SPACE reports, “A Virtual Telescope Project livestream will track NASA’s Artemis 2 Orion spacecraft as it races back toward Earth. Here’s how to watch it live.”
Full Story (SPACE)
VTP’s official WebTV
Tag: Artemis II
Orion Heat Shield Faces Critical Test as Artemis II Nears Reentry
Scientific American reports, “Before NASA’s moon mission launched, experts sounded the alarm over the Orion capsule’s heat shield and reentry. Now splashdown is just one day away.”
Full Story (Scientific American)
Artemis II Sets New Human Distance Record During Lunar Flyby
SPACE reports, “NASA’s Artemis 2 moon mission just etched its name in the record books. The four Artemis 2 astronauts have now traveled farther from Earth than any people in history, breaking the mark set by the Apollo 13 crew on April 15, 1970.”
Full Story (SPACE)
Artemis II Crew Nears Moon as Spacecraft Enters Lunar Orbit Phase
The New York Times reports, “Early on Monday morning Eastern time, the astronauts of Artemis II will enter the lunar sphere of influence, when the pull of the moon’s gravity becomes stronger than Earth’s. That is when their spacecraft will start speeding up for the main event of the 10-day mission, swinging around the moon for a first close-up look by astronauts in more than 53 years.”
Full Story (New York Times – Subscription Publication)
Artemis II Crew Begins First Full Day in Space After Historic Launch
CBS News reports, “With an exhilarating launch behind them, NASA’s Artemis II astronauts are turning their attention to the next big challenge of their historic mission: a ‘crazy first day’ in space. The crew is spending about 24 hours orbiting the Earth while they put their Orion capsule through its paces before finally heading for the moon. Their spectacular launch Wednesday evening marked the first piloted moonshot since the end of the Apollo program 53 years ago.”
Full Story (CBS News)
NASA Says Artemis II on Track for April 1 Launch
Space News reports, “While the Artemis 2 mission is primarily a test flight, the four astronauts on board will conduct some science during the nearly 10-day mission. ‘Science wasn’t in the driver’s seat to define what Artemis 2 is,’ said Jacob Richardson, deputy lead of Artemis 2 lunar science at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, during a panel discussion at the Goddard Space System Symposium March 12. ‘Instead, we are using Artemis 2 as an opportunity to get science to prepare for our later Artemis missions when science is more of a driver.’”
Full Story (Space News – Subscription Publication)
Persistent Hydrogen Leaks Push Artemis II Launch to March
Ars Technica reports, “The launch of NASA’s Artemis II mission will have to wait another month after a fueling test Monday uncovered hydrogen leaks in the connection between the rocket and its launch platform at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. ‘Engineers pushed through several challenges during the two-day test and met many of the planned objectives,’ NASA said in a statement following the conclusion of the mock countdown.”
Full Story (Ars Technica)
NASA’s Giant Moon Rocket Rolls Out for Artemis II
The New York Times reports, “On Saturday morning, a mammoth crawler began transporting the Space Launch System vehicle, the Orion capsule and the launch tower — 14 million pounds altogether — from the Vehicle Assembly Building to the launchpad 4.2 miles away. It reached the launchpad at 6:42 p.m. Eastern. Now, final preparations will begin — hooking up connections for electrical power and propellants and performing checks of key systems. That will lead up to a dress rehearsal of the countdown in early February.”
Full Story (New York Times – Subscription Publication)
NASA to Continue to Study Orion Heat Shield Issue Before Stacking Artemis II Rocket
Ars Technica reports, “NASA would like to start stacking the Space Launch System rocket for the Artemis II mission—the first human flight around the Moon since 1972—sometime next month, but the agency’s exploration chief says the milestone could be delayed as engineers continue studying the readiness of the Orion spacecraft’s heat shield.”
Full Story (Ars Technica)
NASA’s Artemis II Astronauts Head to Launch Pad for First Time
Florida Today reports that on Wednesday, the four person crew of NASA’s Artemis II mission “had a first chance to practice what their launch day will feel like.” In what is “called a dry dress rehearsal, the astronauts got suited up and took their new electric crew transportation vehicles for a spin to the launch pad.” Since the mission’s SLS rocket “is still in production at other NASA facilities nationwide, Wednesday’s practice run focused on preparing ground team support of the crew.” Slated to “launch from KSC as early as November of next year, Artemis II – the first lunar human spaceflight mission since 1972 – will send the four crew members on a trip around the moon and back deeper into space than any mission ever before.” This week’s launch day rehearsal “marked only the second time the prime crew of the Artemis II lunar mission has traveled to KSC since being announced in April.”
Full Story (Florida Today – Subscription Publication)