In the nearly three days since their launch, the crew has traveled more than 160,000 miles from Earth as part of their 10-day mission.
In the nearly three days since their launch, the crew has traveled more than 160,000 miles from Earth as part of their 10-day mission. The crew includes NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Hammock Koch, along with Jeremy Hansen of the Canadian Space Agency.
The next phase of the mission will see the spacecraft loop around the moon before beginning its return to Earth. While Artemis II will not attempt a lunar landing, it represents NASA’s first crewed mission to the moon in over 50 years. A future mission, Artemis IV, is planned for 2028 and is expected to include a landing.
"We can see the Moon out of the docking hatch right now. It's a beautiful sight," Koch said in a NASA update.
On Sunday, the spacecraft will enter the lunar sphere of influence, and the moon’s gravitational pull will become stronger than the Earth’s. If all proceeds as planned, Artemis II will pass within approximately 6,000 miles of the lunar surface on Monday.
During the flyby, the crew is expected to temporarily lose communication with Earth for about 30 to 50 minutes as the lunar mass blocks radio signals. However, the astronauts will have six hours to capture photos and video of the moon’s far side and conduct scientific observations to be shared with researchers. After completing the flyby, the crew will begin the four-day journey back to Earth.
in an interview on Thursday night with Fox News’ Trace Gallagher, crew members described the experience of living and working in space
"There is no difference between up and down, and so, yes, I've been sleeping with my feet there and my head down here, and it's very comfortable," said Koch. "I think I'll probably stay there the whole mission unless someone kicks me out. We're finding out how to make this space capsule a home."
Glover, who serves as the pilot of the mission, detailed the shock he felt when the mission became a reality.
"We like to say that we're prepared without having an expectation, but you know in the back of your mind, you kind of hope you launch," he said. "And then when we got really close, it was like, wait, we're getting ready to go to space. And when those solids lit, you know, it was a ride where you're trying to be professional, but the kid inside of you wants to break out and just hoot and holler."
The current movements of the Artemis II crew can be found on NASA’s Artemis II tracker, Artemis Real-time Orbit Website.
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