E-Paper
What is NASA's Artemis 2? Everything you need to know about the historic moon mission
NASA’s Artemis 2 mission will send astronauts around the moon for the first time in over 50 years.
For the first time in more than 50 years, humans are preparing to travel near the moon again. NASA’s Artemis 2 mission will send four astronauts on a journey around the moon, marking a major step in returning people to the lunar surface.
What is Artemis 2 and why does it matter?
Artemis 2 is the second mission in NASA’s Artemis program, which began during Donald Trump’s first term. The main goal of this program is to send American astronauts back to the moon for the first time since the Apollo 17 mission in 1972.
This mission will not land on the moon, but it is very important. It will help NASA test the technology, equipment, and flight path needed for future missions that will land astronauts on the moon.
The mission is also special for another reason. The four astronauts will travel farther from Earth than any human has ever gone. They will go as far as 6,000 miles above the moon’s surface. From that distance, they will be able to see parts of the far side of the moon that even Apollo astronauts never saw.
NASA says that from so far away, the moon will look about the size of a basketball held at arm’s length.
Also Read: New ‘Shear Ratio’ approach refines cosmic measurements
When is the launch?
NASA is aiming to launch Artemis 2 on April 1, with a two-hour window starting at 6:24pm ET. If there are delays due to weather or technical issues then the backup launch dates are available from April 2 to April 6 and again on April 30.
The mission was earlier planned for February but was delayed due to hydrogen fuel leaks and helium flow issues in the Space Launch System rocket.
The rocket and the Orion capsule
The astronauts will travel to space on NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) which is a very large rocket about 322 feet tall. It was built by Boeing and Northrop Grumman. Even though it is a little shorter than the old Saturn V rocket used during the Apollo missions, it is still more powerful. It produces 8.8 million pounds of thrust when it launches which makes it the most powerful rocket NASA has ever used.
On top of this rocket is the Orion crew capsule which is built by Lockheed Martin. This is where the astronauts will sit during the mission. The capsule is not very big, it’s about 11 feet tall and 16.5 feet wide but it has modern technology and strong safety features. It even has special storage to protect astronauts from harmful solar radiation.
The mission will launch from Launch Complex 39B at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Another launch site is Launch Complex 39A which is famous for the Apollo 11 mission and is currently closed because SpaceX is working there on its Starship rocket.
Who is on board?
Four astronauts will go on this mission. They arrived in Florida on March 27 and are staying in quarantine before the launch:
Reid Wiseman- He is the mission commander (the leader of the team). And he is from Baltimore and has been to space before in 2014 on a Russian Soyuz rocket to the International Space Station.
Victor Glover - He is the pilot from California and he went to space in 2020 on a SpaceX mission. He will become the first Black astronaut to travel near the moon.
Christina Koch- She is a mission specialist from Michigan and has already been to the International Space Station in 2019. She will become the first woman to travel close to the moon.
Jeremy Hansen- He is also a mission specialist from Canada. This will be his first time going to space, and he will become the first Canadian to travel near the moon.
After completing their journey, the spacecraft will use Earth’s gravity to return home. The Orion capsule will re-enter Earth’s atmosphere, deploy parachutes, and land in the Pacific Ocean near California.
What comes next after Artemis 2?
NASA’s Artemis program aims to return astronauts to the moon for the first time since 1972 and eventually build a base near the moon’s south pole where water ice may be available.
Future missions are already planned. Artemis 3 astronauts are expected to dock with commercial lunar landers in 2027, while a moon landing could happen as early as 2028 during Artemis 4.
NASA hopes that human landings on the moon could happen more often after Artemis 5.
