Topic: [Discuss] NASA's Artemis II mission (Orion)
Robert Pearlman Editor
Posts: 55792 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
posted 01-16-2026 11:00 AM
NASA video
NASA experts give updates on the Artemis II mission before rollout of the Moon rocket and spacecraft to the launch pad at Kennedy Space Center.
GACspaceguy Member
Posts: 3258 From: Guyton, GA Registered: Jan 2006
posted 01-16-2026 06:09 PM
I am blessed with the opportunity to be inside the Vehicle Assembly Building 12 hours prior to first movement. This photo was taken from the 32nd floor level. It is absolutely stunning.
Robert Pearlman Editor
Posts: 55792 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
posted 01-17-2026 07:20 AM
NASA video
This live feed from our Kennedy Space Center in Florida will provide continuous views of the Artemis II Moon rocket beginning on Saturday, Jan. 17 with rollout from the Vehicle Assembly Building to Launch Pad 39B.
GACspaceguy Member
Posts: 3258 From: Guyton, GA Registered: Jan 2006
posted 01-17-2026 07:27 AM
On the move...
Crew access arm rotating...
GACspaceguy Member
Posts: 3258 From: Guyton, GA Registered: Jan 2006
posted 01-17-2026 08:04 AM
Making the first "turn..."
The water truck is upfront.
Good view...
Robert Pearlman Editor
Posts: 55792 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
posted 01-17-2026 08:16 AM
NASA video
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman and the crew of Artemis II (NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch; Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen) are at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center to answer questions from the media about the upcoming mission and preparations.
Blackarrow Member
Posts: 3912 From: Belfast, United Kingdom Registered: Feb 2002
posted 01-17-2026 10:27 AM
I am watching a live view of something no human eye has seen since I was a schoolboy (well, 17) in 1972. Let that sink in.
Admittedly it is a bit like watching an analogue clock: you have to go away and come back to see that there has been movement.
Axman Member
Posts: 867 From: Derbyshire UK Registered: Mar 2023
posted 01-17-2026 11:01 AM
Let's not get carried away here. This is an Apollo 8 mission, not an Apollo 11.
I sincerely hope it won't be an Apollo 13 or worse.
Robert Pearlman Editor
Posts: 55792 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
posted 01-17-2026 12:22 PM
quote:Originally posted by Axman: This is an Apollo 8 mission, not an Apollo 11.
I am not quite sure what that means. Apollo 8 had a great impact on humanity.
Apollo 8 gave us the environmental movement, one of the most iconic images in history, the first first-hand views of the far side of the moon (as well as the same for the moon close up) and, as one person put it, "saved 1968."
Artemis II is going to be the first human flight to the moon to occur during the lifetimes of most of the people living on Earth today. It will be the first human mission to the moon to return 4K video and the first to unfold live on the internet. Its crew for the first time will represent more than just "whitey at the moon."
Time will tell what impact Artemis II has on the world but I don't think Geoffrey or others excited about it (myself included) are being carried away anymore than is appropriate given the circumstances.
Rick Mulheirn Member
Posts: 4667 From: England Registered: Feb 2001
posted 01-17-2026 12:35 PM
I must confess, I'm not close to the forthcoming Artemis II mission, though I'm excited none the less.
I was wondering, what plans are there, if any for high resolution photography of the lunar surface?
I'm always hoping for further evidence with which to shoot down the moon landing deniers.
Axman Member
Posts: 867 From: Derbyshire UK Registered: Mar 2023
posted 01-17-2026 12:38 PM
quote:Originally posted by Robert Pearlman: I am not quite sure what that means.
What I meant is quite straightforward. We are not returning to the moon with this mission. We won't be going back until 2028 at the earliest.
Six missions landed men on the moon back in the Apollo days (whether they were whitey or not makes little difference to me), this isn't surpassing that, nor even matching it.
As I said, it is similar to Apollo 8 (which was a truly historic mission).
You and Geoffrey can be as excited as you like, but historic it ain't.
Robert Pearlman Editor
Posts: 55792 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
posted 01-17-2026 12:41 PM
For you, it may not be historic, but for others it will be (for reasons already cited, and more). For the sake of everyone's enjoyment, let's not try to rain on others' parades...
quote:Originally posted by Rick Mulheirn: ...what plans are there, if any for high resolution photography of the lunar surface?
The timing of the fly by is such that Artemis II will not be in line of sight of the Apollo landing sites. Even if they were, they would be at a farther distance than Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter and other probes have orbited and returned imagery.
At their distance, about 4,000 to 6,000 miles above the lunar surface, the moon will appear to the crew to be about the size of a basketball held at arm's length.
The Artemis II crew will be observing the far side of the moon, taking photographs and filming the view in 4K (due to bandwidth requirements by other Orion systems, the 4K footage will not be seen until after the crew returns to Earth).
Headshot Member
Posts: 1440 From: Vancouver, WA, USA Registered: Feb 2012
posted 01-17-2026 01:13 PM
Too bad they did not put some sort of GoPro cams on the front, or back of the crawler, or even on the top of the launch tower.
Maybe next time.
Delta7 Member
Posts: 1792 From: Bluffton IN USA Registered: Oct 2007
posted 01-17-2026 01:33 PM
It's a test flight of the Orion spacecraft, and flying around the moon is part of that test. It isn't an exploration mission. What it does do is end the long drought in human deep space flight, laying the groundwork for return of humans to the moon and beyond. I find that very exciting. If you told me as a 12-year old watching the coverage of Apollo 17 that I would be 65 when the next crewed lunar mission would fly, I would have been crushed. I would gave predicted back then that we'd have colonies on the moon and Mars by 2026, and crewed flights to the outer planets similar to 2001: A Space Odyssey.
I'll take this with renewed excitement.
Ken Havekotte Member
Posts: 4030 From: Merritt Island, Florida, Brevard Registered: Mar 2001
posted 01-18-2026 06:55 AM
Great photos Fred and that's a nice personal shot of you inside the VAB looking down of the SLS vehicle in Bay 3. It was also a pleasure in seeing you on KSC grounds yesterday morning during rollout and I wish we had more time for an one-on-one visit during your short stay here. Next time for sure!
GACspaceguy Member
Posts: 3258 From: Guyton, GA Registered: Jan 2006
posted 01-18-2026 09:00 AM
Yesterday, during the crew access swing arm retract operation, the arm stopped and went back towards the vehicle for a moment. I then saw folks on the tower at the "hinge" location doing some sort of work. The arm then retracted to the full retract position and the rollout resumed.
Below is a snagit from the original photos for reference.
GACspaceguy Member
Posts: 3258 From: Guyton, GA Registered: Jan 2006
posted 01-18-2026 10:32 AM
Had an opportunity to go to a various sites while the vehicle is on the pad.
The crawler has done its job. Time to rest.
Spaceflyer Member
Posts: 224 From: Nauheim, Germany Registered: Jan 2003
posted 01-18-2026 12:09 PM
My rollout video. Enjoy.
Robert Pearlman Editor
Posts: 55792 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
posted 01-18-2026 06:55 PM
quote:Originally posted by GACspaceguy: The arm then retracted to the full retract position and the rollout resumed.
Apparently, a series of crew access arm swing tests have continued at the pad throughout today (Jan. 18). According to Spaceflight Now, as of 5 p.m. EDT (2200 UTC), "they've swung the arm towards Orion four times and away thrice."
Blackarrow Member
Posts: 3912 From: Belfast, United Kingdom Registered: Feb 2002
posted 01-19-2026 05:03 PM
Responding to early posts, no, this is not an "Apollo 11" type mission. It's not even an "Apollo 8" type mission. It's actually closer to the Apollo 13 flight profile (flown, rather than planned!) but NASA won't be saying that for obvious reasons. But it is a return to the vicinity of the Moon, and, if successful, will increase the list of human beings who have seen the far side of the Moon from 24 to 28. I think that's worth celebrating. Better late than never.
Robert Pearlman Editor
Posts: 55792 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
posted 01-19-2026 05:18 PM
Artemis II can be likened to several different Apollo flights:
Artemis II is like Apollo 7 because it is a shakeout cruise for the command module's systems.
Artemis II is like Apollo 8 because it is the first time humans will see parts of the far side of the moon with their own eyes.
Artemis II is like Apollo 10 because it will fly from Pad 39B and then practice the maneuvers needed to land on the moon ahead of the next mission doing so.
Artemis II is like Apollo 13 because it will follow a free return trajectory around the moon and back.
At the same time, Artemis II is like none of these missions for numerous reasons.
And now for something completely different, from Chris Williams aboard the International Space Station:
I took this photo of Kennedy Space Center this weekend. It is not my best photo (should have grabbed a different lens) but it is special – if you zoom in on the rightmost launch pad, you can see a shadow just to the left of the center of the pad.
That shadow is from the rocket (and launch tower) that will soon take four of my friends on a trip around the moon as part of the Artemis program! This weekend was the rollout of the rocket, and we passed over Florida just as it was arriving to the pad.
posted 01-16-2026 11:00 AM
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