Now more than halfway to the moon, the Artemis II astronauts were toasted by Canada as they prepared for their historic lunar fly-around, poised to push deeper into space than even the Apollo astronauts. The crew, which includes three Americans and one Canadian, is set to photograph the mysterious far side of the moon, reaching their destination Monday. This marks the first moonbound crew in over 53 years, continuing the legacy of NASA’s Apollo program.
Artemis II is set to break records, traveling more than 252,000 miles (400,000 kilometers) from Earth before making a U-turn behind the moon and heading home, without stopping or entering lunar orbit. The current record is held by Apollo 13.
The Canadian Space Agency celebrated Canada's role in the mission, featuring astronaut Jeremy Hansen, who is the first non-U.S. citizen to fly to the moon. Today he is making history for Canada, stated Canadian Space Agency President Lisa Campbell, highlighting the importance of reaching for more.
In a live televised linkup, Hansen shared his excitement, having already witnessed extraordinary views from NASA’s Orion capsule. The crew includes Victor Glover and Christina Koch, who are notably the first Black astronaut and the first female astronaut to make the trip to the moon respectively.
Their mission, lasting nearly 10 days, is set to conclude with a planned Pacific splashdown on April 10. This journey marks the first step in NASA’s ambitious plans for a sustainable moon base, with the aim of landing two astronauts near the lunar south pole by 2028.
Artemis II is set to break records, traveling more than 252,000 miles (400,000 kilometers) from Earth before making a U-turn behind the moon and heading home, without stopping or entering lunar orbit. The current record is held by Apollo 13.
The Canadian Space Agency celebrated Canada's role in the mission, featuring astronaut Jeremy Hansen, who is the first non-U.S. citizen to fly to the moon. Today he is making history for Canada, stated Canadian Space Agency President Lisa Campbell, highlighting the importance of reaching for more.
In a live televised linkup, Hansen shared his excitement, having already witnessed extraordinary views from NASA’s Orion capsule. The crew includes Victor Glover and Christina Koch, who are notably the first Black astronaut and the first female astronaut to make the trip to the moon respectively.
Their mission, lasting nearly 10 days, is set to conclude with a planned Pacific splashdown on April 10. This journey marks the first step in NASA’s ambitious plans for a sustainable moon base, with the aim of landing two astronauts near the lunar south pole by 2028.
