Dear MEL Topic Readers,
Artemis II: Inside the Moon mission to fly humans further than ever
Artemis II is a NASA spacecraft mission to return humans to the Moon,
the first crewed deep-space and lunar mission since 1972. The 10-day mission
will carry four astronauts on a free-return trajectory around the Moon and back
to Earth. The 98-meter-tall Space Launch System is powered by two rocket
boosters and four engines. Combined with the Orion spacecraft that goes to the
moon, it weighs approximately 2,600 metric tons when it is loaded with fuel. Once
reached space, the astronauts will spend 10 days in the 5-meter-wide by 3-meter-high
capsule, where they will work, exercise, eat, sleep, urinate, and defecate.
When it reaches the far side of the Moon, the side cannot be seen from Earth, and
the crew will have their prime three hours to observe the Moon, which will help
NASA plan for a future landing. After the 10-day, two-million-kilometer
journey, the cone-shaped, 9-square-meter crew capsule will reenter the Earth’s
atmosphere at 40,000 km/h, faster than any previous human mission, and splash
down in the Pacific Ocean. A gigantic rocket to launch and a long journey to
reach and return, Artemis II is a highly demanding but rewarding mission.
Read the article and see the images of the first manned mission to the Moon
in the last half-century.
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