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Digital Trends
4 days ago
- Science
- Digital Trends
NASA crew trains for a voyage no one's taken for 50 years
NASA's four Artemis II astronauts are continuing to train hard for the adventure of a lifetime, which is set to take place in a little over six months from now. The American space agency this week shared on update on the crewmembers' progress toward the launch of a voyage that will take them around the moon before returning to Earth. Recommended Videos NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch, and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen, recently participated in a crew equipment interface test that involved performing launch day and simulated orbital activities inside Orion while wearing their spacesuits. The special training session took place at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, from where NASA's SLS rocket will power the Orion spacecraft and the crew toward the moon next year, possibly in April. 'Once in Orion, the crew performed several launch day activities, including communications checkouts and suit leak checks,' NASA said. 'For the first time, the crew was connected to the spacecraft and its communications and life control systems, and all umbilicals were connected while the spacecraft operated on full power.' To give the astronauts a feel of what to expect during their 10-day mission, they experienced various simulated ground and flight conditions. Some of the activities also included scenarios where the crew had to deal with potential issues while in space such as leaks and the failure of the air revitalization system fan, a vital mechanism for providing oxygen and removing carbon dioxide from the astronauts' cabin. 'Getting this hands-on experience and learning how to act fast to overcome potential challenges during flight helps ensure the crew is ready for any scenario,' NASA said. The crew was officially selected and announced in April 2023. At the time, the Artemis mission was set for launch in September 2025, but the date slipped due to technical and safety issues that required more time to resolve. The Artemis II voyage will follow the path of Artemis I. The uncrewed test flight launched in November 2022 and sent Orion within just 80 miles (about 130 km) of the lunar surface. 'In about six months, Artemis II astronauts will journey around the moon for the first time in 53 years,' acting NASA chief Sean Duffy said. 'America rallied behind Apollo because it represented the best of us — now it's Artemis' turn. They're not just carrying a flag — they're carrying the pride, power, and promise of the United States of America.' Duffy added: 'Every milestone in the Artemis campaign brings us closer to landing Americans back on the moon and pushing onward to Mars.' The Artemis III mission, which is currently set for no earlier than mid-2027, will put the first astronauts on the lunar surface since 1972.
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
UPI
30-07-2025
- Science
- UPI
NASA readying for crewed Artemis II moon flight
1 of 5 | Artemis II crew cheers the Crew 11 mission during a press conference at Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Wednesday. Photo by Pat Benic/UPI | License Photo July 30 (UPI) -- NASA is preparing for its April 2026 Artemis II 10-day mission that will send a crew of four around the moon to prepare for future crewed moon landings. The Artemis II mission will demonstrate a variety of capabilities that are needed to complete deep-space missions, including those to the moon and Mars, the space agency said. The Artemis II crew is comprised of mission commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover and mission specialists Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen. Hansen is from the Canadian Space Agency and will join the three NASA astronauts to make the mission an international endeavor. The Artemis II mission will confirm all of the spacecraft's systems and equipment will work as intended while supporting a crew of four in deep space. The mission also enables long-term exploration and science missions on the moon's surface. A Space Launch System super-heavy-lift rocket will launch an Orion spacecraft and its crew into space for the 10-day mission. Orion's European-built service module enables the spacecraft to break away from Earth's orbit and reach the moon by using an injection burn. The mission will carry the spacecraft and crew on a figure-eight course extending more than 230,000 miles from Earth and 4,600 miles beyond the moon. It will take four days to go beyond the moon and another four days to return to Earth. A prior uncrewed Artemis I mission was launched in November 2022 and orbited the moon. It was NASA's first moon mission since the space agency cancelled its Apollo program in December 1972. NASA's Artemis II crew discuss moon mission The Artemis II astronauts give a shout out to the Crew 11 mission during a press conference at Kennedy Space Center in Florida on July 30, 2025. Left to right, Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen, Mission Specialist Christina Hammock Koch, Pilot Victor Glover and Commander Reid Wiseman. Photo by Pat Benic/UPI | License Photo
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
NASA Goes Live on Twitch: Design Artemis II Moon Mascot
WASHINGTON, May 12, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- NASA will host a live Twitch event to highlight the ongoing Moon Mascot Challenge, which invites the public to design a zero gravity indicator for the agency's Artemis II crewed test flight around the Moon. Viewers will have the opportunity to provide real-time input to an artist who will create an example of a zero gravity indicator during the livestream. Zero gravity indicators are small, plush items carried aboard spacecraft to provide a visual indication of when the crew reaches space. The event will begin at 3 p.m. EDT on Tuesday, May 13, on the agency's official Twitch channel: The contest invites global creators of all ages to submit design ideas for a zero gravity indicator that will fly aboard the agency's Artemis II test flight, the first crewed mission under NASA's Artemis campaign. Up to 25 finalists, including entries from a K-12 student division, will be selected. The Artemis II crew will choose one design that NASA's Thermal Blanket Lab will fabricate to fly alongside the crew in the Orion spacecraft. During this Twitch event, NASA experts will discuss the Moon Mascot Challenge while the artist incorporates live audience feedback into a sample design. Although the design example will not be eligible for the contest, it will demonstrate how challenge participants can develop their own zero gravity indicator designs. The example will be shared on the @NASAArtemis social media accounts following the Twitch event. The Artemis II test flight will take NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch, and CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen on a 10-day journey around the Moon and back. The mission is another step toward missions on the lunar surface to help the agency prepare for future human missions to Mars. To learn more about NASA's missions, visit: View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE NASA
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.
