Four astronauts aboard NASA’s Orion spacecraft are rapidly heading towards the Moon. According to Indian time, on 6 April, they have entered the Moon’s gravitational field. Now these astronauts will see with their own eyes that part of the Moon which humans have only seen in photographs until today. They have also broken the 56-year-old record of traveling farthest from Earth tonight. Apollo 13 had set the record in 1970 for the greatest distance from Earth at 4,02,336 km. In NASA’s current mission, the astronauts are expected to reach up to 4,06,771 km from Earth. Complete Schedule of Artemis-II Flyby
Note: There is a difference of 10 hours 30 minutes between EST i.e. Eastern Standard Time and IST Indian Standard Time. EST time is of April 6. IST time is of April 7. Photography of the dark side of the moon will be done NASA has sent the crew a list of 30 special targets on the moon’s surface that they need to photograph. The most prominent among these is the ‘Oriental Basin’, which is a crater about 600 miles wide. This basin was formed 3.8 billion years ago by a meteorite impact. Apart from this, they will also study the ‘Hertzsprung Basin’ to understand how the moon’s surface has changed over time.
Seventh Day: The spacecraft will return to Earth from the Moon’s gravity After exiting the Moon’s gravitational field, the spacecraft will begin its journey back towards Earth. The path of Artemis-II is quite similar to the Apollo-13 mission of 1970. It will use the Moon’s gravity like a ‘slingshot’, which will push the spacecraft back towards Earth. During the entire mission, the four astronauts will travel approximately 11.02 lakh kilometers. Tenth Day: The spacecraft will splash down in the Pacific Ocean on April 10 According to Indian time, on April 11 at 6:30 AM, Orion will enter Earth’s atmosphere. At 6:36 AM, it will ‘splashdown’ in the Pacific Ocean near San Diego. After this, there will be a press conference in Houston, where information about the mission will be provided. Objective: NASA wants to test the ‘Life Support System’ The mission’s objective is to test the spacecraft’s ‘Life Support System’. NASA wants to see how safe it is for humans to live in space. The craft will not land on the lunar surface right now, but will pave the way for humans to settle on the Moon in the future. 4 Astronauts: For the first time, a woman will reach close to the Moon The mission includes three astronauts from NASA and one from the Canadian Space Agency (CSA). 1. Reid Wiseman: Former US Navy test pilot Wiseman (50) is the mission commander. Wiseman, who spent 6 months on the space station in 2014, is afraid of heights on the ground. After losing his wife in 2020, Wiseman is raising his two daughters alone. 2. Christina Koch: Engineer and physicist Christina Koch (47) is a mission specialist. She holds the record for the longest time spent in space by a woman (328 days). After seeing the ‘Earthrise’ photo taken by Apollo-8 in her childhood, she decided to become an astronaut. 3. Jeremy Hansen: Former Canadian fighter pilot Jeremy Hansen (50) is a mission specialist. If everything goes according to plan, Hansen will become the first non-American to reach the moon through this mission. Hansen has taken along Canada’s famous maple syrup and cookies. 4. Victor Glover: Glover (49), selected as the pilot for the mission, will be the first Black person to reach close to the Moon. Glover has taken along a Bible and his wedding rings. He says that searching for and learning about our place in the universe is the true meaning of being human.
Major Difference Between Apollo and Artemis Programs The main objective of the Apollo missions in the 70s was to prove superiority in the ‘Space Race’ with the Soviet Union. The Artemis Program is entirely about preparing for the future. NASA wants to build a permanent base on the Moon this time, so that humans can learn to live and work there. This experience will help fulfill the dream of going to Mars in the future. NASA’s Artemis-II mission was launched on 2 April American space agency NASA launched the ‘Artemis-2’ mission on April 2 according to Indian time. At 4:05 AM, the ‘Space Launch System’ (SLS) Orion spacecraft departed towards the Moon carrying 4 astronauts. In the year 1972, after ‘Apollo-17’, this is the first time that a human will cross Earth’s Low Earth Orbit (LEO) and reach close to the Moon. The four travelers will orbit around the Moon from the spacecraft and then return to Earth. This is a 10-day mission. Knowledge Part:
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