NASA space launch system

Now that the first lunar travelers in more than a half-century are safely back in Houston with their families, NASA has Artemis III in its sights. One question for this plan appears to be, where’s Apollo 10?

The astronauts of Artemis-2 are getting used to normal gravity after spending nine days in weightlessness. The yet-to-be name crew of Artemis-3 may spend part of their time in orbit facing the same risks as Apollo astronauts Jim McDivitt and Rusty Schweikart in 1969. Those astronauts tested the bug-like lunar lander that Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin would use during the first ever landing on the Moon.

Artemis II’s astronauts returned from the moon with a dramatic splashdown in the Pacific on Friday to close out humanity’s first lunar voyage in more than a half-century. One of the four space shuttle engines used during the upcoming launch of Artemis-3 next year comes from the final launch of the shuttle in 2011.

Drawing ever closer to Earth, the Artemis II astronauts tidied up their lunar cruiser for the upcoming “fireball” return and reflected on their historic journey around the moon, describing it as surreal and profound. This is the end of their journey, which began aboard NASA's new "Space Launch System" rocket which was designed, built, tested, and managed at the Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville.

When four NASA astronauts blasted off on Artemis-2, something was trending on the social media platform Bluesky. It was called "Challenger trauma." People posted about witnessing the 1986 space shuttle Challenger accident and how they felt a visceral sense of unease as Artemis lifted off from the launch pad. The four astronauts blasted off on a rocket built here in Alabama. The investigation into the loss of Challenger focused, in part, on a statement witnesses say was made by a manager at the Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville.

After traveling deeper into space than any other humans, the Artemis II astronauts pointed their moonship toward home Monday night . NASA’s Orion capsule reached a maximum distance of 252,756 miles from Earth before hanging a U-turn behind the moon, 4,101 miles farther than Apollo 13. One astronaut from that earlier mission knew it was coming.

Now more than halfway to the moon, the Artemis II astronauts prepared for their historic lunar fly-around to push deeper into space than even the Apollo astronauts. On the downside, a key piece of equipment is on the blink again.

The astronauts aboard Artemis-2 are preparing for a fly-by of the moon as part of the mission in space. The trip began with a ride to Earth orbit aboard NASA’s Alabama built new moon rocket called the “Space Launch System,” or SLS. Three of the Artemis astronauts are space veterans. But, none of the crew members flew aboard NASA’s space shuttle which uses solid rocket boosters for blastoff. They shared thoughts on the ride.

NASA’s Artemis-2 astronauts fired their engines and blazed toward the moon Thursday night, breaking free of the chains that have trapped humanity in shallow laps around Earth in the decades since Apollo. The Marshall Space Flight Center is gearing up for the next launch of NASA's new "Space Launch System" rocket on Artemis-3.

The Four astronauts aboard Artemis-2 are settling into the mission to the moon after a ride to Earth orbit aboard NASA’s new “Space Launch System” rocket that was designed, built, tested, and managed at the Marshall Space Flight Center in Alabama. Wednesday’s blastoff was based on “leftovers” from the retired space shuttle. Specifically, the cluster of liquid fueled engines at the base of the rocket. That includes NASA's last Hubble servicing mission.