Listen With Others

What might DIVERSIONS be hinting at? Aha! Various (‘DIVERS’) + IO (crosswordy moon word) + N-S. The puzzle is clearly about the various attempts to explore the Moon – both North and South.

In across rows I can find:

• ZOND in Row 9. Zond 4 thru 8 were testflights for the Soviet Moonshot
• TESS appears in Row 1, disguised as the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS)
• EBB, part of NASA’s Gravity Recovery & Interior Laboratory, that impacted the moon in 2011 is on Row 2
• LADEE NASA’s 2013 craft is on Row 3
• LUNA on Row 4
• APOLLO of course on Row 5
• ARTEMIS, the NASA 2007 ORBITER (see Row 11)
• ISEE, which had several lunar flybys on its way to comet 21P/Giacobini-Zinner

I am sure I must have missed some. I’ve read elsewhere that this might be something about Olympians but clearly those solvers have missed Dysart’s subtle misdirection. Errm … maybe 😉

Cheers all,

Tim / Encota