Manned Artemis space mission returns to earth
First manned mission in Artemis program
On April 1st, a spacecraft carrying 4 astronauts - Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen - lifted off from Kennedy Space center in Florida. This was the start of a 10 day space mission to fly around the moon in the first manned space mission since the end of the Apollo program in 1972. This mission would demonstrate the capabilities of the Orion space module and would conduct some important scientific experiments in space
Fun facts about the mission
This mission set the record for the furthest humans have ever been from earth
The previous record was set by accident by the disasterous Apollo 13 mission
A terrifying risk
This space mission was no picnic and the astronauts onboard risked their lives when going to the moon and coming back. During an unmanned test before this mission, the heat shield failed and broke. On this mission, the rocket’s trajectory was changed but the shield itself was not.
Also on the way to the moon the astronauts had to pass through the Van Allen radiation belt. This is a zone between the earth and the moon with deadly radiation levels. NASA has not revealed how the spacecraft was protected but they made it back in one piece so we must assume the protection worked.
Science in space
The Artemis crew conducted many experiments on their mission and these were not just about the moon. While they did take photographs of the dark side of the moon, a part not visible from earth, they also did some experiments on themselves including using onboard exercise equipment and stem cellls donated before the mission to investigate the effects of low gravity and radiation on the human body. Before the mission, they were also taught to observe with their own eyes and so they could see and record informatiou about the dark side of the moon. It looks like the humam eye is better than a camera, even the most advanced one
The crew of the Artemis II space mission. From left to right: Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen
