Historic Speed Record Mission Nears Liftoff
▼ Summary
– NASA’s Artemis II rocket was rolled out to its launch pad at Kennedy Space Center, marking a major step toward the first crewed Moon mission in over 50 years.
– The mission will carry four astronauts farther from Earth than any humans in history, though they will not land on the Moon.
– The crew will travel over 4,000 miles beyond the Moon’s far side and set a human spaceflight speed record during their high-speed reentry to Earth.
– Astronaut Christina Koch will become the first woman, and Jeremy Hansen the first non-US astronaut, to fly to the vicinity of the Moon.
– The crew, having completed final training simulations, expressed readiness for the mission during the rollout event.
At the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a monumental step toward returning humans to the lunar surface has been achieved with the rollout of the Artemis II rocket to its launch pad. This event marks significant progress for the first crewed mission to the Moon in over five decades, setting the stage for a journey that will push the boundaries of human exploration and break several historic records.
The massive rocket began its slow, deliberate trek from the Vehicle Assembly Building to Launch Complex 39B, a four-mile journey that took approximately twelve hours. Crawling at a top speed of just one mile per hour, the vehicle’s stately procession contrasted sharply with the incredible velocity it will later achieve. Upon reentering Earth’s atmosphere after its nearly ten-day mission through cislunar space, the Orion capsule atop the rocket is expected to reach speeds exceeding 25,000 miles per hour.
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman reflected on the milestone, noting its place in the broader arc of space exploration. He emphasized that this rollout initiates a lengthy journey, coming more than fifty years after the Apollo 17 mission concluded humanity’s last crewed lunar exploration.
The Artemis II mission is poised to establish multiple pioneering benchmarks in human spaceflight. The four-person crew, commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, mission specialist Christina Koch, and mission specialist Jeremy Hansen, will venture farther from our planet than any humans in history. While they will not land on the Moon, that achievement is reserved for a subsequent Artemis mission. Their flight path will take them more than 4,000 miles beyond the far side of the Moon, with the precise distance depending on the final launch date.
This trajectory will set the crew up to break the human spaceflight speed record during their high-velocity reentry over the Pacific Ocean at the mission’s conclusion. Additionally, the flight will secure two other historic firsts: Christina Koch will become the first woman to travel to the lunar vicinity, and Jeremy Hansen will be the first non-U.S. astronaut to accomplish the same feat.
Commander Reid Wiseman expressed the crew’s readiness during the rollout event. He described intensive final preparations, including a ten-hour simulation in Houston the previous day focused on entry and landing procedures. The crew then traveled to Florida in T-38 jets to witness the rocket’s arrival at the pad, a moment they regarded as profoundly significant for the upcoming expedition.
(Source: Ars Technica)
