This mission includes the first woman and the first black person on a crewed mission to the Moon. The launch comes 53 years after Apollo 17, the last manned mission to the Moon.
The Artemis II crew would not land on the Moon (that would happen on Artemis IV). Instead, their capsule will fly to an altitude of 6,000 to 9,000 kilometers above the surface of the far side of the moon, circle it and begin the return journey to Earth. The main objective of the mission is to demonstrate that the space agency has the technical capability to send people to the Moon safely and without incident.
Once they achieve this, NASA will begin preparations for the moon landings in the next years, with the goal of establishing the first lunar bases in history and, with them, the continuous and sustainable presence of humans on the satellite.
The launch was successful and occurred on schedule. The launch window opened on Wednesday, April 1 at 6:24 p.m. Eastern Time (EDT) and could be extended by two hours if necessary. NASA will have five more days to attempt another launch.
mission statement
The astronauts flew on a NASA SLS rocket and are traveling inside the Orion capsule, which is described as a large van-shaped spacecraft. They will orbit the Earth for at least two days to test the onboard equipment. They will then align the spacecraft to begin their journey to the Moon. By the fifth or sixth day of flight, the capsule is expected to enter the Moon’s sphere of influence, where the satellite’s gravity is stronger than Earth’s, and dock with its orbit.
When the spacecraft passes behind the Moon, the most dangerous phase will begin. The crew will be out of contact with Earth for about 50 minutes due to interference from the Moon. During this critical moment, the crew must capture images and data from the Moon, taking advantage of technology far more advanced than that available during the Apollo era.
After completing the return, the capsule will head home, taking advantage of the Earth-Moon gravitational field to conserve fuel. According to NASA estimates, the crew will be close to reaching the planet by the 10th day of flight.
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