ARTEMIS II

I am loving the Artemis II mission. Yesterday, we watched on YouTube, as four astronauts circled the actual moon and began their return journey to Earth, 250,000 miles away. 

In a weird juxtaposition, on the other channel, at the exact same moment, the US President was in a press conference, blistering about wiping out Iranian civilisation. I'm not making a comment about that by the way - I'm just reporting on the contrast. Somewhere out there, looking back on the swirling, boundless blue and brown and white of our planet, distant from the bare moon, a speck of life in the bleakness of space, brave souls in an aluminium can, with a unique perspective.

What I love most (and there's a lot to love about this mission of course) is the absolute geekiness. And I mean that with the greatest respect! These are people who just love what they get to do and are super excited about it - you can tell! In the old days, they used to send pilots up in space rockets, but these days they send beaming scientists, and I am loving it. What a brilliant way to inspire people to get interested!

What's more, the message of these astronauts is for all humanity. Sure, three are American and one is Canadian, but the spirit of adventure and exploration is so clearly, so universally human. In the 1960s, the Apollo program must have had a similar unifying effect, but for most of us who weren't around, this is a real moment in our lifetime - not just to push for the stars but also to remember who we are and the beauty of the planet we live on. I think that's remarkable.

I stayed on the NASA channel. On the other, I suspect the mood was different, a lot more scowly than four excitable scientists in space, living their best life. We're amazing when we work together, aren't we?