NASA assigns crew for Artemis III, sets aggressive timeline for flying it

"Artemis III will be an extraordinary demonstration of what is possible."

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[JohnDeL]

So this is the Angry Alligator, only with twice the crew and a much bigger alligator?

In any case, I hope that the program proceeds safely.

 

[JohnDeL]

You know what? I’ve been in the airline biz for over 30 years. In that time, despite the complete removal of barriers, the advocacy of female pilot organizations, plus progressive hiring practices at all levels, the percentage of females in airline cockpits is still below 10%. One can only assume that, for whatever reason, women just don’t have much interest in it.

Or one could look at the way orchestras went from having 5% women to having 25%, just by switching to blind auditions. Maybe it isn't that women don't want to be pilots or astronauts; maybe it is that the people who select the astronauts have biases against women.

 

[JohnDeL]

Yeah, that struck me too. If all they're doing with the Starship is docking to what's essentially a boilerplate vehicle with no HLS systems, what exactly are they testing beyond the ability to rendezvous and dock?

That is kind of important. After Gemini VIII tried to dock with the Agena Target Vehicle, it turned out that there were problems with the vehicle. These needed adjustments on later flights.

So testing Starship's systems with a vehicle docked before they let the crew transfer over is just being safe.