Hi Angel Chuck Billy! I’m not sure if you had access to the Artemis II livestream from your vantage point at Rainbow Bridge or on the Moon. I’m really not sure where you watched this historic event, but I know you’re following it closely. Anyways, here is my stream of thought on what the Astronauts observed. Although I’m not sure where to even begin? There was a cat, snowman, dinosaur tracks, snacks, t-shirt MacGyver moment, and a broken toilet. So pardon my brain dump, as I sort through everything I saw on this historic flyby by humans past the dark side of the Moon!

I tuned in at approximately 3:00 pm EDT. At that time the Astronaut was describing the surface of the Moon as having “chalk-like” features, that had it not been on the Moon, he would have described as “snow.” This immediately got me excited for two reasons. First maybe it was snow! Maybe that was a sign by you to tell me that you’ve been there with your snowmaking machine! But even more exciting was the Astronaut’s use of the word, “chalk.” This reminded me of the time you found Martian Cat geoglyphs in that playground in Maine.

Before I could process my thoughts, Dad blurted out, “Is that a cat at Mission Control?” Mom grabbed her camera and zoomed in to the live shot of the command room. Sure enough there was a cat stuffed animal sitting on the desk, with a clear view of the monitors! Earlier the moderator of the livestream had introduced the people we saw on camera in that room. But he didn’t mention the cat! Angel Chuck Billy, this adds more credence to your theory that cats are from Mars, or perhaps the Moon! As additional proof, later on in the broadcast, the system the Astronauts were using to talk to mission control was called the “Cat Com.” They weren’t even hiding the fact that cats were somehow involved!

Excuse me as I jump around in the timeline of events, but later Mom noticed this masked stuffed animal also in the command room. By then they had mentioned to the Astronauts that family members have joined the viewing party. Could this mysterious stuffie have sneaked in with them? Was it another cat? A unicorn? A mascot of some sort?

The information from space was coming in too fast for me to ponder these possibilities. Besides, I got a little distracted by all the talk of lunch. The livestream commentator said that they were approaching their lunch hour based on the start time of that mission. This was to explain why some folks in the control room were seen eating at their desks. He also mentioned that the Astronauts would be having snacks. The narrator even went as far as to lament he had food in a nearby fridge, but didn’t want to leave the livestream to eat. I’m not sure if it was all this talk about food, but on the side of the the Orion Capsule named “Integrity” by the crew, was a live camera showing the Moon that looked like a baked potato in space to me. But luckily there was a lot of talk between the Earth and the Astronauts about adjusting pitch and angles of the ship, and after a glitch that you’d deem suspicious, it looked more like the Moon than a potato.

Around this time one of the Astronauts described a crater as looking like a “snowman.” More proof that you were there! Mom let out a cheer! And the science coordinator also complimented the Astronaut on that description.

Here’s when things got serious. The technical crew relayed the message that the toilet was a “no go.” These are definitely words no one wants to hear, especially in space! There was talk about being unable to do a waste dump / flushing operation. The Astronauts were then told and to use the “CCUs.” The livestream commentator jumped in with a technical explanation as to what CCUs are. Something about it being Collapsable Consistency Units that hold waste and can be sealed. But then he started comparing it to the coffee cups the Astronauts are also using. Wait? Are they using old coffee cups to hold their waste?! He also made a comment that the CCUs are reusable, and better use of space than bringing 25 pounds of diapers into space. I suppose they know what they are doing, and poop bags are not an option. However, Dad said he is now going to refer to my poop bags as “CCPoohs.”

Following all this toilet talk there was a long silence in the broadcast. I pondered if like on my long roadtrips were the Astronauts looking for a fast food restaurant in space so they could use the facilities and pick up some snacks? After all they were talking about food not long earlier. This also got me thinking about food, but it was approximately 4:00 PM here, so I had some time to go before my dinner. And spoiler alert: Sorry Angel Chuck Billy, our dinner was served late, because we couldn’t turn our attention away from this historic mission!

Next came another technical issue. The reflection of the Sun off the Earth was making inside the capsule too bright to see. There was lots of talk about eyes adjusting to see their instruments, after staring at the Moon’s surface. So the Astronauts decided to pull down a shroud over one of the 4 windows. This maneuver greatly improved the lighting conditions.

There were more descriptions of what the Astronauts were viewing, including a “pair of lips.” I got excited, but that turned out to be how they were describing another geological feature on the moon. There was also a lot of talk about the “brown and green hues” of the surface. Wait? Could the Moon be rest station stop for extraterrestrials too? Why all this talk about craters being brown in color?! Thankfully, they moved on from colors to how “impossibly rugged” the surface of the Moon is from all the meteor strikes.

Personally, I liked the discussion of how the zoom lens on the Nikon camera being used by the Astronauts made it easier to detect some of the features on the surface that the human eye could not discern. For years Mom, who needs better glasses, has used the zoom on her camera to get a better look at things. See the earlier mention in this post of Mom using the zoom lens to get a better look at the cat in the control room! I just wonder was it a point and click camera like Mom uses, or a more technical one like our Uncle’s? Then Dad got super excited! One of the Astronauts used his iPhone to take a photo of the surface of the Moon. BEST SCREEN SAVER EVER! The livestream commentator quickly explained that his iPhone was specially designed for taking pictures, and was not setup to be used as a phone or internet. Phew! Glad the Astronauts are not distanced by their phones, unlike Dad who I noticed started scrolling on his during this historic event! The photos being taken by the Astronauts were not shared live, but I’m certain will be made available.

Another aspect I appreciated was what Mom called the “hall monitor.” The control center member who kindly reminded the Astronauts, who were working in teams of two, to swap places, so that everyone had a chance to make observations from the windows. Sharing is caring! Especially in the cramped quarters of the Integrity space capsule! It also allowed the Astronauts to share with the world their views on this amazing experience. Early on there were discussions at NASA on whether to send humans or rely on the precision of artificial intelligence. I’m so grateful they chose humans because the thought provoking and awe inspiring descriptions could never be done by a robot. As one so eloquently put it, “the sense of what the Moon evokes in the human spirit is just remarkable!”

Then came another technical issue. The shroud blocking the light was causing issues with the window. There was lots of technical talk again about using a condensation hose. The need to remove the shroud. The problem with the light preventing the Astronauts to see to conduct their work. Offers of helpful description of targeted landmarks from the scientists hundreds of thousands miles away on Earth. Then a totally MacGyver solution! The Astronauts used a t-shirt to block the light! Millions, or more likely billions of dollars in technology, and a simple t-shirt saved the day!

There were more descriptions that got my attention, such as creators being described as “dinosaur prints” walking away. Is that where the dinosaurs went? The Astronauts did such a wonderful job explaining the textures they saw, including like a “frozen ripply pond, with choppy waves.” It made what they were seeing understandable, rather than using technical terms. And who knew “Lunar Volcanologist” was an occupation? I was intrigued by the lengthy discussion between the Astronauts and the science team on Earth about the formation and history of the Moon’s geology.

Finally they reached the point where communication between the Astronauts and Mission Control would go silent, as they rocketed past the dark side of the Moon, and no longer could receive transmissions from Earth. Astronaut Victor Glover gave a very moving speech, please google it if you can, and ended it with “We love you from the Moon.” This is where the leaky eyes started for Mom. Angel Chuck Billy, since you crossed Rainbow Bridge, Mom has looked up at the Moon countless times, waved, and shouted, “We love you Chuck Billy!”

For those who missed yesterday’s historic Artemis II Mission, or if you’d like to watch it again, you can find it on NASA’s YouTube channel. Thank you to the brave crew of the Integrity capsule for taking us along virtually! It was truly awe inspiring! Godspeed and safe landing, as you head home!