NASA’s Artemis II bound for the Moon as historic flight finally breaks free of Earth orbit | World | News

NASA’s Artemis II astronauts fired up their engines Thursday night and headed toward the Moon, finally escaping the low-Earth orbits that have kept humanity tethered since the end of the Apollo era.

The critical translunar flare occurred about 25 hours after launch, sending three Americans and one Canadian on track for a flyby of the Moon early next week. The Orion spacecraft exited Earth orbit exactly as planned and set course for the Moon, approximately 250,000 miles (400,000 kilometers) away.

“Ladies and gentlemen, I am very, very excited to be able to tell you that for the first time since 1972, during Apollo 17, humankind left Earth orbit,” NASA’s Lori Glaze said at a press conference.

He added that the burn went away perfectly.

Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen said he and his crew pressed into the capsule windows, mesmerized by the “remarkable” view of the shrinking Earth behind them. Their faces were so close to the glass that they had to wipe it clean afterwards.

“Humanity has once again shown what we are capable of, and it is our hopes for the future that carry us on this journey around the moon,” Hansen said.

NASA kept the crew in Earth orbit for a full day to thoroughly test the capsule’s life support systems before embarking on a journey to the Moon.

Now heading into deep space, Artemis II serves as the first major step toward NASA’s ambitious plans for a sustained presence on the Moon and an eventual Lunar base.

Commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, mission specialist Christina Koch and Hansen will pass by the Moon, make a U-turn and return home without landing.

By doing so, they will travel further from Earth than any human since Apollo 13 in 1970 and could set a new speed record during re-entry on April 10.

Glover, Koch and Hansen have already entered the history books as the first Black person, first woman and first non-American to fly to the Moon. All 24 Apollo lunar rovers were white men.

After viewing the Earth from pole to pole, Glover said: “Trust us, you look amazing. You look beautiful. And from there, you look like one thing: Homo sapiens. No matter where you’re from or what you look like, we’re all one people.”

To set the mood, Mission Control woke the crew with John Legend’s “Green Light” featuring Andre 3000, followed by cheers from NASA crews.

Glover replied: “We’re ready to go.”

Minutes before the engine ignited, controllers received the crew’s permission to leave, calling it “mankind’s arc home on the moon.” The spacecraft uses a free-return orbit that relies on the gravity of the Earth and Moon to follow a giant figure-eight loop back home. The burn propelled Orion to speeds of 24,000 mph (38,000 km/h) to escape Earth’s grasp.

Wiseman said: “I’ve got to tell you, there’s nothing normal about this. Sending four people 250,000 miles away is a monumental effort, and we’re just beginning to understand the seriousness of it.”

Flight director Judd Frieling said his team remained focused during the burn but would reflect on the historic moment afterward.

“I suspect everyone understands that this is a once-in-a-lifetime moment,” Frieling told reporters.

The next big milestone comes on Monday with the Moon flyby. Orion will pass nearly 4,000 miles (6,400 kilometers) past the Moon, offering rare views of the Moon’s far side and even giving the crew a total solar eclipse from space.

While waiting to leave Earth orbit early Thursday, astronauts enjoyed panoramic views of the planet from tens of thousands of miles away. Koch reported seeing the entire coastline and even the South Pole, his former research site.

NASA hopes the test flight will pave the way for the entire Artemis program, including a crewed Moon landing targeted for 2028.

The so-called lunar toilet may need some tweaks. Orion’s toilet malfunctioned shortly after reaching orbit Wednesday night. Mission Control convinced Koch to make some emergency fixes until they worked, forcing the crew to use emergency urine collection bags in the meantime.

The same bags were put into extra service on Thursday. After a problem with the water dispenser valve occurred after launch, controllers had the astronauts fill their empty bladders with more than 2 gallons (7 liters) of drinking water using straws and syringes; in case the problem reoccurs before the trip to the Moon.