If all goes well, NASA’s Artemis 2 mission will set off for the moon on March 6. This will be the first time since the Apollo 17 mission in December 1972 that humans will once again go beyond low Earth orbit and head for the moon. Four astronauts are going to end this long wait of more than 50 years.
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NASA gave some very good news on February 20. The wet dress rehearsal, or the final rehearsal for refueling the rocket, has been completed successfully at Pad 39B at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Earlier, on February 2, during the first rehearsal, the test had to be stopped midway due to a leak of liquid hydrogen in the rocket’s fuel supply pipe. It is worth remembering that during the previous Artemis 1 mission, the launch was delayed by several months due to a leak in the same place.
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However, this time, that mistake was not made. Engineers replaced two seals in the pipe and conducted a small test on February 12. Then, in the final rehearsal, about 2.76 million liters of super-cooled liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen were poured into the rocket’s core and upper stage. Launch Director Charlie Blackwell-Thompson breathed a sigh of relief, saying, “Not a single drop leaked anywhere. The rocket performed great.”
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However, there is still some work to be done before the March 6 flight. Two special trusses must now be installed on the launch tower of the SLS rocket so that the flight termination system can be tested on the launch pad. During Artemis 1, the entire rocket had to be taken back to the assembly building for this test. This time, thanks to that technological improvement, the work will be completed on the pad.
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In this historic mission, three NASA astronauts Reed Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen of the Canadian Space Agency will circle the moon for about 10 days and return to Earth. They are all spending time in quarantine at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, following the general rules of space travel. They will return to the Kennedy Space Center just 5 days before the launch.
Artemis 2 will be launched on March 6. But if for some reason the launch is not possible on that day, attempts will be made until March 10. If the rocket cannot fly at this time due to weather or any other reason, we will have to wait until April. Possible dates are April 1, April 3 to 6, and April 30.
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However, NASA is confident this time. Many may be skeptical this time too due to the repeated postponement of Artemis 1. But in the words of Lori Glaze, ‘Everything is really becoming a reality now. It is no longer speculation, it is time for us to get serious and excited!’
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It is hoped that the Artemis 2 mission will leave for the moon on March 6. No one will land on the lunar surface in this mission. Four astronauts will orbit the moon in the Orion capsule. They will go around the other side of the moon and return to Earth. During this 10-day trip, they will test all the spacecraft’s systems so that future landing missions are safe.
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Earlier, in 2022, NASA successfully completed the Artemis 1 mission. It was an unmanned mission. The Orion capsule orbited the moon and returned to Earth safely. That mission showed that humans are ready to go to the moon again. However, this hydrogen leak also caused a lot of trouble in that mission.
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After the success of the Artemis 1 mission, all eyes are now on the Artemis 2 mission. Only if it is successful will Artemis 3 come. It is in this mission that humans will set foot on the moon’s soil again. NASA is planning to land on the south pole of the moon. And this is the first time a woman and a non-white astronaut will walk on the moon’s surface. But the key to that dream is now in the hands of Artemis 2!
Source: Space.com
