After three false starts, NASA’s Moon rocket called Artemis 1, finally launched on Wednesday 16th November 2022. We are celebrating with a poem of course!
Gifts of Gratitude Afloat by Celia Berrell
Where would we find
a collection like this?
Afloat on the sea
or on Artemis?Some Girl Scout badges,
a Dead Sea pebble,
tree seeds & Snoopy,
a Greek Goddess model,
two astronaut toys,
a piece of old rocket,
some artwork and poems
in USB lockets,
a comic from Peanuts,
a stuffed Shaun the Sheep,
a small pinch of moon dust
to scatter or keep.With good-luck mementos
on Artemis One,
this Moon Rocket launch
is finally done!
Its first launch date in August was cancelled due to lightning strikes and a fuel leak. September saw more technical troubles. Then in October, the giant rocket was trundled back inside its hanger as Hurricane Ian raged near the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida USA.
It has a busy schedule which you can view on this artemis-i-map.
Artemis 2 will be next, taking astronauts beyond the Moon. Artemis 3 will be the first mission to land people on the Moon since Apollo 17 in 1972 … over fifty years ago!