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Moon Mission
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. It was a triumphant homecoming for the crew of four whose record-breaking lunar flyby revealed not only swaths of the moon's far side never seen before by human eyes but a total solar eclipse. Commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Canada's Jeremy Hansen hit the atmosphere travelling Mach 33 or 33 times the speed of sound a blistering blur not seen since NASA's Apollo moonshots of the 1960s and 1970s. Their Orion capsule, dubbed Integrity, made the plunge on automatic pilot. The tension in Mission Control mounted as the capsule became engulfed in red-hot plasma during peak heating and entered a planned communication blackout. All eyes were on the capsule's life-protecting heat shield that had to withstand thousands of degrees during reentry. On the spacecraft's only other test flight
From admiring rocket launches as a child growing up in Houston to steering the operations at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Indian-American scientist Amit Kshatriya has had a stellar innings at the space agency that has set on a mission to land astronauts on the moon. As NASA's Associate Administrator, Wisconsin-born Kshatriya serves as the highest-ranking civil servant at the agency and as a senior advisor to Administrator Jared Isaacman. Kshatriya leads the agency's 10 centre directors, as well as the mission directorate associate administrators at NASA Headquarters in Washington. He also acts as the agency's Chief Operating Officer. Born to first-generation Indian immigrant parents, Kshatriya holds a Bachelor of Science in mathematics from the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, California, and a Master of Arts in mathematics from the University of Texas at Austin. He was born in Brookfield, Wisconsin, but considers Katy, a suburb of Housto
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. As the next-to-last day of their flight dawned Thursday, humanity's first lunar explorers in more than half a century were less than 150,000 miles (240,000 kilometres) from home with the odometer clicking down. "We have to get back. There's so much data that you've seen already, but all the good stuff is coming back with us. There are so many more pictures, so many more stories," said pilot Victor Glover, adding that "riding a fireball through the atmosphere is profound as well." Being cut off from all of humanity for nearly an hour while behind the moon was especially "surreal", according to commander Reid Wiseman. "There's a lot that our brains have to process ... and it is a true gift," Wiseman said late Wednesday during the crew's first news conference since before
Still aglow from their triumphant lunar flyby, the Artemis II astronauts put in a call to their friends aboard the International Space Station on Tuesday as they headed home from the moon. It was the first moonship-to-spaceship radio linkup ever. NASA's Apollo crews had no off-the-planet company back in the 1960s and 1970s, the last time humanity set sail for deep space. For Christina Koch on Artemis II and Jessica Meir aboard the space station, it marked a joyous space reunion despite being 230,000 miles (370,000 kilometers) apart. The two teamed up for the world's first all-female spacewalk in 2019 outside the orbiting lab. Houston's Mission Control arranged the cosmic chitchat between the four lunar travellers and the space station's three NASA and one French residents. As Tuesday dawned, Artemis II commander Reid Wiseman continued to beam back pictures of the previous day's lunar rendezvous, which set a new distance record for humanity. The highlight: an Earthset photo reminisc
The Artemis II astronauts are already the champions of a fresh new era of lunar exploration. Now it's time to set a new distance record. Launched last week on humanity's first trip to the moon since 1972, the three Americans and one Canadian are chasing after Apollo 13's maximum range from Earth. That will make them our planet's farthest emissaries as they swing around the moon without stopping on Monday and then hightail it back home. Their roughly six-hour lunar flyby promises views of the moon's far side that were too dark or too difficult to see by the 24 Apollo astronauts who preceded them. A total solar eclipse also awaits them as the moon blocks the sun, exposing snippets of shimmering corona. "We'll get eyes on the moon, kind of map it out and then continue to go back in force," said flight director Judd Frieling. The goal is a moon base replete with landers, rovers, drones and habitats. A look at Artemis II's up-close and personal brush with another world - our constant ..
Now more than halfway to the moon, the Artemis II astronauts were toasted by Canada on Saturday as they prepared for their historic lunar fly-around to push deeper into space than even the Apollo astronauts. The three Americans and one Canadian will reach their destination Monday, photographing the mysterious lunar far side as they zoom around. It's the first moonbound crew in more than 53 years, picking up where NASA's Apollo programme left off. Artemis II was poised to set a distance record for humans, traveling more than 252,000 miles (400,000 kilometres) from Earth before hanging a U-turn behind the moon and heading home without stopping or entering lunar orbit. The record is currently held by Apollo 13. The Canadian Space Agency celebrated the country's role in the mission, speaking from Quebec with astronaut Jeremy Hansen as he headed toward his lunar rendezvous. Hansen is the first non-US citizen to fly to the moon. "Today he is making history for Canada," said Canadian Spac
NASA cleared its moon rocket on Thursday for an April launch with four astronauts after completing the latest round of repairs. The 322-foot rocket will roll out of the hangar and back to the pad next week at Florida's Kennedy Space Center, leading to a launch attempt as early as April 1. It will mark humanity's first trip to the moon in more than 50 years. The Artemis II crew should have blasted off on a lunar flyaround earlier this year, but fuel leaks and other problems with the Space Launch System rocket interfered. Although NASA managed to plug the hydrogen fuel leaks at the pad in February, a helium-flow issue forced the space agency to return the rocket to the Vehicle Assembly Building for repairs, bumping the mission to April. The space agency has only a handful of days in early April to launch before standing down until April 30 into early May. Late last month NASA's new administrator, Jared Isaacman, announced a major overhaul of the Artemis programme. Dissatisfied wit
China said Thursday it's on track to land astronauts on the moon by 2030 as it introduced the next crew of astronauts who will head to its space station as part of the country's ambitious plans to be a leader in space exploration. Currently, each programme of the research and development work of putting a person on the moon is progressing smoothly, said Zhang Jingbo, spokesman for the China Manned Space Programme, citing the Long March 10 rocket, moon landing suits and exploration vehicle, as fruitful efforts of that work. Our fixed goal of China landing a person on the moon by 2030 is firm." China is also preparing to send up its latest rotation of astronauts who make up part of the ongoing mission to complete the Tiangong space station, part of its broader space exploration plans. Each team stays inside the station for six months, conducting research. The latest crew joining others on the station will be made up of Zhang Lu, Wu Fei and Zhang Hongzhang. They will take off from the
ISRO is gearing up to launch its own space station into orbit, marking a bold leap in India's space ambitions, chairman V Narayanan said on Thursday. The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) chief also said the Department of Space, of which he is the Secretary, is working alongside various organisations to ensure the safety and security of the country's citizens. "Take our country, for example we have 11,500 km of coastline, and then there's the northern border. We have a vast border to monitor, and the government is working diligently to ensure our safety. There are responsible individuals and systems in place," he told reporters on the sidelines of a programme of Rammohan Mission here. Narayanan said, "Currently, we have 57 satellites in orbit, serving the public by providing real-time updates and data on a wide range of issues, from weather forecasts to tele-education in the most remote areas." About the space station, he said it will weigh over 50 tonnes. On the recent .