The Artemis II Distance Record Calculated Exactly!
The video explains how the Artemis II crew set a new distance record during their lunar flyby, reaching a precise 413,145 km from Earth’s geocenter, according to astrophysicist Jonathan McDow. Because the spacecraft was on the far side of Earth, people on the opposite side were roughly 6,400 km farther away. At the moment of maximum separation, the International Space Station passed over the optimal longitude 45 minutes earlier, placing its crew 419,578 km from Artemis II. The Chinese Tiangong space station, with a lower inclination, was even farther—419,656 km—creating the widest human spacing ever recorded. McDow notes the record point lay over the Atlantic between Bermuda and Haiti, meaning some unaware boaters were part of the measurement. He also highlights that the Wolf Act bans direct NASA‑China collaboration, so NASA cannot officially claim the record, but Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen is not subject to that restriction, allowing a China‑Canada record. The achievement underscores how orbital geometry can produce historic milestones and raises policy questions about attributing records in a multi‑national space environment. It also demonstrates the growing importance of coordination among spacefaring nations as missions venture farther from Earth.
Holes In Spaceships - How Long Can You Survive?
Scott Manley examines how quickly a spacecraft loses atmosphere after a hull breach, a question that has become urgent as Artemis 2 prepares for a lunar flyby. He explains that the leak rate can be estimated by multiplying the hole’s cross‑sectional...
New Hyperspectral Satellites See 'Impossible' Color Details
The video introduces a new generation of hyperspectral imaging satellites that record hundreds of narrow spectral bands for every pixel, moving the technology from secret military use into the commercial arena. Companies such as Planet Labs and Pixel (formerly Two‑X)...
Can My First Computer Control A Spaceship?
Scott Manley revisits the 1982 Sinclair ZX Spectrum, using an emulated version to pilot a lunar lander in Kerbal Space Program. By loading a BASIC “lander” program via the classic tape interface and attaching the Interface 1 RS‑232 add‑on, he connects...
Is It Really Impossible To Cool A Datacenter In Space?
Scott Manley examines whether a data center can be cooled in space using only radiation. He models a Starlink V3 satellite that dissipates roughly 20 kW of GPU power and shows that, under Stefan‑Boltzmann physics, a flat radiator operating at about...
Could Life On Earth And Life On Mars Be The Same Thing?
Scott Manley discusses a new laboratory experiment that slams the extremophile bacterium Deinococcus radiodurans with gigapascal‑scale shock pressures, showing that microbes can survive the extreme conditions of a planetary impact. The study found near‑100 % survival at 1.4 GPa and about 40 % survival...
Scramjets - The Fastest Jet Engines
Rocket Lab conducted a hypersonic test launch out of Wallops carrying an Australian-built Dart AE vehicle — a largely 3D-printed, hydrogen-fueled demonstrator developed with the U.S. Defense Innovation Unit and intended to validate a scramjet-powered flight above Mach 7. Public...
NASA's New Lunar Plan Revealed A Bit Too Much.....
The video dissects a recently released NASA infographic that outlines revisions to the Artemis program, focusing on a redesigned Space Launch System (SLS) upper stage. The visual suggests a longer upper stage with a shortened conical section, prompting speculation that...
The Incredibly Dumb Bug That Killed Lunar Trailblazer
On Feb. 27, 2025 NASA launched the Lunar Trailblazer on a Falcon 9 to map lunar water, but the spacecraft went silent within 24 hours after separation. An NPR‑obtained anomaly review revealed that the flight software incorrectly rotated the solar arrays away...
Explaining Why NASA's Starliner Report Is So Bad
The video dissects NASA’s newly released, heavily redacted Starliner Orbital Flight Test‑2 (OFT‑2) report, which upgrades the incident from a "close call" to a Type A mishap—an event involving injury, loss of life, or damage exceeding $2 million. By reclassifying the flight,...
What Would SpaceX's Space Datacenter Plans Look Like?
The video examines a recent FCC filing that suggests SpaceX plans a "mega‑constellation" of roughly one million satellites to host orbital data centers, a step beyond the current Starlink network. The proposal follows Elon Musk’s acquisition of XAI and his...
How Everyday Technology Is Used In Spaceflight
The video examines how everyday consumer electronics have become integral to spaceflight, highlighted by NASA’s recent announcement that upcoming ISS crews on Crew‑12 and Artemis 2 will carry the latest smartphones. Scott Manley traces this trend from early improvisations—John Glenn’s vacation‑bought Ansco...
