The 4 crewmembers of NASA’s subsequent moon mission are transferring nearer to their upcoming launch.
The Artemis 2 crew consists of NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman (commander), Victor Glover (pilot), Christina Koch (mission specialist) and the Canadian Space Agency’s Jeremy Hansen. After experiencing a number of delays, the quartet is scheduled to launch no sooner than April 2026 on their 10-day mission across the moon and again. With simply months left earlier than the historic launch, the Artemis crew is difficult at work ending their coaching and preparations. As a part of that coaching, the entire crew suited up of their launch and entry fits to enter their Orion spacecraft collectively for the primary time on July 31 at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida throughout what is called a suited crew take a look at.
Before the take a look at even started, the crewmembers have been sharing their pleasure concerning the milestone. “We are excited that today is the first time that we will all be in the vehicle since it’s been in this facility, and we’re going to be in there together, which is really exciting. That’s a first all around,” Koch advised reporters throughout a press gaggle at KSC on July 31. “Some of us have had different opportunities to interact with flight hardware on different trips, and obviously that’s always an incredible day. But when you’re in your launch and entry suits, you’re with the crew you’re going to be on the pad with, that is absolutely phenomenal.”
The suited crew take a look at noticed Wiseman, Glover, Koch and Hansen meet up on the Multi-Operation Support Building at KSC to swimsuit up of their Orion crew survival system spacesuits, the identical ones they’ll put on on launch day. From there, the crew traveled to a special constructing, the Multi-Payload Processing Facility, to enter the Orion crew capsule collectively.
Orion was powered on with the crew inside, giving them a sense for what they’re going to really expertise on launch day. They have been plugged into the capsule’s life help and communications techniques in addition to given a wide range of simulated floor and flight situations. These included placing the crew by way of difficult situations corresponding to sudden leaks or life help system malfunctions. The objective was to assist “ensure the crew is ready for any scenario,” NASA wrote in a statement.
Once out of their launch and entry fits, the crew additionally practiced actions they are going to be known as upon to do as soon as they’re in Orion and on the best way to the moon, corresponding to stowing unneeded launch gear. The crew additionally familiarized themselves with the procedures they’re going to use throughout their 10-day mission corresponding to these relating to sleep preparations and the “hygiene bay” contained in the spacecraft.
Artemis 2 has some massive sneakers to fill. Not solely is it the primary crewed flight to the moon since Apollo 17 and the farthest people have flown from Earth because the fateful Apollo 13 mission, however it’ll additionally observe the success of 2022’s Artemis 1 mission. Artemis 1 noticed NASA’s huge Space Launch System rocket take off efficiently on its first flight to ship the Orion capsule to orbit across the moon then land within the Pacific Ocean after a 25.5-day journey.
According to Koch, that success units a excessive bar for her and her crewmates. “Ever since we were chosen as crew — and it’s been on posters around all the centers — that in some ways, the huge success of Artemis 1 is actually something we need to think about as a risk or even a threat to Artemis 2, because we have to keep our vigilance up,” Koch stated through the July 31 press gaggle.
“I would say one of the things we learned is that despite our successes, we have to keep asking hard questions, and we have to keep tracing down things that are acting like we don’t expect.”