After a 54-year wait since the Apollo 17 mission, NASA is sending humans back to the moon on April 1 with the launch of Artemis II. Millions gathered in Central Florida’s Space Coast to witness a new flare for mankind’s space expedition. Four astronauts, Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen, launched for a 10-day mission to orbit the Moon, testing systems for future lunar landings. This not only lays the groundwork for lunar expeditions but also supports the long-term goal of missions to Mars.
The Artemis program is NASA’s long-term initiative to build human presence and infrastructure in outer space. Unlike Artemis I in 2022, which was an uncrewed test flight, Artemis II involves sending humans into lunar space. The project focuses on testing new technologies, such as heat shields, while also advancing diversity by sending astronauts of varied backgrounds and genders into space. The Orion spacecraft is where crews will spend time in space, comprising multiple crew modules for human habitation. The four astronauts’ goal is to test the Orion spacecraft’s capability. Aiming for a potential moon landing, they have to be able to manually control the spacecraft’s steering and speed. In the future, NASA plans for lunar landings for the Artemis III mission and beyond. As a stepping stone toward exploring outer space, the project’s means go beyond returning to the moon.
Through the Space Launch System, the spacecraft generated over 8.8 million pounds of thrust, lifting off. This is the most powerful rocket ever built in human history, surpassing the Saturn V rocket in the Apollo era. Like other space shuttles used previously, the core stage uses liquid hydrogen and oxygen as propellants, and the Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage to push the final Orion spacecraft to the translunar trajectory.
Although the project is generally assessed as successful as of the fifth day, the team has been experiencing intermittent issues with the toilets. Due to clogged and frozen vents, the toilets were unable to dump from Saturday, April 4. The team has shifted the spacecraft’s orientation in an effort to melt any residue in the vent. John Honeycutt, the chair of the Artemis II mission management team, described “the fixation on the toilet is kind of human nature.” He described the process as way more troublesome than on Earth.
On April 6, Artemis II successfully reached a distance of 252760 miles from Earth. This is during its loop around the far side of the moon. The record surpasses Apollo 13’s, officially setting the record for mankind’s furthest space exploration. After an expected 40-minute blackout, flying by the dark side of the moon, the spacecraft successfully captured views no telescope can record. These include rare physical phenomena such as earth rise and a total solar eclipse.
The Artemis II mission marked the end of mankind’s longest journey after the landing in the Pacific Ocean on April 11. All four astronauts landed safely near San Diego and are going through medical examinations before they can reunite with their families. More than half a century since the space race, Project Artemis is a symbolic achievement for mankind’s expansion to space once again. “We’ve lost a sense of shared achievement,” Mr. Kryvian, a business owner in New York City, said. “We keep looking at our small screens instead of the big ones.” Many hope this launch can reignite the hope of mankind’s scientific achievements, as President Trump addressed: “Today you’ve made history.”