Hey everyone!
More than half a century has passed since humans last went to the moon. Back in 1969, under NASA’s Apollo program, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin took off from Cape Canaveral and did something that felt almost surreal. They landed humans on the moon for the first time.
For a moment, I felt like I could do anything. The moon was no longer a distant dream. and around 650 million When Neil Armstrong uttered those words that echoed through history, people tuned in to watch grainy black-and-white footage of men walking in another world. “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.”
That world was very different from our world today. There were no smartphones, no social media, and no electric cars. And “space technology” back then ran on computers that now seem laughably basic.
Still, we reached the moon.
Here’s the real question: If it was possible in 1969, why is NASA sending astronauts back only now? Artemis II?
we have all seen interstellar. A future in which humans leave Earth, travel deep into space, and seek new frontiers feels like pure science fiction.
But what if deep space travel wasn’t fiction forever?
That’s the vision behind Artemis II. The NASA mission will send four astronauts around the moon, marking humanity’s first manned trip beyond Earth’s orbit in more than 50 years.
The moon is an ideal training ground from Earth before deep space exploration and long-duration space travel become a reality. This is our only natural satellite, close enough to reach in a few days, yet far enough to simulate deep space conditions. Over decades, scientists have developed a deep understanding of its environment, gravity, radiation exposure, distance, and orbital mechanics.
That makes the moon the safest place to test the most difficult part of space travel, especially how the human body copes outside of Earth’s protective bubble. Unlike the International Space Station, which still orbits inside Earth’s magnetic field, lunar missions expose astronauts to real deep space radiation, communication delays, and long periods of isolation.
In other words, if something goes wrong, the astronauts can return to Earth relatively quickly. But if all goes well, the data collected will become a blueprint for missions far beyond the moon, including to Mars.
That’s exactly where Artemis II comes into play. NASA says the mission is designed to be the first real test of whether humans, spacecraft and mission systems can operate together in deep space. The crew, consisting of Captain Reed Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, and mission specialists Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen, will fly around the moon and return to Earth aboard the Orion spacecraft, launched by NASA’s powerful Space Launch System and returning to Earth on a journey of about 10 days.
There are no plans to land. Instead, the focus is on testing life support systems, navigation, communications, radiation exposure, and emergency procedures, all with humans on board far beyond low-Earth orbit. This is the perfect rehearsal to uncover risks before they become catastrophic.
Artemis II isn’t about reaching some new place.
After more than half a century, it’s about proving that humans can safely leave Earth and come back, before humans can stay longer, go farther, and aim for places like Mars.
And in a quiet, honorable nod to history, the Artemis II crew does not act alone. they will carry souvenir Since the days of Apollo, it has served as a symbolic bridge between the astronauts who first took humans beyond Earth’s orbit and the astronauts who are now going farther than ever before. It’s an astronaut’s way of saying: without you we wouldn’t be here.
Here’s the soundtrack to get you in the mood 🎵
Azadi by ditty
That is one suggestion from us. However, please continue to provide music recommendations. We want to feature them in our Sunday editions. We especially want to highlight gems of work by underrated Indian artists that many of us have yet to discover. I can’t wait to hear it!
What caught our eye this week 👀
How Qatar Airways almost lost to Airbus
Imagine you bought a brand new Ferrari. After a few months, the paint will start to peel off. You’ll probably go back to the dealer and ask for a refund or repair? After all, the customer is king.
Well, that’s exactly what Qatar Airways thought when it noticed cracks in the paint on its shiny new Airbus A350 jet. But instead of a quick fix, it found itself embroiled in one of the most brutal corporate wars in aviation history.
Qatar Airways is obsessed with perfection. So when they saw that the A350’s paint had deteriorated, exposing the lightning protection mesh, they were furious. They argued this was a significant safety risk. Airbus, on the other hand, shrugged. Airbus, as well as European safety regulators, assured that this was only a cosmetic defect and that the aircraft was otherwise safe.
But Qatar Airways didn’t have that. They chose a hard line, grounding 13 A350s while refusing to take back new A350s. Qatar Airways sues Airbus $618 million As compensation. They expected Airbus to go bankrupt because Qatar Airways was one of the biggest spenders in the airline industry. But then Airbus did the unthinkable.
Typically, manufacturers often bow to their biggest customers. Airbus wasn’t going to be one of them. They realized that in a duopoly (Boeing is the only other option), people held more cards than they thought. So French aircraft manufacturers retaliated with a “nuclear option.”
Airbus countersued Qatar Airways and canceled outstanding orders for 19 A350 aircraft. And the kicker? They invoked the “cross-default” clause to cancel completely separate orders. 50 A321 neojet aircraft. This was a disaster for Qatar Airways. The A321 was essential for future expansion, but suddenly the planes stopped coming.
The timing couldn’t have been worse. The 2022 FIFA World Cup is just around the corner and Qatar Airways was the hosting airline. They desperately needed capacity. But they took a hit as the A350 was grounded and new orders cancelled. In this case they had to scramble.
Qatar Airways knocked on Boeing’s door for the 737 MAX. To make matters worse, they had to bring in a retired A330. A380 Superjumbo is back from the dead. This was a humiliation for CEO Akbar Al Baker, who had previously vowed never to fly the gas-guzzling A380 again. Now they were spending millions of dollars just to make it flyable.
So how did this story end?
The court sided with Airbus, finding that Qatar Airways had acted excessively. At the beginning of 2023, these two giants will settlement. The details were secret, but the results were clear. Qatar Airways regained command but lost its place in line. Now, instead of not being able to get a flight, they face huge delays. And soon after, the airline’s outspoken CEO resigned.
In the aviation world, the customer is always right, unless the seller is part of a duopoly and has nowhere else to go.
Infographic 📊
Recommended by readers 🗒️
This week, reader Rishabh Jain recommends watching game changersa BBC documentary about the rise of Rockstar Games and how Grand Theft Auto went from a controversial experiment to one of the most influential video game series of all time.
Thank you Rishabh for the recommendation!
That’s it for this week. See you next Sunday!
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