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The countdown continues to NASA’s first lunar mission in more than half a century, and quarantined astronauts who will travel to space have taken part in a question-and-answer session.
Artemis II will carry four astronauts – NASA’s Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch, plus Jeremy Hansen of the Canadian Space Agency – on a 10-day flight around the moon.
The launch date has been set for Wednesday (April 1) and since Friday, the crew has been living in quarantine at the Kennedy Space Center, Florida.
Revealing what life was like at the historic facility, Wiseman described the crew’s quarters as “an amazing place.”
“The people who cook for us, their clothes are just covered in patches from other missions,” he said in a question and answer session via video link, Sunday.
“As you walk down the aisle, you see names in foreign languages, you can think about the place they were born, the lives they lived, and the heritage that is part of us.
“This is a very, very special place. This is where humanity began to reach for the stars.”
The Apollo missions were also launched from the Florida space center. Photo: NASA via Reutersv
The Artemis II mission will mark several firsts, with pilot Mr Glover becoming the first black astronaut on a lunar mission, while Ms Koch will be the first woman and Mr Hansen the first Canadian.
Mr Glover shared conflicting feelings as he discussed this in the Q&A session.
She explained: “I live in a dichotomy between the happiness that a woman can look at Christina and physically realize her desires or interests. And that brown boys and girls can look at me and say, ‘she did what?’.
“But I also hope we can push in another direction so that one day, we don’t have to talk about these things in the first place.”
Ms Koch said: “One thing to add, is that while this is something to celebrate, a first-time thing, it doesn’t necessarily tell the whole story. It’s not about just one individual.”
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Artemis I launches in November 2022, and sees an uncrewed Orion capsule sent around the moon.
Read more:
Everything there is to know about Artemis II
Can this lunar mission unite the world?
People get a look at NASA’s next-generation lunar rocket ahead of the launch of the Artemis II mission. Photo: Reuters
NASA It had previously targeted a Feb. 8 launch of Artemis II, but a liquid hydrogen leak during launch practice forced a delay.
Artemis is ‘80% gone’ for Wednesday, NASA says
The plane is now planning to take off on Wednesday April 1 – although the agency has warned that weather could affect these plans.
Chris Cianciola, NASA’s deputy manager of space launch systems, said Sunday evening: “We got the latest forecast and the thing we’re looking at is cumulus clouds, and also winds. Right now, we’re expecting 80% of that to happen by Wednesday afternoon.”
This third stage is currently targeted to launch in mid-2027.
