Echoing words first heard in 1968 and perhaps more poignantly, not spoken for the past 53 years, NASA's Mission Control on Thursday (April 2) committed to "trans-lunar injection," sending humans once again on a path to fly to the moon.
Robert Pearlman Editor
Posts: 56305 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
posted 04-03-2026 01:14 PM
NASA release
Lunar Science Team Prepares for Flyby
After the TLI burn that sent Orion on its path to the Moon, the lunar science team began building a Lunar Targeting Plan, a guide to what the crew will look at on the Moon's surface during its approximately six-hour observation on Monday, April 6.
The targeting plan will include documenting features that can help scientists understand how the Moon and solar system formed, such as craters, ancient lava flows, and cracks and ridges created as the Moon's outer layer slowly shifted over time.
One feature that will be added to the plan is a solar eclipse, which will last for nearly an hour toward the end of the flyby window. During the eclipse, the Sun will be hidden from view as it moves behind the Moon from the perspective of Orion. The crew will see a mostly dark Moon at this time — an opportunity for them to look for flashes of light from meteoroids striking the Moon's surface, dust lofting above the edge of the Moon, and deep space targets, including planets. While the Sun slides behind the Moon, the crew will observe the solar corona, the Sun's outermost atmosphere, while it's visible.
Robert Pearlman Editor
Posts: 56305 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
posted 04-04-2026 09:47 AM
NASA release
First trajectory correction burn unneeded, crew prepares for lunar flyby
Integrity continues on a precise trajectory to fly by the moon on Monday (April 6). Flight controllers elected to cancel the first outbound trajectory correction burn, as the spacecraft's trajectory is on the right path. Any adjustments needed may be incorporated into a subsequent correction burn.
The crew began preparing Integrity's cabin for the lunar observation period on Monday, that is expected to begin around 2:30 p.m. EDT. Additionally, the astronauts exercised, practiced medical response procedures (CPR) and tested the spacecraft’s emergency communications system in deep space.
The crew began their sleep period around 4 a.m. EDT. The ground team will wake them up to begin Flight Day 4 at 11:35 a.m. on Saturday (April 4).
Robert Pearlman Editor
Posts: 56305 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
posted 04-04-2026 05:38 PM
NASA release
Deep-Space Flying, Lunar Flyby Prep
The crew are spending their fourth flight day preparing for their lunar flyby on Monday (April 6). Their day began to the tune of Chappell Roan's "Pink Pony Club," before transitioning into their daily activities.
At wakeup, the spacecraft and its crew were approximately 169,000 miles from Earth and approaching the Moon at 110,700 miles.
Later on Saturday, Glover will take manual control of the spacecraft to test its performance in deep space to provide more data about the spacecraft's handling qualities across different movements. A 24-hour acoustics test also will occur to help engineers characterize the sound environment in the spacecraft.
After the piloting demonstration, the crew will review a list of the surface features the NASA science team has asked them to analyze and photograph during their six-hour flyby on Monday.
Flight controllers again cancelled a planned outbound trajectory correction burn, as Integrity's trajectory remains on track. The team instead adjusted the spacecraft's attitude to point a vent toward the Sun to help clear a wastewater line.
Overnight, controllers vented wastewater overboard to free up space in Orion's waste management system tank, but the activity ended earlier than expected. Engineers have been using the vent heaters to melt any potential ice that may be clogging the line and orienting the vent toward the Sun to help mitigate the issue.
Teams also are reviewing other potential causes. The wastewater tank is not full and the toilet is operational; however, the crew was instructed to use backup collection devices overnight if needed.
Just after 12 p.m. EDT, the Orion Artemis II Optical Communications System surpassed 100 gigabytes of data downlinked during the mission, including high resolution images. The terminal, mounted on the outside of the Orion capsule, uses laser communications — infrared light — to transmit more data than traditional radiofrequency systems.
Robert Pearlman Editor
Posts: 56305 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
posted 04-05-2026 09:22 AM
NASA release
Crew Completes Manual Piloting Demo
The crew completed a manual piloting demonstration and reviewed their lunar flyby plan to wrap up their third full day in space.
Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen took turns controlling the spacecraft to test its performance in deep space starting at 9:09 p.m. EDT on Saturday (April 4). For 41 minutes, the pair tested two different thruster modes, six degrees of freedom and three degrees of freedom, to provide engineers with more data about the spacecraft's piloting capabilities.
Commander Reid Wiseman and Pilot Victor Glover are scheduled to repeat the demo on flight day 8 – Wednesday, April 9 – to give the teams on the ground as many perspectives on the spacecraft as possible.
Over the course of the day, the crew also reviewed a list sent by the lunar science team of surface features on the moon that they will photograph and analyze during their six-hour flyby on Monday (April 6). The flyby period begins at 2:45 p.m. EDT, when Integrity's main cabin windows will be pointed toward the moon.
Earlier in the day, the astronauts took some crew selfies using one of the solar array wing cameras. The images should be sent to the ground in the coming days.
The crew went to sleep for the night at 3:15 a.m.; Mission Control will wake them to begin flight day 5 at noon on Sunday.
Robert Pearlman Editor
Posts: 56305 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
posted 04-06-2026 12:24 AM
NASA release
Crew readies for lunar flyby
The crew members completed a plan test of their Orion Crew Survival System suits, performing leak checks, simulating seat entry and assessing their ability to eat and drink.
They then turned their attention to the outbound trajectory correction (OTC) burn, which began at 11:03 p.m. EDT. The maneuver refined Integrity's path toward the moon.
Earlier in the day, mission control sent the crew the final list of lunar surface features the science team has assigned for observation and photography during the lunar flyby on Monday. Ahead of the flyby, the crew worked through final preparations and held a conference with mission controllers to finalize lunar targets and techniques.
The 30 targets include the Orientale basin, a nearly 600-mile-wide crater that straddles the moon's near and far sides. Orientale will be fully illuminated and visible as Orion approaches the moon.
This 3.8-billion-year-old crater formed when a large object struck the lunar surface and retains clear evidence of that collision, including dramatic topography in its rings. The crew will study Orientale's features up close and from multiple angles as they pass by.
Hertzsprung basin is also on the crew's list of targets. Northwest of Orientale is a nearly 400-mile crater on the moon's far side. An older ringed basin, Hertzsprung offers a unique contrast to Orientale because its features have been degraded by subsequent impacts. The crew will compare the topography of the two craters to gain insight into how features evolve over geologic timescales.
Key moments for the lunar flyby include the following. All times are Eastern and may change based on real-time operations:
Monday, April 6
12:41 a.m.: Orion enters lunar sphere of influence at 41,072 miles from the Moon.
1:30 p.m.: The science officer in mission control will brief the crew on their science goals for the upcoming flyby.
1:56 p.m.: The Artemis II crew is expected surpass the record previously set by the Apollo 13 crew in 1970 for the farthest humans have ever traveled from Earth.
2:45 p.m.: Lunar observations begin.
6:44 p.m.: Mission control expects to temporarily lose communication with the crew as the Orion spacecraft passes behind the Moon.
6:45 p.m.: During "Earthset," Earth will glide behind the Moon from Orion's perspective.
7:02 p.m.: Orion reaches its closest approach to the Moon at 4,070 miles above the surface.
7:07 p.m.: Crew reach their maximum distance from Earth during the mission.
7:25 p.m.: "Earthrise" marks Earth coming back into view on the opposite edge of the Moon.
7:25 p.m.: NASA's Mission Control Center should re -acquire communication with the astronauts.
8:35-9:32 p.m.: During a solar eclipse, the Sun will pass behind the Moon from the crew's perspective.
9:20 p.m.: Lunar observations conclude.
Tuesday, April 7
1:25 p.m.: Orion exits the lunar sphere of influence at 41,072 miles from the Moon.
When Orion passes behind the moon, the mission will enter a planned communications blackout of about 40 minutes as the lunar surface blocks the radio signals needed for the Deep Space Network to connect with the spacecraft. Similar blackouts occurred during the Artemis I and Apollo missions and are expected with an Earth-based communications infrastructure. Once Orion reemerges, the network will quickly reacquire its signal and restore contact with mission control.
Robert Pearlman Editor
Posts: 56305 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
Humanity is about to get its first in-person, up-close look at the moon in more than half a century.
Four astronauts will spend about seven hours on Monday (April 6) observing the far side of the moon, the half that constantly points away from Earth. At their closest approach on board their Orion spacecraft "Integrity," Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch of NASA and Jeremy Hansen with the Canadian Space Agency will be about 4,000 miles (6,400 km) above the surface. The last time any person came that close was during the Apollo 17 mission in 1972.
Robert Pearlman Editor
Posts: 56305 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
NASA's Apollo and Artemis programs crossed historic paths on Monday (April 6), as the latter broke a record set by the earlier, and the legacy of earlier lived on with latter's promise for the future.
The first four astronauts to fly to the moon since the Apollo lunar missions ended, the Artemis II crew of Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch of NASA and Jeremy Hansen with the Canadian Space Agency, flew past the farthest distance that humans have traveled beyond Earth — 248,655 miles (400,171 kilometers) — at 1:56 p.m. EDT (1756 GMT), or 4 days, 19 hours and 21 minutes into their flight.
Robert Pearlman Editor
Posts: 56305 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
posted 04-07-2026 09:06 AM
NASA release
Crew Wraps Historic Lunar Flyby
After the lunar observation period concluded, the Artemis II crew was congratulated by President Donald Trump, in a live conversation. They also spoke with NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman and answered questions from social media.
Scientists already are looking forward to the crew's images, along with the many others taken during the flyby. After the lunar data is downlinked from the spacecraft overnight, scientists will look at images, audio, and other data to determine better times and locations of the flashes and seek input from amateurs who were observing the moon at the same time.
Robert Pearlman Editor
Posts: 56305 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
The Artemis II crew wrapped up a historic seven-hour lunar flyby, marking humanity's first return to the moon since Apollo 17 in 1972 and capturing images of the lunar far side.
Flying aboard their Orion spacecraft "Integrity," NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch, together with Jeremy Hansen with the Canadian Space Agency, reached 252,756 miles (406,771 km) away from Earth — 4,101 miles (6,600 km) farther than the record set by the Apollo 13 crew in 1970 — and came within 4,067 miles (6,545 km) of the lunar surface.
posted 04-03-2026 03:41 AM
advertisement