Hundreds of thousands of people are heading to Florida's Space Coast. They are gathering to watch the Artemis II rocket launch. This mission will send four astronauts around the Moon.
Eight-year-old Isiah thinks "People going up to the Moon is kind of cool." He is one of about 400,000 people expected to watch the launch. They will fill causeways, beaches, and motel balconies.
The 10-day test flight will not land on the Moon. However, the crew might see lunar views never before seen by humans. Amanda Garcia traveled over 1,000 miles from New Mexico to see it. She expects a "great show."
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Start Your News DetoxA Boost for the Local Economy
The area around the Kennedy Space Centre is buzzing. Bars are selling "moonshots," and hotels warn of traffic delays. Local officials expect a "historic influx" of tourists. This could bring in about $160 million (£121 million). Traffic plans are in place for the busy night.
Brenda Mulberry owns Space Shirts, a shop on Merritt Island. She has sold NASA souvenirs for 40 years. She says this launch is different. "People are beyond excited," she noted. Brenda has stocked up for the biggest customer surge she has ever seen. She even jokes about opening "the first T-shirt shop on the Moon."
Inspiring the Next Generation
Future Artemis missions aim to land humans on the Moon again. This would be the first time since 1972. The long-term goal is to build a permanent Moon base. This base could use natural resources and serve as a launchpad for Mars missions.
Artemis II mission commander Reid Wiseman hopes the mission inspires young people. He wants kids to look at the Moon and know "we are there now."
The Mission Details
The launch will happen from Launch Pad 39B. This is the same pad used for the Apollo program in 1969. NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) rocket stands 98 meters (321 feet) tall. It is the heaviest rocket NASA has ever launched.
At the top is the Orion capsule, about the size of a small van. Four astronauts will spend 10 days inside it. This is the first time Orion will carry a human crew.
The crew includes Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen. Hansen, a Canadian fighter pilot, is making his first trip to space.
After reaching orbit, Orion will practice manual flying and test life support. On Day 2, a "trans-lunar injection burn" will send the spacecraft towards the Moon. This will put it on a path that naturally loops it around the Moon and back to Earth.
On Day 6, Orion will fly around the far side of the Moon. Radio contact will be lost for about 40 minutes. Orion will travel about 4,000–6,000 miles above the Moon's surface. It might even go further from Earth than Apollo 13's record of about 250,000 miles (400,000 km).
The capsule will then be pulled back to Earth. On the final day, the crew will face re-entry into Earth's atmosphere at about 25,000 mph (40,000 km/h). Orion's heat shield must withstand extreme temperatures.
Heat Shield Improvements
After the uncrewed Artemis I flight, engineers found cracks in the heat shield's coating. This happened during a "skip" re-entry maneuver. For Artemis II, they are keeping the two-step re-entry but changing the angle and timing. This should reduce heating and stress. This will be the first time this revised descent is flown with a crew.
If Artemis II succeeds, the next big crowd on the Space Coast will be for another test flight. This will bring humanity closer to walking on the Moon again, half a century later.
