Warning our Inner Space Geek has Escaped
A remarkable moment in space exploration is unfolding tonight, with a local connection that puts Penrith.Town quite literally on board.
Thousands of miles above us, four astronauts aboard NASA’s Artemis II mission are travelling further into space than any humans have gone in over half a century. It marks the first time since the Apollo era that a crew has ventured beyond low Earth orbit, heading out on a historic journey around the Moon.
At approximately 11:40pm, the Orion spacecraft carrying Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen will pass behind the Moon, entering a planned period of radio blackout as communication with Earth is temporarily lost.
But onboard this groundbreaking mission is something small with a big local significance: a standard SD card—similar to those used in mobile phones and cameras—carrying thousands of names from around the world. Among them is Penrith.Town, now orbiting the Moon as part of this extraordinary voyage laying the groundwork for taking the human race back to the moon and onto Mars.
In the past hour, the spacecraft reached its maximum distance from Earth—an astonishing 252,760 miles—surpassing even the distance achieved during the Apollo 13 mission by more than 4,000 miles.
The Artemis II crew broke down in tears in an emotional moment of the mission as they proposed naming a crater on the Moon after their commander’s late wife.
“We lost a loved one, her name was Carroll, the spouse of Reid, the mother of Katie and Ellie.
“You look at Glushko and it is just to the north west of that at the same latitude as Ohm. It is a bright spot on the Moon. We would like to call it Carroll.”
The crew now in a seven-hour lunar observation phase, during which they will witness both the near and far sides of the Moon—views seen by only a handful of humans in history.
Despite the intensity of the mission, life onboard Orion includes some comforts. Over the 10-day journey, the astronauts have access to 189 menu items, ranging from tortillas and barbecue beef brisket to macaroni and cheese, butternut squash, and even cookies and chocolate. Drinks include coffee, tea, lemonade, and smoothies—fuel for both body and morale as they push the boundaries of human exploration.
For Penrith.Town to be in on this as a digital passenger, is a proud one yes the inner geek has emerged in the Penrith.Town newsroom. As humanity takes its next steps toward deep space and future lunar missions, a small digital piece of Penrith is right there along for the journey—circling the Moon as Artemis II makes history.
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