Artemis II pilot sends important first message from space as crew blasts out of earth’s orbit to moon
A NASA pilot on board the Artemis II Moon mission has shared an important message from space.
Wednesday (1 April) marked the start of a 10-day journey towards to the Moon, as a team of four astronauts are heading 252,000 miles into space, deeper than any human has gone before.
The crew members launched off in a 322-foot rocket and have now officially left Earth's orbit.
While there will be no official Moonland, the aim of the Artemis II mission is to perform a lunar flyby, helping prepare for future missions and eventual journeys to Mars.
Advert
Now, pilot Victor Glover has sent the crew's first message from space and it's a reminder that we are all one as human beings.
"Trust us, you look amazing, you look beautiful, and from up here you look like one thing," he said.
"Homosapiens are all of us; no matter where you're from or what you look like, we're all one people.
"This shows what we can do not just when we put our differences aside but when we put our differences together."
Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen also said: “Humanity has once again shown what we are capable of, and it’s your hopes for the future that carry us now on this journey around the moon.”
Previously, commander Reid Wiseman explained why he hoped the mission would be forgotten in the future, as it would signify the success of Artemis.
"This is the first time we are going to send humans to the Moon and [have] humans in low Earth orbit. That is awesome," he said at a press conference.
"As humanity, we should take a brief moment to go: that is awesome.
"When I look at the future, when we talk about what is our legacy, I don’t want to look five years or 10 years in the future.
"I want to look 100 or 200 years in the future. Honestly, this is where I thought it may land wrong: I hope we are forgotten."
Artemis II timeline: When will the crew reach the Moon?
After completing the translunar injection burn, the Artemis II crew have broken free of Earth’s gravity and are now on course for the Moon.
They are set to travel 250,000 miles from Earth, further than any human has ever gone before.
But what are the key milestones over the next few days, and what should we look out for back on Earth?
Friday 3 April - Saturday 4 April
While the rest of us are enjoying a four-day weekend, astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen will be hard at work prepping for their Moon fly-by.
They’ll be testing radio communications, and most importantly for us, taking lots of pictures out of the window of their spacecraft.
So expect some stunning photographs of the Earth and the Moon in deep space.
Sunday 5 April
As Brits tuck into their Easter Sunday roast dinners, it’s an important day for Artemis II crew.
This is when they’ll enter the lunar sphere of influence, which means the tug of the Moon’s gravity is stronger than Earth’s.
The crew will also be testing their spacesuits to make sure they’re in tip-top shape for re-entry next week.
Monday 6 April
This is the big one! The Artemis II crew will pass around the far side of the Moon, the furthest from Earth anyone has ever gone before.
Commonly dubbed the dark side of the Moon - it isn’t actually dark and actually gets more sunlight than the side we do see.
It’s called this because, thanks to something called tidal locking, the same side of the Moon is always facing Earth, so we never get to see the other one.
The Artemis II crew will spend the day taking photographs of the lunar landscape, and there will be 40 mins where they will lose contact with Earth - which is sure to be squeaky bum time for the folks at NASA.
Tuesday 7 April - Thursday 9 April
As we grudgingly head back to work, the astronauts begin their return journey to Earth.
Tuesday is the Artemis II crew’s day off after a full-on few days - though you have to imagine entertainment is scarce in the Orion spacecraft. No Netflix, unfortunately.
On Wednesday, the crew will practice building a radiation shelter, which would be able to shield them in the event of solar flares, test compression garments which should prevent dizziness on the return to Earth, and have a go at manually piloting the spacecraft.
Friday 10 April
The Artemis II crew will be back on Earth in time for the weekend. This is the diciest section of the mission, with the Orion spacecraft exposed to temperatures of up to 1,650°C.
Once safely back in Earth’s atmosphere, parachutes will deploy and they’ll land in the Pacific Ocean off San Diego, where NASA and the US Navy will be ready to pick them up.
Anish Vij