduled to be Orion's first crewed mission, launching on the Space Launch System rocket no sooner than September 2025 and can launch from Kennedy Space Center's Launch Pad 39-B. The test flight with 4 astronauts will go to the moon and back without landing. The aim is to point out that it may well fly safely with people on board.

The report was released May 1 by independent NASA mission investigators as a watchdog on mission hazards and price realities. It says that by the point Artemis II launches, NASA can have spent greater than $55 billion on the SLS, Orion and Exploration Ground Systems programs, which include the mobile launch vehicle stationed at KSC.

The report specifically recommends that NASA “ensure that the root cause of the release of coal from the Orion heat shield is well understood in advance.” [the] “Start of the Artemis II mission.”

NASA officials say they’re committed to repairing the warmth shield, but acknowledge they might not find a way to find out the basis explanation for the damage. The report warned that NASA's plan to think about changing Orion's re-entry trajectory or redesigning its heat shield could also pose unknown risks.

The second advice is to further analyze NASA's planned changes to Orion's separation bolts that connected the crew module to the service module. The service module can be disposed of immediately before reentry, and NASA noted “unexpected melting and erosion that created a gap that resulted in increased heating inside the bolt during Orion's reentry.”

The third point has to do with damage to the mobile launch vehicle because the Space Launch System rocket lifted off from Kennedy Space Center, requiring NASA's Exploration Ground Systems to “conduct additional verification and validation of launch imaging equipment prior to launch attempts.”

The final three recommendations were to review landing operations procedures to extend the probabilities that dropped hardware, including the parachutes that sank within the sea on Artemis I, wouldn’t be lost. to resolve erroneous telemetry data encountered on this flight; and be sure that any design changes fit inside a schedule for upcoming SLS and Orion stacking operations at KSC's vehicle assembly constructing.

NASA is commended for working to deal with all the problems already. NASA's response said it had already finalized plans for the ultimate three recommendations. NASA expects to finish plans to repair the warmth shield and screws by June and make changes to the mobile launch vehicle by September.

But the report warns that plans to repair the Orion problems may lead to further delays and price increases, corresponding to the danger of getting to slow rocket and spacecraft stacking operations on the VAB.

“Human spaceflight is inherently risky, and the Artemis campaign is no exception,” the report said. “We urge NASA leadership to continue to balance the achievement of its mission objectives and schedule with the priority of the safety of its astronauts and to take the time necessary to avoid undue risks.”

Artemis II has already been pushed back from a planned launch in November of this yr to September 2025 on the earliest. Flying on the mission are NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch, in addition to Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen.

Glover is glad to have extra eyes on such a sophisticated mission.

“I love the guard dogs. “I think it's great that we have this thing called inspectors general,” he said last weekend while at KSC ahead of the Boeing Starliner's attempted launch.

The report “has given new energy to this thing, but we've been following it since they found it,” Glover said. “We noticed the problems with Artemis I before we were assigned to Artemis II. That's why I have faith in this team. The people leading this investigation know what they're doing. However, we still have a lot of work to do.”

Glover indicated that this could include not having a heat shield with fist-sized holes in it, and replied, “Amen.”

He praised NASA's recent Moon to Mars Program Office, established in early 2023, which is designed to bring together all the Artemis program's various stakeholders, including major contractors Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, SpaceX and Axiom Space, to make sure everyone seems to be aligned keep the identical schedule.

Its formation just months before Artemis II was scheduled to launch raised alarms for Glover, who identified that the Columbia Accident Investigation Board report discussed the hazards of organizational changes near a mission.

And while the brand new program consolidates redundancies in order that mission objectives are very clear, “it's still something for us to be aware of as we tiptoe into areas that have previously caused us tragedy.”

Changing lines of authority near the mission carries risks, he said.

“We are a new team. People need to learn to be open and transparent,” he said. “It's not in people's natural state to just say, 'Hey, let me tell you what I messed up today.' And now they have a new boss and they say, 'I just got comfortable telling the old boss.'”

Pushing the launch date to 2025 will not be a delay, Glover said, only a correction.

“I am not committed to this data. I am indebted to Dionna, Genesis, Maya, Joia and Corinne and Nala. This is my family and my dog,” he said. “And yes, I work for Bill Nelson, but at the end of the day we work for the people. …Sorry to be so crass, but I don’t give a shit about this date.”