Helium makes the rocket lighter, like a balloon.

It's also used to pressurize the propellant tanks.

2/23/2026 10:06:22 PM

Why don't they make the whole rocket out of helium?!

Galaxy brain idea!

2/24/2026 10:24:13 AM

The balloon animal lobby would never allow that.

2/24/2026 11:10:45 AM

It is also used so that the technicians on the pad can make funny voices to lighten the mood a bit when there are launch delays. Morale is very important to a successful mission.

2/24/2026 1:55:44 PM

lol

2/24/2026 2:04:45 PM

Artemis III PWNT!

Stay home!

2/27/2026 6:34:27 PM

^It is literally staying home now. As in, only going to low earth orbit. I have thoughts, but given how things have gone the last year I won't be posting them on a public forum. Happy to discuss via PM if anyone wants to though.

3/4/2026 9:36:40 AM

Quote :

"It is literally staying home now."

That was the joke!

3/4/2026 11:29:26 AM

I sent Wraith a PM and he just sent me his 30 page thesis on why Ed Baldwin should have landed on the moon during Apollo 10.

3/5/2026 10:00:25 AM

I would like to subscribe to your newsletter.

3/5/2026 12:06:55 PM

If Ed Baldwin had been commanding that mission, we would have one the space race on his bravado alone!

3/5/2026 5:03:37 PM

Quote :

"WOULD HAVE ONE"

3/5/2026 6:51:24 PM

WON

3/5/2026 8:43:59 PM

Doesn't take away from your overall point

3/6/2026 12:39:30 AM

^^
It's two late! The TWQ got you!

3/6/2026 6:34:20 AM

You win this thyme.

3/6/2026 9:15:46 AM

Knot on my watch!!!

3/6/2026 11:09:37 AM

April 1?

3/16/2026 5:03:36 PM

First day of what i read was 6 day window, and 4-1 is april fools. I somehow think not that date

3/17/2026 12:10:12 AM

Yep, flight readiness review passed last week and launch is currently planned as soon as the window opens on Apr 1.

3/17/2026 9:00:39 AM

Hopefully all goes well!

3/17/2026 9:38:41 AM

As someone who watched both Challenger AND Columbia live...

AMEN

3/17/2026 9:47:21 AM

Damn, you're old (Respectfully)

3/17/2026 10:47:29 AM

I think they should do it on Liberation (from Gravity) Day!

You guys remember Liberation Day last year?

Fun times!

3/17/2026 1:36:30 PM

Time to throw 20B at a moonbase will never be built!

Lunar Gateway was almost built (and it's part of what my mentor was working on at NASA) and now it's just scrapped? Some bullshit.

[Edited on March 25, 2026 at 8:49 AM. Reason : A]

3/25/2026 8:44:17 AM

20b for a moon base seems incredibly low imo

3/25/2026 9:25:14 AM

Need more than that to just to protect Jamestown moon base against walk-up Soviet attacks. Stay away from windows.

3/25/2026 11:20:30 AM

^^ it is, which virtually guarantees it won't ever get built

3/25/2026 12:34:17 PM

A lot of stuff to get done by the end of 2028.

3/25/2026 1:03:02 PM

Maybe we can be butlers at China's moon base or something.

3/25/2026 10:39:09 PM

Less than 4 days away

3/29/2026 9:04:32 AM

I hope this launches tomorrow and I have big egg on face! USA#1

3/31/2026 11:05:44 PM

Today is the day.

You'd think NCSU social media would be all over this considering the first woman to ever see the dark side of the moon is an NCSU alumna and it would be a pretty good reflection of the NCSU college of engineering. Admittedly I am not on too many social networking sites but all I see from NCSU is a post about the basketball coach and another one about the library.

4/1/2026 8:52:07 AM

Honestly, the media coverage in general has been lacking of the entire mission

4/1/2026 9:48:47 AM

Sidenote btw, here is the link for anyone who wants to watch live. Operations are being streamed all day right up through launch. Liftoff currently on track for 6:24pm EST.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m3kR2KK8TEs

4/1/2026 10:42:22 AM

CNN got a dedicated graphic on the screen

4/1/2026 11:29:19 AM

^^^^cnn showed a video where the 4 crew members were together and the black gentleman specifically said its not a woman thing etc. Plus trump doesn't like DEI stuff anyways

4/1/2026 1:10:59 PM

No, it isn't a woman thing. She got to where she is on her own achievements and hard work, regardless of gender. But the fact remains that she will be the first woman to do what she is doing. And depending on how the astronauts are arranged during lunar apoapsis, she could be the person that has traveled farthest from Earth in recorded history. And in general, not many NCSU grads have been around the moon.

4/1/2026 2:54:03 PM

Pausing clock? Cnn says pausing clock?

4/1/2026 6:15:30 PM

Almost missed it but caught the launch, still cool

4/1/2026 6:40:17 PM

Woooo

4/1/2026 6:45:30 PM

I love you USA

4/1/2026 6:46:56 PM

4/1/2026 6:47:09 PM

Fuck that was awesome

4/1/2026 6:47:19 PM

Picture perfect launch! I certainly breathed a sigh of relief after core stage sep. After that point, I knew all three of the major systems I had worked on had performed nominally. I will post some pictures when I am back on my desktop.

When people ask why it takes NASA so long to do these missions— this is why. When four lives are on board and you have very little funding, you gotta absolutely nail it the first time, every time.

4/1/2026 10:18:56 PM

Good job to Wraith and Ed Baldwin!

4/2/2026 6:52:25 AM

Good TLI!

4/2/2026 7:57:22 PM

We are go for landing from TWW Mission Control!

If they don't land Artemis II on the moon, they'll always regret it, China will win, and then we'll have to watch a whole 6-season show about what happens next.

4/3/2026 3:10:41 PM

4/3/2026 3:15:01 PM

Aurora, FTW!

4/3/2026 4:34:59 PM