Ray Blanco:

Artemis II Moon Mission Successfully Launches

Artemis II, the first crewed mission to the moon in more than five decades, took off Wednesday evening, sending four astronauts on a historic 10-day mission.

NASA's last crewed mission to the moon, Apollo 17, launched in December 1972. Nearly 54 years later, astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen embarked on an expedition meant to pave the way for a future lunar base.

NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, topped with its Orion crew capsule, launched just before sunset at the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The mission will allow NASA to determine whether the aircraft is working successfully and whether the technology is prepared for expected launches in the coming years.

In February, NASA's new administrator, Jared Isaacman, announced a scheduling change for the agency and the new goal of having astronauts land on the moon by 2028.

As part of the new schedule, NASA plans to revise Artemis III's mission profile to allow an Orion spacecraft to launch in 2027, when it will rendezvous with the program's human landing system.

The following year, Artemis IV will launch. There is potential for at least two landings in 2028 and for a future "moon base" to be built.

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James Altucher:

Artemis II Mission's Quiet Upgrade: Custom Astronaut Suits

The four astronauts taking part in NASA's Artemis II moon mission wore bright orange spacesuits on the Orion spacecraft for Wednesday night's historic launch. Officially called the Orion Crew Survival System, NASA says the spacesuits can help keep astronauts alive if they lose cabin pressure.

"Astronauts could survive inside the suit for up to six days as they make their way back to Earth," the space agency explains on its website.

The suits are also equipped with survival gear should they have to exit the spacecraft after splashdown. Each suit comes with its own life preserver that includes a personal locator beacon, a rescue knife, and a signaling kit with a mirror, strobe light, flashlight, whistle and light sticks.

And the reason they're neon orange? "To make crew members easily visible in the ocean," NASA says.

The astronauts are also equipped with another spacesuit "that functions as a self-contained personal spaceship," and is designed to be worn outside the spacecraft.

The new spacesuits are another feature that makes Artemis II unlike any NASA mission that has come before it.

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Greg Guenthner:

Bitcoin Lingers Near Lower Bound of Trading Range Amid Conflict

Bitcoin traded near the lower bound of its more-than-a-month-long trading range today amid continued uncertainty about the fallout from the conflict in the Middle East.

Cryptocurrencies were lower across the board. Bitcoin – the largest by market value – dropped as much as 3.6% to $65,709 before paring the decline during New York trading. Ether fell as much as 5.9% and Solana dropped by a similar magnitude.

U.S. President Donald Trump pledged in a speech Wednesday to continue the war on Iran, rattling energy markets as there's little sign the Strait of Hormuz will reopen soon. Stocks and bonds fluctuated Thursday on expectations oil prices will stay higher for longer as U.S. benchmark WTI crude oil surged to more than $111 a barrel.

"Trump's latest comments on the war with Iran triggered a sharp selloff amid a lack of de-escalation signs," said Alex Kuptsikevich, chief market analyst at FxPro, adding that Bitcoin's price is consolidating at a range between $66,000 and $69,000.

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