Did you see it? The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) sent a space crew to the moon! For the first time in 50 years, humans have gone back to see the moon on the Artemis II mission. So what’s up with the mission? Let’s chat.
What’s the point of the Artemis II mission?
As stated in the intro, the mission’s goal is to send humans to the moon. More specifically, the spacecraft has flown around the moon, so the crew saw the far side of the moon, which is not seen from earth. Now the spacecraft is heading back to earth. Further, this mission allows NASA to test their Orion spacecraft. At the cost of 24 billion dollars, NASA needs to know that everything on board Orion will work for future missions. The crew has reportedly run into some trouble with the toilet and Microsoft Outlook while traveling.
Who is on the mission?
The crew consists of four members.
Clockwise from bottom front are NASA Astronauts Reid Wiseman (commander), Christina Koch (mission specialist), Victor Glover (pilot), and Canadian Space Agency Astronaut Jeremy Hansen (mission specialist).
How long will the astronauts be gone?
The astronauts left April 1 and will return April 11, so they have a 10 day mission.
Why is this called Artemis II?
Artemis II is the second in a set of missions meant to allow humans to go back to the moon. Each mission is expected to be more and more complex as they plan the mission to Mars, a really big step in human space exploration. The name Artemis comes from the ancient Greek goddess with the same name. In Greek mythology, she is a goddess of many things including hunting, wilderness, chastity, and the moon. Her twin brother Apollo, also a Greek god, was the name sake for NASA’s previous set of moon missions back in the 1960’s and 1970s.
Wait, did I miss Artemis I?
Maybe. Like Artemis II, Artemis I was a mission to the moon. However, it was an uncrewed mission, so no humans went that time. Artemis I took off November 16, 2022 and returned to earth December 11, 2022. There was some hype around that mission, but you may have missed it as this mission seems to have gotten much more attention.
Has any other country sent missions to the moon?
Yes. The other countries include Russia, Japan, China, India, Israel, and South Korea. You may remember that in 2024 a joint mission by China and Pakistan was the first mission to collect samples from the far side of the moon. However, only the US has sent humans.
Explore More
Highlights: Artemis II astronauts circle the moon on record-breaking NASA mission
NASA’s Artemis II Crew Flies Around the Moon (Official Broadcast)
NASA to Artemis II: ‘Use a T-shirt to block the sunlight’ in our $24 billion spaceship
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