A towering new rocket has taken flight, carrying what could be the first commercial lander to touch down on the moon — and the first lunar landing mission to launch from the United States since 1972.
The Vulcan Centaur rocket, a never-before-flown model developed by United Launch Alliance, a joint venture by Boeing and Lockheed Martin, roared to life at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida at 2:18 a.m. ET Monday. The launch vehicle soared through space for nearly an hour, expending its fuel as it ripped away from Earth’s gravity and sent the lunar lander, called Peregrine, on its way to the moon.
Just after 3 a.m. ET, the Peregrine spacecraft separated from the rocket and began its slow journey to the lunar surface. If all goes according to plan, the lander could touch down on the moon on February 23.
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Peregrine is also carrying human remains on behalf of two commercial space burial companies — Elysium Space and Celestis — a move that’s sparked opposition from Navajo Nation, the largest group of Native Americans in the United States. The group contends that allowing the remains to touch down on the lunar surface would be an affront to many Indigenous cultures, which regard the moon as sacred. Celestis offers to carry ashes to the moon for prices starting at more than $10,000, according to the company’s website.
Imagine training whole life to become an astronaut. Invest huge amount of effort and sacrifice only to get congratulated because you are a black woman. Why is ethnicity or gender more important than the actual mission? Permanent base on the moon is super-cool and will jolt imagination of many, just like original moon landing did. And yet everyone keeps saying “first black woman”. Yes, people can see she’s a black woman. Americans are so focused on race and gender issues that they keep prolonging them with this stupid approach. Will there be a “first guy name Jose to step into shuttle” announcement? “First guy with spiky hair to adorn a space helmet”? You can come up with so many categories if you play that stupid game.
Good luck to all the astronauts and I honestly can’t wait for live HD stream from the moon’s surface
I can see where you’re coming from, but ‘first woman’ or ‘first black person’ or ‘first black woman’ to do something are all notable achievements when they have been historically marginalized and that should be celebrated. Congratulating the first black woman to go to the moon is not congratulating them because they are a black woman, it’s congratulating them that they were able to land on the goddamn moon despite being black and a woman in America.
I sorta understand the original commentator. Sometimes it feels like more marginalization. OMG your black or a women or both and did this thing. Amazing. Granted though until its commonplace every time is pretty amazing and why we go all nuts for the first person when its a species achievement. I dunno.
Exactly that, it makes it sound as if there’s a difference, when there’s not. Personally I’d rather someone compliment me on my achievements than things I can’t control.
My point is we shouldn’t be marginalizing. Permanent moon base is hell of an achievement but the way reporters talk about it one would think being black woman in space is bigger achievement. To me they sounded condescending almost. Like you are black and you managed to pull this off, good for you.
I couldn’t agree more
Are you equating spiky hair with being black?
Nope, but it seems like reporters are inventing categories for someone to be first in something.
Reporters aren’t inventing blackness.