This artist’s concept depicts the nominal trajectory for NASA’s Artemis II test flight. Orion will fly two orbits of Earth and then venture around the moon in a figure-eight pattern before returning to Earth.
NASA/JSC/Goddard
NASA’s Artemis II mission, which launched on April 1, will mark humanity’s long-awaited return to deep space, sending four astronauts on a 10-day journey around the moon aboard the Orion spacecraft. As the world watches, here are the key moments:
After elliptically orbiting Earth twice comes the defining moment of the mission — the translunar injection burn. This 30-minute engine firing sends Orion out of Earth orbit and onto a free-return trajectory around the moon.
This maneuver effectively commits the astronauts to their lunar journey, but also guarantees they will travel back to Earth.
With the spacecraft halfway to the moon, astronauts conduct imaging exercises and refine their observation targets. A dedicated window allows them to photograph both Earth and the moon from deep space — a rare and striking perspective.
A historic threshold is crossed as the moon’s gravity overtakes Earth’s influence. This marks humanity’s first return to lunar space since 1972.
The crew conducts spacesuit tests, practicing rapid pressurization and emergency readiness, while Orion performs another trajectory correction burn.
The mission’s highlight arrives as Orion swings around the far side of the moon. Passing just 4,000-6,000 miles above the surface, astronauts spend about three hours capturing images and scientific observations.
This could take them farther from Earth than any humans in history, offering unprecedented views of the lunar far side. For context, Apollo missions orbited about 70 miles from the lunar surface.
Named Mare Orientale in Latin, the Eastern Sea is believed to be one of the youngest such impact basins on the moon. With its concentric bull's-eye rings, this 560-mile-wide feature is likely the result of a colossal impact by an asteroid-size object more than 3 billion years ago. Orthographic projection. Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, 2009-2012
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Since the astronauts will be 4,000-6,000 miles above the moon, they’ll see the entire disk of the moon. Although much of the far side will be dark, the crew members will become the first humans to see Mare Orientale (Eastern Sea), an impact basin on the edge of the moon's far side.
“This will be the first time humans are seeing some very unique locations on the dark side of the moon,” said Cody Paige, assistant professor of mechanical engineering at Columbia Engineering, in an email. “They will be working with scientists here on Earth in real time to better understand the lunar geology that will not only help us to survive on the moon but also to learn about our place in the universe.”
This artist’s concept depicts the nominal trajectory for NASA’s Artemis II test flight. Orion will fly two orbits of Earth and then venture around the moon in a figure-eight pattern before returning to Earth.
NASA/JSC/Goddard
Two hours after Orion reaches perilune — when it’s closest to the surface — the crew will witness a total solar eclipse. The moon’s far side will also be its dark side, and block both the Earth and the sun, offering a view of the solar corona, just as during totality in a total solar eclipse seen from Earth. Expect beautiful images.
ForbesComet Alert: A Sungrazer May Soon Blaze After Sunset — Or Break ApartA so-called Kreutz sungrazer comet will pass extraordinarily close to the sun — just 487,000 miles (784,000 km) from its surface — around April 4-5. That’s orders of magnitude closer than most comets, and it could be an exquisite sight from space. Its proximity could make it spectacularly bright or fragment it. If it is visible — or fragments of it — the Artemis II crew may see it on April 5-6 while it’s about 5 degrees east of the sun. Cue an image of a comet apparently close to the surface of the moon — and possibly during the total solar eclipse.
NASA's unmanned Orion spaceship comes in for a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean off Baja California, Mexico, on Dec. 11, 2022. (Photo by Mario Tama / POOL / AFP) (Photo by MARIO TAMA/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
POOL/AFP via Getty Images
The mission concludes with its most dangerous moment, reentry, when Orion’s heat shield will withstand incredibly high temperatures.
"Artemis II marks a pivotal moment for sustained human exploration, where an incredible crew will fly alongside advanced materials — from heat-resistant ceramics in reentry shields enduring ~2,200°C to lightweight composites enabling deep-space flight — quietly redefining structural resilience and paving the way for a new era of exploration beyond Earth,” said Marianna Maiarù, associate professor of civil engineering and engineering mechanics and the director of the Guggenheim Initiative for Aerospace Structures at Columbia Engineering, in an email.
After reentry, parachutes will deploy to slow the capsule, with splashdown in the Pacific Ocean off San Diego.
Wishing you clear skies and wide eyes.
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