Work on the Artemis II launch is currently underway by NASA. Here’s the latest – National
NASA is gearing up for its first space flight since the Apollo missions 50 years ago, with work underway to fuel the rocket that will launch astronauts into space within hours.
“The launch team at @NASAKennedy will begin fueling the Artemis II rocket,” NASA said Wednesday morning in a social media post.
“Teams at @NASAKennedy have begun slowly filling the Artemis II rocket with liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen. The process starts slow—then speeds up—to prevent cold viruses from harming the system.”
Those refueling efforts are now accelerating, NASA said shortly after 9 a.m.
“The rocket is now rapidly filling with liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen,” officials said. “When the core stage is fully loaded, it will contain 196,000 liters of liquid oxygen and 537,000 liters of liquid hydrogen.”
The four crew members will lift off Wednesday evening in the Orion spacecraft, with the first two-hour launch window for the Artemis II mission slated for a 6:24 p.m. eastern launch.
NASA said the launch day forecast showed an 80 percent chance of fair weather, with the main concern being “cumulus clouds, low winds, and mostly sunny weather.”
The 10-day mission is expected to take humans the farthest ever in space.
What is Artemis II’s job?
According to NASA, the mission of Artemis II is to “prove that Orion’s life support systems are ready to support crews on future missions and allow crews to practice missions critical to the success of Artemis III and beyond.”
Although the crew will not land on the moon, they will be flying around it and traveling nearly 250,000 miles in space, just surpassing the previous record of 248,655 miles set by Apollo 13 in 1970. The spacecraft will also travel about 4,600 miles beyond the moon.
Get the latest country news
Get the best Canadian news delivered to your inbox as it happens so you never miss a trending story.
When in the crew’s orbit, the moon will appear “about the size of a basketball held at arm’s length.”
While still close to Earth, the crew will also test the functionality of the life support systems needed to produce breathing air, as well as continue “testing the spacecraft’s systems, including practicing emergency procedures, testing a radiation shelter, participating in scientific research, and observing the Moon from the closest point humans have seen in more than 50 years.”
Jeff Spaulding, director of NASA’s Exploration Ground Systems program, said at a press conference Tuesday that the crew is “in high spirits” ahead of the launch.
“I think everyone is happy and understands the importance of this launch,” he said. “Our team has worked amazingly over the past few weeks and months trying to get this car to where it is.
“People are excited, and ready to continue this first chapter of our return to the moon since the 1970s.”
What is the mission of the Artemis program?
NASA says the Artemis mission “will allow astronauts to explore the Moon for scientific, economic benefits, and help build momentum for the first manned mission to Mars.”
Artemis II is the second of four missions in the Artemis program. Artemis I was an uncharted mission launched on Nov. 19, 2022, and lasted 25 days and flew twice around the moon.
The inactive spacecraft traveled about 1.4 million kilometers, providing the base needed for Artemis II to take off.
For the first two missions, NASA intends with Artemis III to launch crews into the Orion spacecraft “to test the coupling and docking capabilities between Orion and the autonomous spacecraft required to land astronauts on the Moon.” The project is scheduled to begin in 2027.
Artemis IV, the final installment of the mission, is scheduled to mark humanity’s return to the lunar surface in early 2028.
Who are the crew members on board Artemis II?
Part of the astronaut crew making the trip is Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen of London, Ont., who is the first Canadian and non-American on the mission. You will work as a mechanical technician.
The Canadian Space Agency from King Charles III ahead of the expected launch.
“I know that Canada’s participation in this daring project reflects decades of dedicated leadership and continued investment in space innovation, as well as the strength of international relationships that make these efforts successful,” read King’s statement.
“Therefore, as the first Canadian to walk on the Moon, you carry not only the hopes of your fellow Canadians and the Commonwealth, but also the aspirations of humanity itself.”
Hansen posted a video on his Instagram account Wednesday morning, giving a message to Canadians ahead of the launch.
“Canada, I’m thinking about you, and I hope you all see your greatness reflected in this trip around the moon,” he said. “I’m proud of you all.”
Calgary’s Jenni Gibbons will serve as Hansen’s backup if he can’t fly. He went through years of training similar to those in the rocket and during the mission, Gibbons will serve as a voice link in space from Earth.
California native Victor Glover is a pilot, previously serving as the pilot of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-1 mission to the International Space Station as part of Expedition 64.
Reid Wiseman was promoted to mission commander. He previously flew as a flight engineer on the International Space Station’s Expedition 41 from May to November 2014, logging more than 165 days in space.
Christina Koch works as an aircraft mechanic. She set the record for the longest space flight by a woman, with 328 days in space, while participating in the first-ever female spacewalk in 2019.
A variety of Canadian foods to space
The Canadian Space Agency has provided a list of Canadian foods that Hansen will eat throughout his mission.
To remind him of home, Jeremy will enjoy Canadian lavender superseed cereal, shrimp and rice curry, and keta wild salmon bites. But it wouldn’t be true Canadian cuisine without maple cream cakes and maple syrup on his menu!”
Goldy’s Strawberry lavender superseeds from Etiobicoke, Ont., and Turkey Hill Sugarbush Ltd. maple cream cookies. from Granby, Que., and Happy Yak’s shrimp curry and rice from Cowansville, Que.
Citadelle Maple Syrup Producers’ Cooperative’s 100% pure maple syrup comes from Plessisville, Que., and SeaChange Seafoods comes from Heriot Bay, BC
– via files from Global Aaron D’Andrea and The Associated Press.
