Space photo of the day for June 19, 2025
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With the upcoming Artemis 2 mission slated for launch in April 2026, the crew members practice all scenarios, including the worst cases.
Crew members assigned to the Artemis 2 mission practice with mannequins inside the Crew Module Test Article (CMTA), a full-scale mockup of the Orion spacecraft, as it falls into Floridian waters as a part of a recovery procedure for a launch pad abort scenario.
The module was recovered off the coast of Florida near the agency's Kennedy Space Center.
The Artemis 2 mission is part of a decades long legacy in NASA's attempts to return to the moon. It will be the "first crewed mission on NASA's path to establishing a long-term presence at the moon, according to NASA.
Building on the work of the Artemis 1 mission, which launched in 2022, Artemis 2 will send four crew members aboard the Orion spacecraft around the moon for 10 days. During this time the crew will be able to test the spacecraft to all the systems operate to keep humans alive in the deep space environment.
Unfortunately, there are many things that can happen to stop the launch from happening, and the crew needs to be prepared for all scenarios. Working with the Department of Defense, along with NASA's flight control teams, the Artemis 2 crew members rehearse a launch pad abort scenario, using mannequins. While the mission is still several months away, running through all emergency procedures allows the team to be as prepared as possible for launch day.
You can read more about the Artemis 2 mission and returning to the moon as the project's launch date gets closer.
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