Artemis II Astronauts Preparing for the Moon Say They’re “Ready for Every Scenario”

Artemis II Astronauts Preparing for the Moon Say They’re “Ready for Every Scenario”

It’s been more than two years since NASA revealed the astronauts chosen for the Artemis II mission—the first crewed flight to the moon in over half a century. Since then, the four astronauts—Victor Glover, Reid Wiseman, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen—have undergone rigorous training. And now, they’re almost ready for liftoff.

At a press conference held on September 24 at NASA’s Johnson Space Center, the crew confirmed that they will ride atop the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket inside the Orion spacecraft, which has officially been named Integrity. “We’re going to launch when this vehicle is ready, when this team is ready, and wevre going to go execute this mission to the best of our abilities,” Artemis 2 commander Reid Wiseman said. “We might go to the moon—that’s where we want to go—but it is a test mission, and we are ready for every scenario as we ride this amazing Space Launch System on the Orion spacecraft, 250,000 miles away.” He added, “It’s going to be amazing.”

Artemis II will carry the astronauts farther into deep space than ever before. The spacecraft will travel up to 9,000 miles (14,500 kilometers) beyond the moon, surpassing even Apollo 13’s record-setting journey in 1970. But the four astronauts preparing for the mission are not driven by beating records. They’re paving the way for long-term exploration and science on the lunar surface.

Christina Koch, who recently spoke with Apollo 13 astronaut Fred Haise, recalled him saying: “I heard you’re going to beat our record.” She reflected, “It made me realize maybe he’s paying attention to it more than we are. I think that sometimes when we talk about superlatives, we may inadvertently ignore the real story of what’s going on in our mission.” She added, “It’s about the teamwork and the work that went into that, and the dedication that it took to take on those big challenges.”

After multiple delays following the uncrewed Artemis I test flight in November 2022, NASA is now aiming to launch Artemis II sometime between early February and April 26, 2026. The 10-day mission will pave the way for the Artemis III mission, which will send the first humans to explore the lunar South Pole region. “It truly is an absolute privilege,” Jeremy Hansen said. “For us, Artemis II is about much more than just going back to the moon. It is about the pursuit of excellence.”

Find out more about the Artemis missions on the NASA website.

NASA: Website | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube

Source: ‘We are ready for every scenario.’ NASA’s Artemis 2 astronauts say they’re all set for historic flight to the moon

Related Articles:

NASA Reveals Astronauts Who Will Fly to the Moon Next Year

NASA Selects 10 Astronauts From More Than 12,000 Applicants To Join Artemis Mission

Watch These “Outtakes” of NASA Astronauts Struggling To Walk on the Moon

Gold-Coated Visor Designed for Artemis III Astronauts by Oakley and Axiom Space

READ: Artemis II Astronauts Preparing for the Moon Say They’re “Ready for Every Scenario”