For the first time in 53 years, humans will travel to the Moon

The last time humans traveled to the Moon was the Apollo 17 mission in December 1972, over 53 years ago. Since then, space shuttles have flown, orbital stations have been built, and robots have been sent to the farthest reaches of the solar system, but no human has left low Earth orbit. That is about to change, as this coming March, the Orion spacecraft carrying astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen will launch into orbit atop the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket.

Following the uncrewed flight of Artemis I in November 2023, where the Orion spacecraft was tested during a 25-day deep space mission, Artemis II aims to test the spacecraft as it will be used for actual missions to the Moon. With manned lunar landings and permanent outposts being planned for the late 2020s, having a reliable method of getting people to and from the Moon is essential. Additionally, several Artemis II astronauts will make history during this mission. Glover will be the first African-American, Koch the first woman, and Hansen the first Canadian to fly to the Moon.

After spending a day in Earth orbit to ensure their Orion spacecraft, named Integrity, was working properly, they will use their spacecraft’s engine to send their capsule on a free-return trajectory around the Moon, meaning the Earth’s gravity will pull them back to Earth after they pass behind the Moon. Throughout the mission, the crew will carry out various medical studies to observe how the human body reacts to operating in deep space, while also rehearsing drills that astronauts will perform in the scenario of an emergency.

Five days after their launch, the Artemis II crew and their Orion spacecraft will pass behind the Moon, performing observations of the lunar far side which cannot be seen from Earth. At the same time, the crew has traveled farther than anyone has ever traveled from Earth, 256 thousand miles, surpassing even the Apollo missions. Following this pass behind the Moon, the Earth’s gravity began to pull the spacecraft back towards Earth, with the crew resuming their scientific experiments and observations.

Following this fly-by, and after ten days in space, Artemis II will be on its way back to Earth and will begin re-entry, the process of utilizing atmospheric drag to slow the spacecraft down. The capsule, the only part of the spacecraft to return to Earth, will use a heat shield to endure the heat of re-entry, with the crew feeling up to four times the force of gravity. After this, three main parachutes will be opened, letting the capsule will safely splash into the Pacific Ocean and be recovered by the US Navy. With this mission, the door will be open for the Artemis program to send humans to the Moon, this time to stay. We will return to the Moon as we left it, with peace and hope for all mankind. Godspeed, Artemis II.