Fly me to the Moon… and then a near-Earth asteroid

Well this is interesting: NASA is launching a spacecraft to explore asteroids on Artemis I, the first test flight in their push to return to the Moon.

The spacecraft is called Near-Earth Asteroid, or NEA Scout, and get this: It’s using a solar sail as propulsion, the first interplanetary mission to do so!

OK, first: Artemis I is a full-up test flight of the Space Launch System (or SLS) and Orion capsule. It will be uncrewed, and will send Orion into orbit around the Moon for a week or so befor...