Where is Artemis II? NASA astronauts approach the Moon for the first time in more than 50 years

The fourth day of Artemis II The Moon mission saw the crew begin to prepare in earnest for their lunar flyby and experience even more toilet problems.

By Claire Cameron edited by Lee Billings

NASA launched four astronauts on a pioneering journey around the Moon: the Artemis II assignment. Follow our coverage here.

THE Artemis II The astronauts have passed “two-thirds” of their mission to circle the Moon and return to Earth. As of 10:15 a.m. EDT Sunday, the Orion spacecraft was more than 211,000 miles from Earth and about 68,500 miles from the Moon.

The fourth day of the mission began with the crew waking up to the opening lines of Chappell Roan’s “Pink Pony Club.” Unfortunately, NASA cut the music off just before the chorus, prompting Commander Reid Wiseman to say what many of us were thinking: “we were all looking forward to the chorus.”

On Saturday, the crew – Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, and mission specialists Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen – began preparing in earnest for their lunar flyby, scheduled for Monday, April 6. Each of the four astronauts has assigned lunar geographic targets to observe during this approach, when the capsule will come within approximately 4,000 miles of the moon’s surface. At that point, our natural satellite will have the same apparent size as a basketball held at arm’s length. And already, the crew has seen parts of the far side of the Moon for the first time, Koch said during NASA’s live broadcast of the mission.

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“It’s absolutely phenomenal,” Koch said. “The moon we are looking at is not at all the moon you see from Earth.”

Glover, she said, was “mesmerized” by the sight of the Orientale Basin, a massive impact crater that scientists hope astronauts will be able to examine during their journey.

By observing the Moon directly, astronauts can quickly scan and spot lunar features that are easily missed in satellite and robotic images. For example, former NASA astronaut and Apollo 17 Crew member Harrison Schmitt spotted orange-colored dust on the lunar surface that turned out to be evidence of volcanic activity (Schmitt was also found to be allergic to lunar dust).

At a press conference on Saturday, NASA’s science mission directorate responsible for Artemis II The mission said she expected to get “goosebumps” when she and other scientists following the mission saw what the crew was observing.

“They are absolutely ready not only to give really scientifically compelling descriptions, but also to verbally share this experience with us here on Earth,” she said.

Also on the fourth day, NASA canceled a planned maneuver by the Orion space capsule, designed to help it stay on course. The move was unnecessary and Orion is on track to travel to the far side of the Moon.

However, NASA changed the spacecraft’s attitude so that its sewage pipes were temporarily oriented more toward the sun in order to melt some of the ice that was supposed to prevent sewage spills. For context, wastewater essentially means the (pretreated) urine of the crew: solid waste is stored in odor-controlled drums. There was a lot of potty talk that accompanied this effort as the crew and Mission Control repeatedly tried to flush the vent lines and drain them. the toilet, which in itself is a first for a lunar mission. For an extended period of time, the crew was unable to go to the toilet, instead using “collapsible emergency urinals”, which are essentially a high-tech bag.

The astronauts were also able to pilot the spacecraft again: these tests help ensure that Orion can be controlled manually if necessary at any point during the mission. Astronauts Hansen and Koch took turns; Wiseman and Glover will get another chance on Wednesday, April 9. These tests are crucial for future Artemis missions that involve a crew landing on the moon, because the Orion capsule will need to dock with another spacecraft to transport astronauts to and from the lunar surface.

And the astronauts took a selfie – a sort of family portrait where they appeared in the window of the Orion capsule and captured the photo from a camera installed on the solar panel. Mission Control joked that they were looking forward to the Christmas card.

The lunch included sweet and sour pork, nuts, berries and lemon cake.

Today, on the fifth day of the mission, Orion officially enters the lunar sphere of influence, where the Moon’s gravity exerts a stronger pull on the spacecraft than Earth’s gravity. The day is going to be about tests, tests, tests and a lot of preparation.

After waking up, they must perform a series of tests of their spacesuits, officially called the Orion Crew Survival System. These include ensuring they can put on the gear quickly, strap into their seat easily, and eat and drink via a port in the helmet. These International Orange spacesuits are designed to protect astronauts during takeoff and reentry, as well as for use in emergencies. The suits can provide up to six days of breathable air if Orion depressurizes.

Afterward, the spacecraft may need to maneuver to stay on track for its lunar flyby on April 6, the busiest day of the entire mission barring launch and return to Earth.

Glover, at another press event Saturday, spoke of the enormity of the task: “The fact that we can do this now means we could do a lot more.”