posted 04-10-2023 08:42 PM               

The mission's first day will be spent gradually increasing Orion's altitude in Earth orbit while the crew tests the spacecraft's systems. Assuming everything is working order, then the European service module's main engine will fire to send Orion to the moon and refine its approach during the four-day journey away from Earth.

posted 04-28-2023 06:34 PM               

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 premier. Talked Artemis missions with the cast, production team, and fans. So much energy!

posted 05-04-2023 10:05 PM               

...the Canadian delegation will include member of the Order of Merit and Companion of the Order of Canada Margaret MacMillan and Cross of Valour recipient Leslie Arthur Palmer. They will be accompanied by Canada's flag bearer, astronaut Jeremy Hansen, who will travel to the moon next year as part of the Artemis II mission. The three will participate in a procession of recipients of national honours as part of the Coronation service.

posted 05-19-2023 03:40 PM               

Artemis II crew meet Apollo 11 command module Columbia.

Yesterday, the crew of NASA's Artemis II mission — Jeremy Hansen, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Reid Wiseman — visited the museum to explore the Destination Moon gallery and talk about their upcoming mission to the moon.

posted 06-21-2023 05:52 PM               

I started my training for Artemis II!

From the NASA Astronauts Twitter account:

Doubling up the excitement with the first day of NASA Artemis II training and National Selfie Day!

posted 08-08-2023 10:01 AM               

First look: NASA's Artemis II crew visited Kennedy today to get their first look at the Orion spacecraft that will fly them around the moon!

The crew will take part in a press conference at 2:00 p.m. EDT today:

posted 09-20-2023 06:15 PM               

Photos credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett/Frank Michaux

posted 10-24-2023 01:00 PM               

I don't believe I saw a metallic finish previously. I don't thinks it's a protective cover as the mounting pads look too big to allow it to be removed.

posted 10-24-2023 01:36 PM               

Technicians applied a coat of white epoxy paint to the heat shield's surface and then applied aluminized tape after the painted surface dried. The tape provides surface resistivity, and absorbs solar heat and infrared emissions.

posted 11-22-2023 08:57 AM               

Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jenni Gibbons to contribute to future mission to the Moon

Today (Nov. 22), the Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, Minister responsible for the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), announced a significant assignment for CSA astronauts. Jenni Gibbons will serve as the backup astronaut for the historic Artemis II mission to the Moon.

Recruited as a CSA astronaut in 2017, Jenni completed her basic training in 2020. Since then, she has continued to serve Canada's space program and worked in different positions, including guiding spacewalks from Mission Control and overseeing commercial vehicle procedures and daily ISS operations.

In the event that Jeremy Hansen is unable to take part in the mission, Jenni Gibbons will represent Canada on Artemis II. Being part of this very select team will make her a key contributor to defining and validating the astronauts' training and processes for future Moon missions. Jenni will have the chance to influence how future Artemis missions will unfold and how to prepare for them.

Over the last four decades, Canada's astronauts have earned a world-class reputation. Jenni's assignment contributes to preparing CSA astronauts for increasingly challenging roles in space missions and cements Canada's reputation as a sought-after partner for space exploration. In doing so, she will inspire Canadians across the country and spark interest in STEM-related careers for countless young people.

"It is an honour to fill this role for my agency and my country to make the most of the opportunity afforded to us by our contributions to the international effort of lunar discovery," said Gibbons. "Space is for everyone: as Canadians, we recognize its essential nature in our day-to-day life, economic well-being, and commitment to technological advancement."

"As a part of the Artemis II backup crew, I will work to define and develop the procedures and architecture required for humanity's return to the Moon. I will be a crew test subject for critical operations from launch to splashdown and recovery. I will train as a capsule communicator, ready to act as the link between the ground team and the Artemis missions when in Mission Control. I will train alongside the crew and will be ready to support them in whatever capacity their mission requires. Finally, I will be prepared for future missions critical to Canada's space program. I look forward to bringing Canada with me on this journey," she said.

posted 12-19-2023 04:24 PM               

NASA's Artemis II Crew Meet with President, VP at White House

The first astronauts to fly around the Moon under NASA's Artemis program visited the White House in Washington Thursday (Dec. 14), and met with President Joe Biden in the Oval Office to thank him for his leadership and discuss their upcoming flight test. Artemis II crew members are NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch, and CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen.

Above: Artemis II crew members Christina Koch, Victor Glover, Reid Wiseman of NASA and Jeremy Hansen with the Canadian Space Agency meet with U.S. President Joe Biden inside the Oval Office at the White House on Thursday, Dec. 14, 2023. (The White House/Adam Schultz)

The mission is currently targeted for late 2024. After launching on NASA's SLS (Space Launch System) rocket from the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the crew will travel aboard the Orion spacecraft on a 10-day mission around the Moon, testing its systems for the first time with astronauts for long-term exploration and scientific discovery through Artemis. Driving both human and robotic exploration at the Moon and Mars, science is a key foundation of NASA's work.

The astronauts also discussed training and plans for their mission with the President, as well as lunar science, including a Moon rock on display in the Oval Office. That rock was collected in 1972 by Apollo astronauts Harrison Schmitt and Eugene Cernan, the last humans to step foot on the lunar surface. Samples collected on future Artemis missions will continue to help humanity shed light on how the Moon formed and evolved, how it interacts with the Sun, and how water and other resources arrived at the Moon and are preserved.

Above: Artemis II crew members Jeremy Hansen of the Canadian Space Agency and Christina Koch, Victor Glover and Reid Wiseman of NASA meet with U.S. Vice President Kamala at the White House on Thursday, Dec. 14, 2023. (The White House)

While at the White House, the astronauts also met separately with Vice President Kamala Harris, who serves as the chair of the National Space Council. They discussed how Artemis represents the power of technological innovation and international collaboration.

posted 05-02-2024 11:22 AM               

First, it should be pointed out that as bad it may look, the charring and flaking was never a risk to the vehicle. There was more than sufficient margin for the heat shield to still function as designed.

Second, look at NASA's response (included within the same report):

Ground testing successfully recreated char loss in the arc jet facility using large-scale test panels of full-size Avcoat blocks. The recreated char loss has the same features as observed on the Artemis I heat shield.

The team is currently synthesizing the test results together with the leading theory for root cause and are planning formal presentations to the necessary technical forums in preparation for a recommendation to the Orion Program Control Board for Artemis II in April/May timeframe. The recommendation will include Artemis II heat shield operational capabilities based on the latest thermal analysis work.

An Independent Review Team effort planned for May 2024 will confirm the team’s recommendations to the program on the root cause, heat shield capability, and corrective actions going forward.

posted 05-02-2024 08:14 PM            

quote:

---

Originally posted by Robert Pearlman:
...First, it should be pointed out that as bad it may look, the charring and flaking was never a risk to the vehicle. There was more than sufficient margin for the heat shield to still function as designed.

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posted 07-03-2024 09:36 AM               

quote:

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Originally posted by Robert Pearlman:
Per NASA, there are no backup crew members.

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posted 10-18-2024 09:07 PM               

A new report from the US Government Accountability Office ... finds that the Exploration Ground Systems program had several months of schedule margin in its work toward a September 2025 launch date at the beginning of the year. But now, the program has allocated all of that margin to technical issues experienced during work on the rocket's mobile launcher and pad testing. ...

An independent review team has completed an assessment of NASA's work on the heat shield, but NASA has not publicly commented on these results or its decision moving forward. In response to questions from Ars this week about a decision on whether to take corrective action, an agency spokesperson said, "The Artemis I heat shield investigation process is still underway, so NASA has not made any decisions yet."

To prepare for the Artemis II launch next September, Artemis officials had previously said they planned to begin stacking operations of the rocket in September of this year. But so far, this activity remains on hold pending a decision on the heat shield issue. Asked when NASA now plans to start stacking operations, the space agency official said, "We are still tracking toward stacking beginning this fall."

posted 12-05-2024 12:16 PM               

Per NASA Administrator Bill Nelson:

We are planning for Artemis two to launch in April of 2026 and we're going to do all in our power, with our commercial partners, to launch earlier.

posted 12-05-2024 07:38 PM               

Delays are agonizing and slowing down is agonizing and it's not what we like to do, but from the crew's perspective, the thing that we most asked our leadership for after Artemis I was root cause of the ablation of the heat shield, and we took the time.

So we really appreciate the willingness to take the risk to actually slow down and understand root cause, determine the path forward, the corrective action for Artemis II and Artemis III, so that when Victor, Christina, Jeremy and I launch and land after a successful Artemis II, we will look to Artemis III to carry the torch forward and to put humans back on the moon.

posted 12-06-2024 08:13 AM               

As for crew training, per Reid Wiseman:

From the crew perspective, we are really going to be digging in now, into our integrated simulators. We've trained out most of our flight profile. We have not yet done ascent and entry training. We're waiting for the latest software load to do those training events in the Orion spacecraft.

Once we get that done, we've hit all the core training fundamentals that we need. So for us, I would say, in about two or three months, we'll really be able to start focusing on that last year prior to launch and getting all the day-in-the-life activities complete.

posted 02-10-2025 04:18 PM               

The Artemis II mission, slated to launch early 2026, will fly four astronauts around the Moon. This mission will last for about 10 days and will be the first crewed test flight of the Space Launch System rocket, the Orion spacecraft, and the Exploration Ground Systems at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center Florida needed to support them.

posted 05-02-2025 10:41 AM               

Of course, in this day and age, the "key" is a fob...