Latest news with #Artemis2
Yahoo
31-07-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Artemis 2 astronauts stress importance of their moon mission as NASA faces budget, workforce cuts: 'We have to move the needle.'
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — The four astronauts of NASA's Artemis 2 mission don't hide from the fact that their mission comes at a pivotal time for the space agency. "We do not shy away from the reality that we are in," Artemis 2 mission commander Reid Wiseman told reporters today (July 30) here at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Wiseman spoke with media alongside mission pilot Victor Glover, mission specialist Christina Koch, and mission specialist Jeremy Hansen of the Canadian Space Agency. The four astronauts are scheduled to launch on NASA's Artemis 2 mission around the moon no earlier than April 2026 after several delays. NASA faces a significant cut to its 2026 budget — a potential loss of up to 24% of its total funding that would cancel more than 40 current and upcoming missions. In addition, nearly 4,000 employees are leaving the agency after opting in to a deferred resignation program, reducing the agency's workforce by more than 20%. Another 500 employees have left this year, and all in all, NASA's workforce is projected to shrink by about 21% by Jan. 9, 2026. And the crew of Artemis 2 have been feeling the losses. "It does hurt to lose friends," Wiseman told reporters today, while also stressing that the crew believes the necessary personnel are still in place to prepare hardware and training for Artemis 2. "We have said goodbye to some really good friends, but at the end of the day, we absolutely have the team across the board right now to finish." But the Artemis 2 commander underscored that his crew remains focused on proving that the investment in space exploration is worth it during a time when more and more flagship NASA programs are on the chopping block and agency employees describe NASA as being "under attack." "How do we get the leaders to care, our elected officials to care?" Wiseman said. "We don't know what a year from now is going to look like, a year and a half from now, but we know exactly what we have to do for the next six months, and we're a part of a team that is focused and knows what we have to do." The Trump White House has proposed ending NASA's Artemis program of planned moon missions after Artemis 3., which is currently scheduled to lift off in mid-2027. Wiseman said today that the proposal only fuels the crew to execute their mission when the time comes. "And so we are clear-eyed on making Artemis 2 a success," Wiseman said. "And that's the best way to get them to care, to invest and to decide and change behaviors, and it also is the best way to ensure that there may be something beyond Artemis 3. And so I think those are tied together." Aside from budgetary and workforce uncertainty, the crew also touched upon the issues the Artemis 2 mission's Orion spacecraft faced on its maiden voyage in late 2022, the uncrewed Artemis 1 mission to lunar orbit. The spacecraft's heat shield experienced unexpected levels of charring upon reentry, causing pieces of it to burn away. Some third-party safety groups flagged the heat shield issues as too risky for a human crew. But Glover says that the agency's own review process has given the crew full confidence in their spacecraft. "A lot of those are outsiders that haven't been in these meetings from day one and met the team and looked them in the eye and shook their hands at the ends of these meetings," Glover said today. "But the other thing is, I don't want to discount the things that they said. Anytime you talk about fire, anytime you talk about entry and heat shields, you talk about parachutes, these are high risk things that sometimes don't have fault tolerance built in. They have to work. "And so I appreciate all of that nudging and poking and prodding that they've caused. They have made us sharpen our pencils and put more due diligence, more vigilance into that process." Koch echoed Glover's confidence, adding that the "appropriate skepticism" is ultimately why the crew feels comfortable with the craft's heat shield. "This should be characterized as a true American success story," Hansen added. "I mean, this country now knows things about heat shield technology it didn't know it didn't know. And that's like, that's the art — that's when you know you're pushing the boundaries." Aside from the lessons learned from the Orion spacecraft's heat shield, Koch said Artemis 1 has taught the crew the importance of vigilance. NASA hailed Artemis 1 as a success, but Koch said that success came with a price. "The huge success of Artemis 1 is actually something we need to think about as a risk or even a threat to Artemis 2, because we have to keep our vigilance up," she said. "So I would say one of the things we learned is that, despite our successes, we have to keep asking hard questions, and we have to keep tracing down things that are acting like we don't expect." Related Stories: — NASA's Artemis program: Everything you need to know — NASA's Artemis 2 mission: Everything you need to know — Meet the 4 astronauts flying on NASA's Artemis 2 moon mission Ultimately, despite the troubles facing the agency and the issues with Orion's heat shield, the crew of Artemis 2 said today that they are focused on proving to the world that NASA and the United States are capable of once again returning humans to the moon, a milestone that could someday put the agency on a path to Mars. Glover described how the Artemis 2 crew will be able to look down upon areas of the moon never seen before by human eyes, a feat that all of humanity can share in. "The weight of that idea really hit me a couple of weeks ago walking out of building nine, where we had a giant inflatable moon, and we were practicing, from the medium-fidelity mockup, taking pictures and making observations. And that just it hit me as I walked out of there, going: 'Wow, we have to move the needle.'" Solve the daily Crossword
Gizmodo
02-07-2025
- Science
- Gizmodo
Rocket Engines That Flew 22 Space Shuttle Missions Are Ready for NASA's Next Moon Mission
NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) is ready to fly with its four shuttle-era engines. The rocket, outfitted with the RS-25 engines, recently passed a critical milestone that put the integrated system to the test, using a decades-old design on a new launch vehicle. NASA teams successfully completed the RS-25 engine checkout tests at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, ensuring seamless communication between the SLS core stage and its engines ahead of the first crewed mission to the lunar environment in more than 50 years. Three of the four engines being used for the upcoming Artemis 2 mission have already flown a combined 22 missions as part of NASA's iconic Shuttle program, which ran from 1981 to 2011, while one engine will be making its launch debut. 'I learned during the Space Shuttle program to listen to the engines,' Bill Muddle, RS-25 field engineer, said in a statement. 'The engines talk to you, and you have to listen and understand what they are telling you to ensure they operate properly. They will tell you if they are in ill health and need to be tweaked or if a component is having an issue and needs to be replaced. Based on the [Program Specific Engineering Test], the engines all indicated they were healthy and ready for the pad.' The RS-25 engines were built by L3 Harris Technologies' Aerojet Rocketdyne division for the shuttle project, and NASA has a total of four contracts with the company. SLS Block 1, which launched the Artemis 1 mission in November 2022 and is meant to launch Artemis 2 and 3, is powered by four RS-25 engines in its core stage, along with two solid rocket boosters. Three of the four engines that are currently being used to power SLS for Artemis 2 were part of significant milestones in the Space Shuttle program. Engine 2047 flew on the final shuttle mission on July 21, 2011, while engine 2059 flew on the program's penultimate flight. Engine 2061 was part of the mission that assisted the assembly of the International Space Station. Engine 2062, on the other hand, is a newbie, ready to make its inaugural flight. 'Every day I come to work knowing that the RS-25 field engineering team has to take care of these engines, because we know we have humans riding in Orion on top of this vehicle and these engines have to perform flawlessly,' Muddle said. 'The lives of our astronauts are in the RS-25 team's hands for the eight and a half minutes those engines are firing during launch.' The 5.75-million-pound SLS uses components from NASA's Space Shuttle program, including solid rocket boosters built by Northrop Grumman, as a way to improve its affordability. NASA's original thought process, however, did not pan out too well. The launch vehicle has already gone $6 billion over budget, with the projected cost of each SLS rocket being $144 million more than anticipated. That would increase the overall cost of a single Artemis launch to at least $4.2 billion, according to a report released in 2024 by the office of NASA's inspector general. The giant Moon rocket faces uncertainty under the current administration's proposed budget, which laid out a plan to phase out SLS and its Orion capsule and replace them with commercial substitutes. This week, however, the Senate approved a budget reconciliation bill that would allocate an additional $6 billion to Artemis' current mission architecture. If signed into law, the legislation may just give SLS, and its shuttle-era engines, a fighting chance.
Yahoo
20-06-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Space photo of the day for June 19, 2025
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. 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.
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Space photo of the day for May 7, 2025
Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Generate Key Takeaways When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. NASA and Lockheed Martin officials pose together during a handover ceremony for the Artemis 2 Orion spacecraft at Kennedy Space Center in Florida on May 1, 2025. | Credit: NASA/Cory S. Huston With the completion of its assembly and testing of the first Orion spacecraft set to fly astronauts to the moon, Lockheed Martin transferred possession of the Artemis 2 capsule to NASA's Exploration Ground Systems team. What is it? A modern spacecraft deserves a modern set of keys, so when it came time to hand over the Artemis 2 spacecraft to NASA, Lockheed Martin presented the space agency's Exploration Ground Systems team with a ceremonial enlarged key fob, complete with Artemis 2 mission patch key ring dongle. From the left to right: Kelvin Manning, acting director of NASA's Kennedy Space Center; Shawn Quinn, Exploration Ground Systems program manager; Lakiesha Hawkins, assistant deputy associate administrator, Moon to Mars Program office; Howard Hu, Orion program manager; Debbie Korth, Orion deputy program manager. Where is it? The May 1, 2025, handover ceremony took place inside the Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The Artemis 2 Orion spacecraft was then moved to the Multi-Payload Processing Facility three days later to undergo fueling and processing for prelaunch operations. Why is it amazing? Beyond the fun fob, the Artemis 2 Orion is the first spacecraft in more than 50 years to begin launch preparations to fly astronauts to the moon. The mission will see NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch together with Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen fly around the moon, possibly flying further away from Earth than any human has ever done so. "This achievement is a testament to our employees and suppliers who have worked tirelessly to get us to this important milestone," said Kirk Shireman, vice president of Human Space Exploration and Orion program manager at Lockheed Martin, in a statement. "The Orion spacecraft completion for Artemis 2 is a major step forward in our nation's efforts to develop a long-term lunar presence." "It's exciting to think that soon, humans will see the Earth rise over the lunar horizon from our vehicle," he said. Want to know more? You can read more about the Artemis 2 Orion spacecraft hand over to NASA and the latest about the assembly of the mission's Space Launch System (SLS) rocket. You can also read about the mission's patch as reproduced as part of the ceremonial key fob.
Yahoo
06-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
NASA just got the Orion spacecraft that will fly astronauts around the moon on Artemis 2 in 2026
Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Generate Key Takeaways When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. The Orion spacecraft for NASA's Artemis 2 astronaut mission was officially handed over to NASA for launch processing on May 1, 2025. | Credit: Lockheed Martin The next spacecraft to fly humans around the moon has been delivered to the only space agency on Earth to ever successfully fly astronauts to our nearest celestial neighbor. Orion, the capsule that will carry the Artemis 2 astronauts on a mission around the moon and back, has been officially handed over to NASA. The agency took possession of Orion from the spacecraft's main contractor, Lockheed Martin, on Thursday (May 1), according to a statement from the company. Now, Orion will be transported to the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida. It will undergo final tests and processing ahead of incorporation with the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket that will send the spacecraft and its crew into orbit. SLS is currently being stacked inside NASA's Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at KSC, which will the last stop for both the rocket and Orion before rolling out to the launch pad. SLS's interim cryogenic propulsion stage (ICPS) was transported to the VAB on April 15, NASA said in a post last month. In addition to validating Orion's development tests and checkouts, Lockheed Martin was responsible for upgrading the life support and other systems essential to operate the capsule with a crew aboard, including audio communications, an exercise machine and the spacecraft's launch abort system. Artemis 2 is scheduled to launch in early 2026. It will fly NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch as well as Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen on a free return trajectory aboard Orion. Their mission will fly them out of Earth orbit toward the moon, which Orion will slingshot around and then come back home. "The Orion spacecraft completion for Artemis 2 is a major step forward in our nation's efforts to develop a long-term lunar presence," Kirk Shireman, Lockheed Martin's vice president of Human Space Exploration, said in the statement. RELATED STORIES: — NASA continues stacking its giant Artemis 2 SLS moon rocket (photos) — 'We're pushing the limits:' Artemis 2 backup astronaut on 2025 round-the-moon mission (exclusive) — Astronauts won't walk on the moon until 2026 after NASA delays next 2 Artemis missions As its name suggests, Artemis 2 will be the second mission of the Artemis program, which aims to establish a permanent outpost on the moon as a springboard toward a crewed mission to Mars. Artemis 1 successfully sent an uncrewed Orion to lunar orbit and back in late 2022. NASA is currently targeting 2027 for the launch of Artemis 3, which will be the first mission to land astronauts on the moon since 1972. Artemis 2 and Artemis 3 had been expected to launch this year and next, respectively, but damage to Orion's heat shield during atmospheric entry at the end of Artemis 1 forced NASA to delay each by more than a year.
