A Busy Day Off-World

In keeping track of what’s been happening on Mars I noticed a Crew Dragon launch to the space station was approaching, and wondered whether I’d be able to watch it streaming. After getting up today, though, I saw that orbital mechanics wait for no one and the capsule had been launched overnight. (Comments that capsule had been used for the first launch with people on board leaves me wondering how many of them will be built, although I know there aren’t many of the Boeing capsules still working through problems from their first test flight.) Adding that up with the recent news a module on the Perseverance rover had made oxygen from Martian carbon dioxide, I went on with my day. My daily newspaper itself, though, was where I added a third bit of space news, this one involving the Ingenuity helicopter making its second flight.