Historic Artemis II Mission a Success

The Artemis II lunar flyby under the NASA-led Artemis program has been proven a success after the spacecraft exited Earth and flew back in 10 days.

Artemis II marks the second stage of the Artemis program, following the uncrewed lunar-orbit of Artemis I. The goal of the Artemis program is to establish a long-term human presence on the Moon, including the construction of a Moon base for human habitation and long term stationing for scientific studies.

The first lunar flyby attended by astronauts in 50 years, the Orion spacecraft was set to launch on a 10-day crewed flyby around the Moon, starting on April 1st and ending on April 11th. The Orion spacecraft was created by NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, which was launched from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

The astronauts on board were Victor Glover, Christina Koch,  Jeremy Hansen, and Reid Wiseman. The event was live-streamed on YouTube.

“The first thing I would say is, Trust us, you look amazing. You look beautiful. You also look like one thing. Homo sapiens is all of us, no matter where you’re from or what you look like. We’re all one people,” Glover said on April 3rd of the mission. 

Onboard the Orion spacecraft, basic amenities for the astronauts were provided, such as a toilet and a self hygiene area. Due to the conditions of space, the astronauts were expected to exercise for 30 minutes per day to keep their bodies fit.

Food within the Orion was prepared to match each of the astronauts’ preferences. Sleeping bags were attached to the walls of the Orion, and the astronauts were expected to sleep for eight hours per day, like a regular human on Earth should.

Around 8:07 p.m. EDT, the Orion crew module fell into the Pacific Ocean, off the coast of San Diego. It entered the atmosphere at 25,000 mph, withstanding temperatures of 5,000°F. The module was picked up by the U.S.S. John P. Murtha.

The next step of the Artemis program, Artemis III, is scheduled for mid-2027. The goal of Artemis III will be putting humans back on the Moon.