\n The landmark mission, dubbed Artemis II, is on track to lift off as soon as February. The highly anticipated endeavor will mark the first time astronauts have ventured beyond the bounds of near-Earth orbit since the final Apollo mission in 1972.\n <\/p>\n
\n Artemis II will send a group of four astronauts \u2014 NASA\u2019s Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch as well as the Canadian Space Agency\u2019s Jeremy Hansen \u2014 on a trip around the moon.\n <\/p>\n
\n But returning to deep space after a more than five-decade hiatus is not without its challenges. Although NASA is leaning heavily on the learnings from Apollo, the Artemis missions will pursue far more complex objectives using some novel technologies.\n <\/p>\n
\n As is the case with any mission to space, uncertainties are inevitable. And nothing is guaranteed.\n <\/p>\n
\n \u201cThe most important thing we are working on \u2014 refining and honing \u2014 is: How do we handle the unknown?\u201d Hansen said during a September news conference.\n <\/p>\n
\n The crew will not be carrying out an exact repeat of any of the Apollo flights. Instead, Artemis II aims to test and verify the various systems and components of the crew\u2019s spacecraft, called Orion. It will circumnavigate the moon on a slingshot trajectory designed to bring the astronauts back toward Earth \u2014 even if something goes wrong and the capsule\u2019s propulsion system fails.\n <\/p>\n
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\n Unlike the Apollo missions that entered low-lunar orbit, Artemis II will use a flight path better suited to Orion\u2019s design and mass. The spacecraft will make a large, sweeping loop around the moon, rather than flying tight circles closer to the surface.\n <\/p>\n
\n And while the crew members will not land on the moon, their trajectory will offer a unique view of our closest celestial neighbor.\n <\/p>\n
\n \u201cWe could see parts of the moon that never have had human eyes laid upon them before,\u201d Koch said during a September news conference. \u201cAnd we have been learning how to turn those observations into tangible science.\u201d\n <\/p>\n
\n The mission will also take flight against a backdrop of geopolitical drama, as hawkish lawmakers have made clear that they view lunar exploration as a political imperative in light of China\u2019s rapidly advancing space program. Artemis II is set to serve as a pathfinder mission, paving the way for astronauts to land at the moon\u2019s south pole region for the first time in history later this decade.\n <\/p>\n
\n As with any mission that ventures beyond near-Earth orbit, portions of the journey will be agonizingly isolating.\n <\/p>\n
\n \u201cFor the 45 minutes we are closest to the lunar surface, we are also going to be out of contact \u2014 we\u2019re going to have an LOS, in NASA terms, a loss of signal,\u201d Glover said in September. \u201cI would love it if the entire world \u2014 those 8 billion people \u2026 could come together and just be hoping and praying for us to get that acquisition of signal.\u201d\n <\/p>\n
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\n But, Glover emphasized, the point of returning astronauts to the moon is to better understand the vehicles and systems it takes to support human life and navigate such a harsh environment.\n <\/p>\n
\n The better the limits and capabilities are understood, the closer NASA will be to realizing its goal of establishing a permanent lunar settlement where astronauts can work and train as they prepare to tackle even more complex missions \u2014 perhaps to Mars.\n <\/p>\n
\n Even missteps, Glover said, \u201cwould be a reminder, a data point we all share that we can do challenging and very big and very important things when we work together.\u201d\n <\/p>\n
\n When the Artemis II mission takes flight, the crew will be strapped aboard the Orion capsule as it journeys to space atop NASA\u2019s gargantuan Space Launch System rocket. The mission could take off from the federal agency\u2019s Kennedy Space Center in Florida as soon as February 6, according to the agency.\n <\/p>\n
\n After maneuvering to the correct trajectory, Orion will detach from the SLS rocket\u2019s upper engine and begin free flying. Over the course of several days, Orion will traverse the 238,900-mile (385,400-kilometer) void between Earth and the moon.\n <\/p>\n
\n At such distances, the astronauts will face a far harsher radiation environment than do the vast majority of space travelers.\n <\/p>\n
\n Astronauts who spend time on the International Space Station, which orbits just a couple hundred miles above Earth, are still \u201cwithin the protective envelope that helps shield us from some of that space weather\u201d that showers much of our solar system with radiation, noted Jacob Bleacher, the chief exploration scientist within NASA\u2019s Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate, in September.\n <\/p>\n
\n The impact such an environment has on the human body remains a bit of a mystery, Bleacher added.\n <\/p>\n
\n \u201cWe have learned much from the astronauts who traveled to the moon previously. But although we studied the moon, we studied our systems \u2014 we didn\u2019t necessarily study ourselves the way that we can today,\u201d he said.\n <\/p>\n
\n \u201cThe science of Artemis is the science of us. We will be collecting some of the baseline data here on how humans operate when they get away from the Earth.\u201d\n <\/p>\n
\n The Artemis II astronauts will also be flying aboard a rocket and spacecraft system that are markedly different from their Apollo predecessors.\n <\/p>\n
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