More exciting space news

[Escadrille Ecosse]

In case you have seen. ESA (European Space Agency) are heavily involved in the Orion mission to return to the moon and are providing the crew module and service module for the mission.

First test flight of this module on NASA's SLS is getting close (at last). For the first flight there will be only one crew member on board and ESA has just announced who this will be. And they will be the first British astronaut to circle the moon.

https://www.aardman.com/latest-news/shaun-the-sheep-esa-artemis-i

Bloody brilliant

The UK was the third country to put a satellite into space and the third country to do so on domestically designed and built rocket. Sadly but also sadly typical we were also the first and so far only country to abandon a domestic space programme after achieving success.

[JohnD]

And I was about to say that Tim Peake can twiddle his thumbs as he won't be chosen to fly on Orion, on a European spacecraft.

 

[Escadrille Ecosse]

8 minutes ago, JohnD said:

And I was about to say that Tim Peake can twiddle his thumbs as he won't be chosen to fly on Orion, on a European spacecraft.

 

Yeah. The 'gift' that keeps giving. Rubbish.

[JohnD]

And, I thought, Shaun the Sheep, on an ESA space craft?    Come on, Aardman are having a larf.

But No!    I have the BBC R4 programme "Inside Science" on the wireless (!) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0019rcp  And sure enough, the first trial shot that will orbit The Moon, WILL carry Shaun the Sheep, and as it is BBC R4, interviewing no less than Philippe Deloo, the manager for ESA of the Service Module that ESA are contributing to the NASA mission who confirmed that, it MUST be true!  Wow!

John

Edited August 4 by JohnD

[Escadrille Ecosse]

Oh absolutely real, if only in the sense that it is true. Which I think is just splendid.

The first sheep in space and the first to go to the moon. And it's Shaun