Nasa's Giant Moon Rocket Creeps Towards Launchpad Ahead of Historic Astronaut Flight
The massive Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, weighing a total 5m kg and standing at 98 metres tall, made its slow and deliberate move from the vehicle assembly building to the launchpad yesterday. The trek, covering a distance of 4 miles, took until nightfall as thousands of space centre workers and their families gathered to witness this historic moment.
Nasa's new administrator, Jared Isaacman, was among those present, along with the four astronauts assigned to the mission: Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen. The crew expressed excitement and anticipation as they marked the beginning of a new era in space exploration.
The Artemis II mission marks the first lunar fly-around by humans since Apollo 17's Gene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt closed out the triumphant lunar landing programme in 1972. This trip will take place on the third flight in the Artemis lineup, with the astronauts not orbiting the moon or even landing on it.
The crew will embark on a 10-day journey to the moon and back, with the SLS rocket set to undergo a fuelling test on the pad in early February before confirming a launch date. Nasa has only five days to launch in the first half of February before bumping into March.
The mission comes after years of delays due to heat shield damage and other capsule problems during the initial test flight. The astronauts will be the first people to fly to the moon since Apollo 17, with only four moonwalkers still alive; Aldrin, the oldest, turns 96 on Tuesday.
"This one feels a lot different, putting crew on the rocket and taking the crew around the moon," said Nasa's John Honeycutt. The crew is eager to explore the unknown and push the boundaries of human spaceflight, with Commander Wiseman stating: "They just want to see humans as far away from Earth as possible discovering the unknown."
The massive Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, weighing a total 5m kg and standing at 98 metres tall, made its slow and deliberate move from the vehicle assembly building to the launchpad yesterday. The trek, covering a distance of 4 miles, took until nightfall as thousands of space centre workers and their families gathered to witness this historic moment.
Nasa's new administrator, Jared Isaacman, was among those present, along with the four astronauts assigned to the mission: Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen. The crew expressed excitement and anticipation as they marked the beginning of a new era in space exploration.
The Artemis II mission marks the first lunar fly-around by humans since Apollo 17's Gene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt closed out the triumphant lunar landing programme in 1972. This trip will take place on the third flight in the Artemis lineup, with the astronauts not orbiting the moon or even landing on it.
The crew will embark on a 10-day journey to the moon and back, with the SLS rocket set to undergo a fuelling test on the pad in early February before confirming a launch date. Nasa has only five days to launch in the first half of February before bumping into March.
The mission comes after years of delays due to heat shield damage and other capsule problems during the initial test flight. The astronauts will be the first people to fly to the moon since Apollo 17, with only four moonwalkers still alive; Aldrin, the oldest, turns 96 on Tuesday.
"This one feels a lot different, putting crew on the rocket and taking the crew around the moon," said Nasa's John Honeycutt. The crew is eager to explore the unknown and push the boundaries of human spaceflight, with Commander Wiseman stating: "They just want to see humans as far away from Earth as possible discovering the unknown."
I'm super stoked about this news! NASA's getting back into lunar exploration after all those years of delays. This Artemis II mission is a huge deal, especially with the crew of four astronauts on board. It's been ages since we've seen humans fly to the moon, and now they're gonna do it again! 
10-day journey to the moon and back? That's like, whoa! And can you believe Aldrin just turned 96... he's still out there making history! 
I hope everything goes smoothly with the launch test in February. Fingers crossed for a successful mission! 
anyway back to this nasa thing... i mean what's up with all these space missions tho? we're basically trying to prove humans can still explore and stuff. but like, isn't the moon just gonna be a big rock in space? idk man
It's crazy how much time has passed since humans last visited the moon. Now we're trying to get back there with a new crew and a fancy rocket. But, I gotta say, I'm excited to see what this Artemis II mission brings. The thought of the astronauts being so far away from Earth is wild (in a good way). It feels like we're taking giant steps forward in space travel 
, hope the crew is ready for an epic journey 
, I'm getting so tired of Nasa's slow progress on their projects. Like, come on! They've had years of delays and it still feels like they're playing catch-up game. This Artemis II mission is supposed to be historic but it's already been delayed multiple times... it just feels like they're not even trying hard enough 
. And what's up with the fuelling test on the pad in early February? Can't they just get it done sooner? 
. these astronauts are part of something bigger than themselves, pushing humanity to new frontiers.
. now we're finally seeing the fruit of all that hard work and dedication.
. I mean, it's been 50 years since Apollo 17, so you'd think there'd be some new tech or something by now 
. I guess it's still good enough for them 
. And the fact that they only have 5 days to launch in Feb before March is pretty tight 
. Can't wait to see if they actually make it happen though 
! I wonder what it'd be like to witness it launch live... 
, can't wait for the 10-day journey to the moon and back 
, let's hope everything goes smoothly 
. The last time humans visited the moon was 1972, can you believe it's been that long? 