Harry is a U.K.-based senior staff writer at Live Science. He studied marine biology at the University of Exeter before training to become a journalist. He covers a wide range of topics including space exploration, planetary science, space weather, climate change, animal behavior and paleontology.
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Mystery medical episode that left astronaut unable to speak shows one of NASA's biggest risks as moon missions ramp upAstronauts may struggle to reproduce in outer space, study suggests — what does that mean for the future of space colonization?Chinese lander reveals giant 'cavity' of radiation between Earth and the moon — and it could change how lunar exploration is doneNASA announces moon base, Iran war releases staggering carbon, why weed gives people munchies, and Artemis II preps for liftoff.Super El Niño looms, an Acropolis fragment resurfaces, a promising cure for Alzheimer's appears, and a hexagonal diamond is madeWorld's oldest rock art, giant reservoir found beneath the East Coast seafloor, black hole revelations, and a record solar radiation stormScientists squished microbes into a steel 'sandwich' — and made a profound discovery about life in space The Artemis II crew will break multiple records, both individually and collectively, during their historic mission to slingshot around the moon. The team consists of commander Reid Wiseman , pilot Victor Glover and mission specialists Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen .Unlock instant access to exclusive member features.Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsorsSign up for the latest discoveries, groundbreaking research and fascinating breakthroughs that impact you and the wider world direct to your inbox.Feed your curiosity with an exclusive mystery every week, solved with science and delivered direct to your inbox before it's seen anywhere else.Sign up to our free science & technology newsletter for your weekly fix of fascinating articles, quick quizzes, amazing images, and moreSign up to our monthly entertainment newsletter to keep up with all our coverage of the latest sci-fi and space movies, tv shows, games and books.Discover this week's must-see night sky events, moon phases, and stunning astrophotos. Sign up for our skywatching newsletter and explore the universe with us!The team is scheduled to lift off from Launch Pad 39B at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida at some point from Wednesday . They will be strapped into the Orion capsule aboard NASA's 322-feet-tall Artemis II: NASA is preparing for a return to the moon, but why is it going back?eventual construction of a lunar base1. First Black astronaut to visit the moon Victor Glover will be the first Black astronaut to visit the lunar environment. The former test pilot was also the first Black astronaut on the ISS.During the upcoming mission, Glover will make history as the first Black astronaut to visit the lunar environment and the first Black astronaut to venture beyond low Earth orbit . between November 2020 and May 2021, making him the first Black astronaut to visit the station. On this trip, he also made history as the first person to pilotGet the world’s most fascinating discoveries delivered straight to your inbox.Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors During Artemis II, Glover will also become the first person to fly NASA's Orion spacecraft, when he takes control of the otherwise-autonomous module during a roughly two-hour window, dubbed"prox ops," shortly after launch while the crew is still orbiting Earth, according to a. This stage will provide crucial data for the astronauts of future missions, including Artemis III, which will attempt to dock with a lunar lander in LEO, and Artemis IV, which will finally put boots back on the lunar surface.Christina Koch will be the first female astronaut to visit the lunar environment. She also holds the record for the longest spaceflight by a woman.Mission specialist Koch will be the first woman to go beyond LEO and visit the lunar environment. Koch, 47, also holds the record for the most consecutive days in space by a woman, having spent 328 days on the ISS between March 2019 and February 2020. During this trip, Koch also participated in theWatch NASA roll its historic Artemis II moon rocket to the launch pad this weekendNASA is preparing for simulated launch of Artemis II mega moon rocket — and it could happen as early as Saturday During the Artemis II mission, Koch and fellow mission specialist Hansen will be the first to get to work, unstrapping from their seats around 40 minutes after liftoff to help set up vital life-support systems within the capsule, according to the mission's proposed timeline.Jeremy Hansen will be the first non-American to fly around the moon. The Canadian has not yet been to space.Hansen is the third crewmember who will personally break new ground during the upcoming mission. The 50-year-old Canadian will become the first non-American to visit the lunar environment and only the 10th Canadian to launch into space.. If he is affected, he will have to be"very intentional" with his movements and"try to minimize" what he does during the initial stages of the mission, he added.Mission commander Reid Wiseman will be the oldest astronaut to visit the moon.Not to be outdone by the rest of his crew, Wiseman will also set an individual record during the upcoming lunar flyby, becoming the oldest person to visit the lunar environment. Wiseman turned 50 in November and will take over the record from legendary NASA astronaut Alan Shepard, who was 47 when he set foot on the moon during the Apollo 14 mission in 1971. , which reached 268,000 miles from our planet in 2022.The Artemis II crew is being sent to the lunar environment on a"free-return trajectory," which essentially means they will slingshot around the moon and return to Earth without having to carry out a return burn. This is different to most of the later Apollo missions, which entered into a temporary orbit around the moon. The last free-return trajectory was inadvertently completed by the Apollo 13 crew, who scrambled to carry out a similar maneuver after they wereDuring their"moonshot," the Artemis II crew is expected to reach a maximum distance of 250,000 miles from Earth — around 1,500 miles farther than the Apollo 13 astronauts, who previously held this record. This will occur while the crew is out of radio contact for up to 50 minutes as they traverse the far side of the moon."-like fashion, the Artemis II astronauts will literally"boldly go where no man has gone before." And given that future moon missions, like Artemis IV, will not use a free-return trajectory, this record could stand for quite some time — maybe even until humans visit Mars.Due to the mission's unique trajectory, the Artemis II crew will also reenter Earth's atmosphere at slightly higher speeds than any other astronauts in history. NASA estimates that the crew's peak reentry speed will be slightly over 25,000 mph , which would beat the reentry record currently held by the Apollo 10 astronauts, who came in hot after burning excess fuel on their return from a lunar flyby in 1969. Some experts have questioned whether the Orion spacecraft's heat shields can handle the resulting fiery temperatures. However, NASA is confident that the shields can do their job. This record also means that the Artemis II astronauts will travel faster than any other humans in history . However, it is not the fastest speed traveled by a human-made object. That record belongs to NASA's Parker Solar Probe, which reached top speeds of around 430,000 mph during itsIn addition to the major records listed above, the Artemis II mission will mark several other firsts. For example, the mission will mark the first crewed launch of NASA's mega SLS rocket and the first time humans have journeyed aboard — and piloted — the Orion spacecraft. We were wrong about how the moon's largest and oldest crater formed — and that's great news for NASA's next lunar landing China signs deal with Russia to build a power plant on the moon — potentially leaving the US in the dust Similarly, a lot of the technology being tested on board the Orion spacecraft is being used in space for the first time. One of the most important examples of this is the Orion Artemis II Optical Communications System, which uses lasers to send and receive messages from Earth and will serve as the basis for future communication relays at NASA's planned moon base.to visit the moon, as the modules used by the Apollo astronauts were equipped only with"relief tubes" and disposable bags. Harry is a U.K.-based senior staff writer at Live Science. He studied marine biology at the University of Exeter before training to become a journalist. He covers a wide range of topics including space exploration, planetary science, space weather, climate change, animal behavior and paleontology. His recent work on the solar maximum won"best space submission" at the and was shortlisted in the"top scoop" category at the NCTJ Awards for Excellence in 2023. He also writes Live Science's weeklySpace ExplorationNASA is preparing for simulated launch of Artemis II mega moon rocket — and it could happen as early as SaturdayMystery medical episode that left astronaut unable to speak shows one of NASA's biggest risks as moon missions ramp upChinese lander reveals giant 'cavity' of radiation between Earth and the moon — and it could change how lunar exploration is doneMystery medical episode that left astronaut unable to speak shows one of NASA's biggest risks as moon missions ramp upNASA announces moon base, Iran war releases staggering carbon, why weed gives people munchies, and Artemis II preps for liftoff.Tudor Heart: A Renaissance gold necklace featuring a French-English pun on the love between Henry VIII and his first wife, Katherine of Aragon AI systems are enabling mass surveillance in the US, and there is no national law that 'meaningfully limits' the use of this data Hubble images taken 25 years apart show big changes in the iconic Crab Nebula — Space photo of the week
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