The mission ends with a Pacific Ocean splashdown after 10 days. If successful, it clears the path for humanity's return to the lunar surface and the next era of deep space exploration.
One major upgrade from Apollo: a real toilet with a privacy door. Apollo crews had to use adhesive bags while naked, sometimes chasing stray waste around the cabin. The Orion crew gets actual dignity — a small luxury in deep space history.
This is a systems test for the Orion capsule's life support and navigation before 2027's Artemis III (orbital rendezvous practice) and 2028's planned moon landing. If all goes well, humans will walk on the moon again for the first time since Apollo 17's Gene Cernan in 1972.
The mission mirrors Apollo 8's 1968 test flight but with a twist: no lunar orbits. Instead, Artemis II uses the moon's gravity to slingshot back to Earth across 240,000 miles. The trajectory passes over the far side during daylight — a view no human has ever witnessed directly.
Historic firsts: Christina Koch becomes the first woman to fly to the moon. Victor Glover becomes the first Black man. Jeremy Hansen becomes the first Canadian. All four will spend 10 days crammed in 330 cubic feet — about two minivans' worth of space.
Launch window opens Wednesday, 6:24 PM EST from Cape Canaveral. If weather or systems fail, backup windows run through April 6, then April 30-May. The crew: NASA's Reid Wiseman (commander), Victor Glover (pilot), Christina Koch (mission specialist), and Canada's Jeremy Hansen.
America's returning to the moon this week after 52 years — but the four Artemis II astronauts won't land. Instead, they're doing something never done before: flying a figure-eight around the moon and becoming the first humans to see its dark side in full sunlight.
7/7 🧵
The mission ends with a Pacific Ocean splashdown after 10 days. If successful, it clears the path for humanity's return to the lunar surface and the next era of deep space exploration.
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6/7 🧵
One major upgrade from Apollo: a real toilet with a privacy door. Apollo crews had to use adhesive bags while naked, sometimes chasing stray waste around the cabin. The Orion crew gets actual dignity — a small luxury in deep space history.
5/7 🧵
This is a systems test for the Orion capsule's life support and navigation before 2027's Artemis III (orbital rendezvous practice) and 2028's planned moon landing. If all goes well, humans will walk on the moon again for the first time since Apollo 17's Gene Cernan in 1972.
4/7 🧵
The mission mirrors Apollo 8's 1968 test flight but with a twist: no lunar orbits. Instead, Artemis II uses the moon's gravity to slingshot back to Earth across 240,000 miles. The trajectory passes over the far side during daylight — a view no human has ever witnessed directly.
3/7 🧵
Historic firsts: Christina Koch becomes the first woman to fly to the moon. Victor Glover becomes the first Black man. Jeremy Hansen becomes the first Canadian. All four will spend 10 days crammed in 330 cubic feet — about two minivans' worth of space.
2/7 🧵
Launch window opens Wednesday, 6:24 PM EST from Cape Canaveral. If weather or systems fail, backup windows run through April 6, then April 30-May. The crew: NASA's Reid Wiseman (commander), Victor Glover (pilot), Christina Koch (mission specialist), and Canada's Jeremy Hansen.
1/7 🧵
America's returning to the moon this week after 52 years — but the four Artemis II astronauts won't land. Instead, they're doing something never done before: flying a figure-eight around the moon and becoming the first humans to see its dark side in full sunlight.