I've been having some fun writing eerily reflective headlines on my Moon Monday newsletter about the clumsy progress of NASA’s SLS rocket.

• NASA’s Moon rocket crawls to the launchpad

• NASA’s Moon rocket just won’t move fast enough

• The SLS rocket’s wet dress rehearsal comes out dry

My job as a space writer isn’t to be a blind cheerleader for whatever space agencies and research institutes say about their missions and programs. I also need to assess and inform people at large about if and how things are progressing, especially when taxpayer money is involved. I love NASA’s Artemis Moon plans overall but for a crufty rocket that’s not only years late but also billions of dollar over budget, some harsh reality checks are warranted.