Liftoff! Returning to the Moon
Explanation:
We are one small step
closer to returning to the Moon. A new chapter in human exploration began yesterday
when NASA's Artemis II launched aboard the
Space Launch
System (SLS) from Kennedy Space Center. Carrying four astronauts, the Orion
spacecraft's planned lunar flyby will be the first in
over half a century. This historic test flight, echoing the legacy of Apollo
while pushing beyond it, will carry its crew farther from Earth than any humans since 1972, looping around the
Moon before returning home. During the approximately ten-day journey, Orion's systems--from
life support to navigation--will be tested in deep space, while astronauts observe
the lunar surface, including shadowed regions of the far side rarely seen with such
perspective. After looping around the Moon, the astronauts will return to Earth,
ending their journey with a Pacific
Ocean splashdown.
Authors & editors:
Robert Nemiroff
(MTU) &
Jerry Bonnell
(USRA)
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings,
and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris.
Specific
rights apply.
A service of:
LHEA at
NASA /
GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
