Thought of the Day: The Files Are Out. Now What?

On May 8, 2026, the U.S. government released decades of classified UAP files to the public. For many, this was a bombshell. For me, it felt like the first drop of a very long rain—a rain we’ve been promised, denied, and ridiculed about for more than eighty years. After decades of “nothing to see here,” suddenly there is something to see, and we’re being told it’s real. But only a drop at a time.

I’ve been fascinated by this topic for years—not because I believe in little green men, but because the questions it raises are some of the deepest a human being can ask. Who are we? Are we alone? And if we are not alone, what does that actually mean for how we live?

After sitting with these files, the whistleblower testimonies, the old myths, and the new theories, I find myself not with answers, but with better questions. And I think that’s exactly where we should be right now. The discomfort of not knowing is, in a strange way, the most honest place to stand.

Looking at the possibilities emerging from all of this, I can see at least four broad scenarios—and none of them are comfortable.

First, beings that mean us harm. Whether we call it slavery, resource extraction, or something darker dressed in the language of ancient demons, the result is the same: an encounter that leaves us diminished, injured, or afraid. What makes this narrative dangerous is how easily it can be weaponized. When a public figure calls these phenomena “demons from hell,” I don’t just hear a warning—I hear the opening notes of a crusade. And a crusade does not negotiate, does not distinguish between varieties of intelligence, and rarely ends with the best of us in charge.

Second, beings that offer help with hidden conditions. They arrive with gifts—technology, healing, protection from the other group—but the gifts come with a leash. Sign here, trust us, accept our framework, and we will save you. The chain might not be made of iron. It might be made of silk, woven from every solution we are desperate for. The danger isn’t invasion; it’s dependency. It’s waking up generations later to find we have forgotten how to solve our own problems, how to be our own civilization.

Third, beings that are simply passing through, indifferent to our existence entirely. They are here for a reason that has nothing to do with us. They are not hostile; they are not saviors. They are travelers on a highway, and we are a stone by the roadside they have never thought to notice. This might be the quietest wound of all. Not that we are threatened, not that we are enslaved, but that something ancient and wise is right next to us—and we will never know what being alive meant to them. A locked library floating through our skies, forever silent.

Fourth, something from beyond our dimension of reality, leaking into ours in ways we are only beginning to perceive. Perhaps they are observing an experiment. Perhaps our universe is a kind of simulation, and they are the programmers checking in on the runtime. Perhaps their “leak” is not even intentional—just a natural law we don’t yet understand. This possibility reminds us how young our science still is, and how much of what we call impossible is simply not yet measured.

What strikes me most, looking at these four possibilities, is what is missing from our public conversation. I hear no powerful voice saying, “They are here to say hello.” I hear no serious official exploring the possibility that some of these intelligences might be curious observers, not demons or manipulators. The loudest narratives are the ones that push us toward fear, dependency, or crusade—and that should make us deeply suspicious. Who benefits when we are herded into only threat-based interpretations?

But here is what I keep coming back to, and what I want to offer you as a place to stand: regardless of which scenario turns out to be true, or which mix of them, or something we haven’t yet imagined—we are still human. The best and worst of us is still ours. We are still the ones who choose, every day, whether to be cruel or kind, curious or closed, generous or grasping. No outside force, however ancient or advanced, changes that responsibility. That’s not naivety. It’s a refusal to let our moral center be held hostage by a revelation we did not ask for.

I don’t know if God made us, or if we are a beautiful accident of evolution, or if we are part of a design so vast we cannot see its edges. And I don’t need to know that to know that we are capable of looking for the best in ourselves. Not a perfect version, not a hall-of-fame version—just the version that faces uncertainty without immediately reaching for a sword or signing away its soul.

I invite you to explore these ideas with me. Not to arrive at certainty, but to sit with the uncertainty together. To ask better questions. To notice which narratives make us afraid and which ones make us curious. And to figure out—while we wait for the universe to reveal itself, drop by drop—what kind of humans we want to be.

Thought of the Day: The Golden Thread of Mustard

It started with a simple question: where does mustard come from? It seemed straightforward—a condiment, a flavor, something in a jar. But pulling on that thread carried me across three thousand years of human history.

From the Mediterranean fields where wild mustard first grew, to the Egyptian tombs where seeds were placed beside the dead, to the Roman kitchens where cooks ground those seeds with grape must and called it mustum ardens—the burning must. The Greeks used it as medicine. The Romans spread it across their empire. Medieval popes loved it so much they created entire offices dedicated to its preparation. And somewhere along the way, this humble plant found its place in the kitchens of China, India, Africa, and eventually every corner of the world.

A flavor that traveled along the Silk Road and in the holds of galleons. That nourished emperors, healers, and peasants. That became ritual, remedy, and rebellion—all in a single spoonful.

What struck me wasn’t just the history—it was the continuity. A flavor that traveled trade routes for millennia, that fed emperors and healers, that wove itself into the fabric of human culture.

And now, as we reach toward the Moon and Mars, I find myself wondering: will mustard seeds travel with us? Will a future Martian kitchen contain this ancient plant, this thread connecting us back to Mediterranean farmers we will never know?

Because in the end, space exploration isn’t only about technology, rockets, or pressurized habitats. It is culture in motion. It is the continuity of our stories, our flavors, our traditions. It is the possibility that a plant born under the Mediterranean sun might one day grow beneath a lunar dome or season a meal on Mars.

That is the real wonder: that when we travel to other worlds, we carry not only tools but traditions. We are not merely trying to survive; we are bringing with us the full essence of who we are. Mustard, like so many other plants, is a quiet reminder that humanity’s expansion into space is also an expansion of identity.

Perhaps, when someone in a distant future opens a small jar of mustard in a Martian habitat, they won’t just be tasting an ancient flavor. They will be participating in a story that began thousands of years ago, in a Mediterranean field, with a plant that never imagined it would travel so far.

Artemis II – Day 8 (April 8, 2026)

 Almost there—Integrity is heading home!

The crew—Wiseman, Glover, Koch, and Hansen—woke up to the sounds of "Under Pressure" (Queen & Bowie) while 200,278 miles from Earth and 83,549 miles from the Moon, on their way home.

Day's Highlights

Health and Exercise

Exercise session using the flywheel (a cable system for aerobics and resistance training), part of the daily fitness regimen.

Anti-Orthostatic Suit Test

All four crew members evaluated the lower-body compression garment worn underneath the Orion survival suit. Its function is to combat orthostatic intolerance—dizziness or fainting upon standing—after prolonged periods in microgravity.

Manual Control of Orion (~10:55 p.m. EDT)

The crew will manually pilot the capsule into a "tail-to-Sun" attitude, testing the guidance, navigation, and control systems while managing temperature and power generation.

Press Conference (~10:45 p.m. EDT)

Media representatives will have the opportunity to speak with the crew following their historic lunar flyby.

Splashdown Preparations

The crew will begin stowing equipment and installing their seats in preparation for reentry.

The demonstration of the radiation shielding deployment was canceled to prioritize cabin preparations.

Scheduled Splashdown: Friday, April 10, at 8:07 p.m. EDT off the coast of San Diego.

Live coverage begins at 6:30 p.m. on NASA+, Amazon Prime, Netflix, Apple TV, HBO Max, and more.

Artemis II – Day 7: Goodbye Moon, Hello Earth (April 7, 2026)

A Day of Perfect Transition: From Lunar History to the Reality of Return

The crew woke up to the sounds of "Tokyo Drifting" by Glass Animals and Denzel Curry—236,022 miles from Earth and 36,286 miles from the Moon. The journey home had begun.

Highlights:

Departure from the Lunar Sphere of Influence

At 1:23 p.m., Orion officially crossed the 41,072-mile threshold from the Moon, exiting its gravitational sphere. From that moment on, it is Earth that "pulls" them in. A subtle yet symbolically powerful milestone—the Moon lets them go, and Earth reclaims them.

First Images of the Flyby

The White House and NASA shared the first photographs from the flyby: the "Earthset" (Earth sinking below the lunar horizon) and the solar eclipse as seen from Orion. Images destined to become icons of this mission.

Historic Call Between Spacecraft

The Artemis II crew held a 15-minute call with the Expedition 74 astronauts aboard the ISS—Jessica Meir, Jack Hathaway, Chris Williams, and Sophie Adenot. A conversation between humans at two very different points in space—something that has occurred very rarely in history.

Lunar Scientific Debriefing

At 3 p.m., the crew met with the ground-based science team to share their impressions of the flyby while the details were still fresh. Scientists are eager to analyze observations, images, and data regarding the six meteoroid impact flashes detected during the eclipse.

First Return Burn

At 8:03 p.m.—one hour ahead of schedule—Orion fired its thrusters for just 15 seconds, changing its velocity by 1.6 feet per second. Brief in duration, significant in meaning: the first of three correction burns that will guide the crew back home. Koch and Hansen monitored the systems during the maneuver.

The USS John P. Murtha is Underway

The recovery ship has already set sail for the rendezvous point in the Pacific, preparing for the final splashdown. The logistics of the return are in motion.

Preparing for the Physical Return

On Flight Day 8, the crew will test orthostatic tolerance garments—specialized clothing that helps maintain blood pressure and circulation during readaptation to Earth's gravity. After weeks in microgravity, the human body needs assistance remembering how to function under weight.

Artemis II – Day 6: The Great Lunar Flyby (April 6, 2026)

 A day for the history books, filled with emotion—and Nutella.

The crew—Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen—completed the first crewed lunar flyby since Apollo 17 in 1972.

Key Moments:

The day began with a pre-recorded message from Jim Lovell, Apollo 8 and 13 astronaut, recorded prior to his passing in 2025—a truly moving passing of the torch between generations.

“Hello, Artemis II! This is Apollo astronaut Jim Lovell. Welcome to my old neighborhood! When Frank Borman, Bill Anders, and I orbited the Moon on Apollo 8, we got humanity’s first up-close look at the Moon and got a view of the home planet that inspired and united people around the world. I’m proud to pass that torch on to you — as you swing around the Moon and lay the groundwork for missions to Mars … for the benefit of all. It’s a historic day, and I know how busy you’ll be. But don’t forget to enjoy the view. So, Reid, Victor, Christina, and Jeremy, and all the great teams supporting you  – good luck and Godspeed from all of us here on the good Earth.”

Jim Lovell

Gemini VII, Gemini XII, Apollo 8, and Apollo 13 Astronaut

At 1:56 p.m., the crew surpassed the record for distance from Earth set by Apollo 13 in 1970 (248,655 miles). Jeremy Hansen immortalized the moment with words challenging this generation—and the next—not to let that record stand for very long.

At 7:00 p.m., Orion reached its closest point to the Moon—just 4,067 miles above the surface—during a communications blackout lasting approximately 40 minutes. Two minutes later, they reached their maximum distance from Earth: 252,756 miles—a new absolute record for human exploration.

During the flyby, the crew observed and photographed craters, ancient lava flows, rifts, and ridges on the lunar far side, reporting color nuances that will help scientists understand the mineral composition of the surface. They also proposed provisional names for two craters: "Integrity" (in honor of their spacecraft) and "Carroll" (in honor of Wiseman's late wife).

The day culminated with a solar eclipse—lasting nearly an hour—viewed from space; during this event, the crew studied the solar corona and detected six flashes from meteoroid impacts on the lunar surface—an extremely rare and scientifically valuable phenomenon.

As the day drew to a close, the crew spoke live with President Trump and NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman.

The Best Quotes of the Day

“As we prepare to go out of radio communication, we’re still going to feel your love from Earth. And to all of you down there on Earth and around Earth, we love you, from the Moon. We will see you on the other side.”

Victor Glover

Artemis II Pilot

“As we surpass the furthest distance humans have ever traveled from planet Earth, we do so in honoring the extraordinary efforts and feats of our predecessors in human space exploration. We will continue our journey even further into space before Mother Earth succeeds in pulling us back to everything that we hold dear. But we most importantly choose this moment to challenge this generation and the next to make sure this record is not long-lived.”

Jeremy Hansen

Canadian Space Agency (CSA) Astronaut and Artemis II Mission Specialist

Artemis II – Day 5: Preparations for the Great Flyby (April 5, 2026)

 So, Day 5 was essentially the perfect prelude: suits tested, trajectory fine-tuned, objectives assigned, and the Moon already "pulling" at Orion. Everything was set for history!

The day began to the tune of "Working Class Heroes" by CeeLo Green, with the crew approximately 65,235 miles from the Moon, and featuring a special message from Charlie Duke, an Apollo 16 astronaut—who recalled that he and John Young had named their lunar module "Orion" back in 1972, thereby bringing a beautiful historical circle to a close.

The day's three highlights:

1. Survival Suit Testing (OCSS)

The four astronauts completed a full sequence of tests with the Orion Crew Survival System suit: pressurization, leak checks, seat entry simulations, and evaluations of mobility, nutrition, and hydration in microgravity. These suits protect the crew during the dynamic phases of flight and in the event of cabin depressurization.

2. Trajectory Correction

At 11:03 p.m., the crew executed a trajectory correction burn lasting just 17.5 seconds to fine-tune their path toward the Moon. The two previous burns had been canceled because the trajectory was already virtually perfect.

3. Receipt of Final Scientific Objectives

The crew received the definitive list of 30 lunar targets to observe during the flyby, including the Orientale Basin (~600 miles in diameter, 3.8 billion years old) and the Hertzsprung Basin (~400 miles); comparing these two features will help scientists understand how craters evolve over geological time.

The day concluded with Orion entering the Moon's gravitational sphere of influence at 12:41 a.m. ...of April 6—the moment when lunar gravity becomes the dominant force acting on the spacecraft. The stage was set for the big day.

Artemis II – Day 4: Piloting in Deep Space (April 4, 2026)

A day full of applied science, practical engineering, and little reminders that living in a spacecraft the size of two minivans has its challenges. All set for the big day!

The crew was awakened by "Pink Pony Club" by Chappell Roan—with Orion already 169,000 miles from Earth and 110,700 miles from the Moon. Now closer to the Moon than to home.

Highlights:

Manual Piloting Demonstration

The most technically exciting moment of the day: Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen took the controls of Orion in deep space for 41 minutes, testing two propulsion modes—six degrees of freedom and three degrees of freedom—to provide engineers with real-world data on the spacecraft's handling far from Earth. Wiseman and Glover will repeat the demo on Day 8 to broaden the perspective—data that will prove valuable for future long-duration missions.

Review of Lunar Science Objectives

The crew reviewed the preliminary list of geological features to be photographed and described during the flyby. A key difference compared to the Apollo missions: those flew at ~70 miles from the surface; Orion will pass at 4,066 miles—much farther away, but with the advantage of viewing the entire lunar disk at once, including the poles.

Second Corrective Burn Canceled... and a Plumbing Problem

Just like on Day 3, the second correction burn was also canceled due to a perfect trajectory. Instead, the team reoriented the spacecraft, pointing a vent toward the Sun to thaw a potential blockage in the wastewater drain line. The toilet was functional, but the crew had backup devices on hand just in case. The second time on the mission that the waste management system has caused a bit of trouble!

Optical Communications: Record Broken

Orion's laser communications system surpassed 100 gigabytes of data transmitted to Earth, including high-resolution images. This infrared technology transmits much more data than traditional radio-frequency systems—a crucial test in preparation for future missions to Mars.

Deep Space Science

The AVATAR payload continued monitoring bone marrow cells derived from the crew's blood to study how the immune system reacts to deep space. The crew also collected saliva samples and continued using actigraphy devices—small, watch-like sensors—to monitor health and sleep. The German DLR’s M-42 radiation sensors also operated normally.

And as a fun side note: the crew took selfies using one of the external cameras located on Orion’s solar panels.