The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) launched the Artemis II mission on April 1, sending a manned craft farther into space than man has ever travelled before and revisiting the moon for the first time in more than 50 years. Astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen were selected for the 10-day mission.
The mission aims for a successful lunar fly-by before returning to Earth. The Artemis missions feature the Space Launch System (SLS), inspired by the Saturn rocket design used in the Apollo missions to the moon. Instead of a shuttle mounted to the side of the fuel stages used for launch, seen used in missions for decades in flights like the fateful Columbia launch.
The SLS features a safer route for putting humans in space by the creation of the Orion Capsule, which sits atop the SLS instead of being fixed to the side. This allows for the Orion Capsule to potentially separate in the event of failure of the SLS, making the voyages safer for the astronauts inside.
NASA made history in more ways than one with this mission- not only is the voyage breaking the record for the distance man has travelled from the planet, but is also facilitating the following historic events:
-Glover, the pilot for the Artemis II mission, is the first person of color to leave low-Earth orbit
-Koch, a mission specialist, is the first woman to leave low-Earth orbit and approach the Moon
-Hansen, also a mission specialist, is an astronaut sent by the Canadian Space Administration- making him the first non-U.S. citizen to leave low-Earth orbit to approach the Moon
-Wiseman, the mission Commander, is the oldest person to leave low-Earth orbit to approach the Moon.
By the time of press, the Orion capsule has completed the lunar fly-by and is beginning its free-return trajectory back to Earth and is expected to re-enter the atmosphere and splash down in the Pacific Ocean near San Diego on Saturday.
