This is the path Artemis II will take –... sending humans out again next March, after more than 50 years. Instead of a straight shot, NASA is sending four astronauts on a "hybrid free-return trajectory." They'll whip around Earth to gain speed, then use the Moon's gravity like a giant slingshot to hurl themselves back home. No engine burns for the return trip, just pure orbital mechanics and vibes.show more

When a spacecraft leaves Earth, it doesn’t just fire... its engines and head straight to its destination. In many missions, especially those going beyond low Earth orbit, there’s a more subtle and elegant strategy at play, one that uses gravity itself as part of the navigation system. This is often called a gravity assist, or a slingshot maneuver. But in the case of missions like #Artemis II, what’s being used is a closely related idea known as a free-return trajectory. At first glance, it might sound simple: the spacecraft goes to the Moon, loops around it, and comes back. But the physics behind it is anything but simple. Instead of relying on continuous propulsion, the spacecraft follows a carefully calculated path through the gravitational field of the Earth–Moon system. It is launched with just the right speed and direction so that, as it approaches the Moon, the Moon’s gravity bends its trajectory. The spacecraft is effectively flung around the Moon, redirected onto a path that naturally brings it back toward Earth. No major engine burn is needed for the return. Small trajectory corrections may still be required, but gravity does the heavy lifting. That’s the key. This kind of trajectory is not just efficient, it’s also safe. If something goes wrong with the spacecraft’s engines or onboard systems, gravity itself ensures the return. It’s an inherent backup plan, built into the trajectory from the very beginning. The same fundamental idea appears in gravity assists used across the Solar System. When a spacecraft flies past a planet, it can gain or lose speed by exchanging momentum with that planet. From the spacecraft’s point of view, it’s as if it has been accelerated without using fuel. In reality, it has borrowed a tiny amount of orbital energy from the planet itself. That’s how missions like Voyager reached the outer planets, and how probes continue to explore regions far beyond what their onboard fuel alone would allow. But there’s an important distinction. An interplanetary gravity assist is typically used to change speed and direction, often increasing the spacecraft’s energy. A free-return trajectory, like the one used in Artemis II, is designed for something more specific: a path that naturally loops back to Earth without requiring additional propulsion. It’s less about gaining energy, and more about shaping a trajectory that guarantees a return. To understand why this works, it helps to stop thinking in straight lines. In space, motion follows curves defined by gravity. The spacecraft is constantly falling, first toward Earth, then toward the Moon, and then back toward Earth again. What looks like a loop is really a continuous free fall through a changing gravitational landscape. This way of navigating space reveals something deeper. We tend to think of engines as the drivers of motion, but once a spacecraft is on its way, gravity does most of the work. The art of spaceflight is not just about thrust. It’s about knowing when not to use it. #GoodLuck #Artemis NASA Artemisshow more

The Artemis II crew is on their way to... their lunar flyby! 🌒 NASA’s Artemis II uses a free‑return trajectory, letting the Moon’s gravity guide the spacecraft home and we modeled the mission in MATLAB. What moment of the mission are you most excited about?show more

Do you want to go to mars? Yes or... no?! SpaceX has the goal of sending the first uncrewed Starship to Mars in 2024. Elon Musk is "highly confident" SpaceX will land humans on Mars by 2026. The first crewed Nasa Mars Mission, which would include sending astronauts to Mars, orbiting Mars, and a return to Earth, is proposed for the 2030s. Technology development for US government missions to Mars is underway, but there is no well-funded approach to bring the conceptual project to completion with human landings on Mars by the mid-2030s, SpaceXshow more

We just streamed the first ultra-HD video brought to... you via laser from deep space. And it’s a video of Taters, a tabby cat. This test will pave the way for high-data-rate communications in support of the next giant leap: sending humans to Mars.show more

It took NASA almost 10 years to get to... Pluto which is around 4,000,000,000 Miles away - they just sent this footage back to Earth. Hey Grok how did NASA calculate this ‘Space’ Crafts trajectory over a 10 year period, compensating for both Earth and Pluto orbiting the Sun at around 16,000mph, in a universe which is expanding at 166,000mph - and still manage to align with the Plutos orbit after travelling 4 Bullion miles through the cold hard vacuum space? Is it possible this is just more NASA CGI?show more

NASA will return to the Moon in less than... 3 weeks and the mission is called "Artemis II" Every single news outlet will talk about it, elon will tweet it many times, solana, alon - EVERYONE it is maybe one of the biggest narratives we will see this year - and it is perfect for crypto. You need to understand the scale of this and how big of a narrative it is. There's already so many videos on tiktok about it and everyone is making edits. Artemis II will make history.show more

I am getting super excited to share my workflow... for sending the After Effects 3D Motion Tracked Camera to Unreal Engine and then bringing the 3D renders back to AE for compositing. It will be a free tutorial NEXT WEEK from School of Motion.show more

NASA’s Artemis II mission is set to return to... Earth today, following their trip around the moon. According to the released timetable, the Orion crew module will separate from the service module and begin its descent around 7:30 p.m. ET, with the first set of parachutes expected to deploy around 8:00 p.m. ET, following their 3.9 G reentry into Earth’s atmosphere. Due to concerns over the Orion spacecraft’s heat shield, NASA plans to send the craft on a more direct reentry route to limit the time it is exposed to the extreme temperatures of reentry into Earth’s atmosphere.show more

And finally....its NOT an Asteroid. Yes.... They are here......... . A mysterious interstellar object, 31/ATLAS, is racing through our solar system and will reach its closest point to the sun October 29. At the same time, NASA is preparing the Artemis II mission for 2026, and aiming to return humans to the Moon by 2027. But the question remains… Is NASA showing us everything? Or is something being kept in the shadows of space?show more

Artemis III is already taking shape, and in parallel,... we’re building NASA Moon Base. The landers and rovers we’re sending to the lunar south pole will help us better understand the environment and lay the foundation for a sustained American presence on the Moon. This is how we get back, and this is how we stay.show more

The widely anticipated launch of the SpaceX/NASA Crew-10 mission... from the Kennedy Space Center has been scrubbed in the last minutes before launch due to a hydraulics issue with the ground equipment. The mission was set to finally allow the return of two astronauts, Barry “Butch” Wilmore and Sunita “Suni” Williams. The two astronauts have been in space at the International Space Station (ISS) for more than nine months after Boeing’s Starliner was deemed too unsafe to bring them home due to issues with the thrusters and was returned to Earth uncrewed. The next launch window will likely be tomorrow, with the astronauts returning home Friday hopefully.show more

NASA ARTEMIS II MISSION UPDATE The crew and Orion... are approximately 94,117km to the Moon, they're also just over 350,000km away from Earth. They're also travelling at a speed of approximately 2,523km/h, this will start to increase as the lunar sphere of influence takes a hold of the crew and Orion later today. Approximately 41.8% of the mission has been completed. Currently the crew is into the Orion Crew Survival System Suit Developmental Flight Objective (OCSS DFTO) operations, which is essentially a simulated emergency onboard the spacecraft and involves the OCSS suits being donned along with the crews strapping themselves into their seats and the cabin pressure being dropped to 10.2 PSI. This of course is one of many extremely important objectives that is being performed during the duration of this test flight around the Moon. OTC (Outbound Trajectory Correction) burn #3 is also still planned for later today, this is very much subject to change though if NASA decides to skip this burn also. We will be sure to keep you updated if this changes. And yes, I can in fact confirm the toilet is still working! Be sure to check out our Artemis II Real Time Tracking 24/7 stream if you'd like to watch all the action unfold in real time! NSF Artemis II Real Time Tracking 24/7 | NSF - NASASpaceflight.comshow more

A good chef knows how to work a cleaver.... Chef's primary skill in Risk of Rain 2 is Dice! Hurl cleavers at faraway enemies and call them back to slice and dice with twice the pain. Hungry for seconds? Enemies hit on the return journey will take an additional chunk of damage.show more

I am getting a lot of questions, so have... decided to say something. It seems "possible" that 3I/ATLAS will brake, and also change direction toward Earth, as it passes Mars. The gravity of Mars will pull 3I/ATLAS in a direction opposite to where it is now going. The gravity of Mars will also pull 3I/ATLAS slightly to the right by attraction. Now look please at the video shown below, and try to estimate whether 3I/ATLAS will be headed for Earth, after it passes Mars? As planet Earth turns around the Sun toward it? They all must know, but don't want to say. This is very simple orbital mechanics.show more

Artemis II Glides Past the Moon A stunning view... from deep space shows Orion — the spacecraft of NASA’s Artemis II mission — gracefully sailing near the cratered lunar surface. The ancient, rugged Moon fills the frame as humanity’s first crewed voyage beyond low-Earth orbit in over 50 years unfolds in real time.This historic flight carried four astronauts — Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen — on a daring loop around the Moon, pushing farther into space than any humans since the Apollo era. The mission successfully tested Orion’s systems for future lunar landings and beyond.The breathtaking contrast between cutting-edge human technology and the timeless, airless beauty of the lunar landscape captures the spirit of exploration: bold curiosity, technical mastery, and our enduring drive to reach new frontiers. Note: This is a creative or illustrative depiction of the scene. Actual mission imagery from Artemis II shows spectacular views of both the near and far side of the Moon captured by the crew.show more

Artemis II: 400,000 Kilometers from Home — A Pale... Blue Dot Adrift in the Cosmos From the window of the Orion spacecraft, racing through cislunar space on humanity’s first crewed lunar mission in over fifty years, the astronauts turned to look back at Earth. At a distance of 400,000 kilometers (about 250,000 miles)—once the defining span of the Apollo missions—our world fades into a single, luminous blue point against the vast darkness. No borders. No cities. Only a fragile sphere of swirling oceans and clouds, holding every human story, every dream, every life ever lived. A quiet, humbling reminder of our smallness… and the extraordinary value of the only home we’ve ever known. Captured during Artemis II’s sweeping journey around the Moon, this view echoes the spirit of the “Pale Blue Dot,” while signaling a bold new era in humanity’s return to deep space.show more

Tiger Woods is happy to be home. After six... weeks of treatment in Switzerland, sources tell People he’s “in good spirits” and “happy to be back home again.” He’s reuniting with girlfriend Vanessa Trump and the couple is “very much in love.” Golf is still calling him. At 50 and eligible for the PGA Tour Champions, Tiger says he’s “not a quitter” and is eager to return “in whatever ways he can.” The champion fire still burns. 🔥 Do you still believe Tiger Woods can win as a champion again? (Video: AI)show more

This is Mehaviz Khan ☪️ from Mumbai married to... as hindu boy 🕉. In the next five years, a large number of Muslim girls will return to Sanatan Dharma. Sanatan Dharma provides respect, freedom, and security. For a human being, nothing is greater than self-respect and freedom.show more

🚨 THE “ALIEN COMET” MOMENT IS HERE — 3I/ATLAS... PASSES EARTH NEXT WEEK 🚨 Something extraordinary from outside our solar system is quietly passing by. The interstellar object 3I/ATLAS will reach its closest point to Earth on December 19, 2025, and many headlines are struggling to explain what’s really happening. Here’s the simple truth: 3I/ATLAS is NOT coming toward Earth. Instead, Earth is moving closer to its path as we orbit the Sun. It’s like two cars on different lanes briefly coming closer — dramatic to watch, but completely safe. 3I/ATLAS has already traveled beyond Mars’ orbit and is now heading out of the solar system forever. There is no impact risk. Even at its closest, it will remain hundreds of millions of kilometers away. What makes this moment special isn’t danger — it’s rarity. This object came from another star system, passed through our cosmic neighborhood, and will never return again. This isn’t a warning. It’s a reminder that the universe is vast, mysterious, and full of visitors we’re only just beginning to understand. #3IATLAS #interstellarobject #3Iアトラスshow more

🚨 SPACEX IS ABOUT TO TEST A RADICALLY DIFFERENT... KIND OF SPACECRAFT AND IT COULD UPEND THE ENTIRE ORBITAL MANUFACTURING INDUSTRY. On Tuesday, SpaceX plans to fly the first prototype of Starfall, a flat, disk-shaped reentry capsule designed to return up to 1,000 kilograms of cargo from orbit in a single flight. That’s roughly 30 times more payload capacity than current commercial return vehicles (like those from Varda Space Industries). It’s not a scaled-down Dragon it’s a completely different approach: no onboard deorbit engine, a wide flat disk geometry, and Starlink terminals mounted to maintain communication through the plasma blackout during reentry. Why this matters: • Current orbital manufacturing companies are limited to returning only dozens of kilograms per mission • Starfall’s design could make large-scale commercial production in space economically viable for the first time • SpaceX would be directly competing with companies (like Varda) that currently pay SpaceX to launch their capsules • Successfully testing Starlink through reentry plasma would be a major technical win with applications across SpaceX’s vehicles The deeper implication: SpaceX is quietly expanding its vertical integration. They already dominate launch. Now they’re moving into the return leg of the orbital manufacturing supply chain the part that has been the biggest bottleneck for companies trying to make products in microgravity and bring them back to Earth. If Starfall works at scale, it doesn’t just give SpaceX another revenue stream. It gives them significant control over the economics of an entire emerging industry. The disk shape and high-capacity design suggest they’re thinking about high-cadence, lower-cost returns rather than the traditional high-value, low-volume approach. This is classic SpaceX: take an existing problem (expensive, low-capacity return from orbit), apply first-principles thinking to the vehicle design, and try to make it dramatically cheaper and higher volume. How do you think this move into orbital return changes the competitive landscape for companies trying to build businesses in space manufacturing? Follow for more analysis on SpaceX’s expanding role across the space economy.show more