NASA's Artemis II crew now on their way to moon
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After more than 50 years, NASA is taking a key step towards its long-term return to the moon with Artemis II. The four-person crew will go on a 685,000 mile, 10-day journey around the moon, also known as a lunar fly-by.
Artemis II astronauts will be looking at the Moon from a “unique perspective”, as they will be passing by at a much higher altitude compared to the Apollo missions.
The tracker, officially referred to as the "Artemis Real-time Orbit Website" — AROW — allows users to not only see where the Orion spacecraft is and how fast it's traveling, but to see in miles how far it is from both the Earth and the moon, according to NASA.
Artemis II is designed to carry humans around the Moon and back on a path that can bring them safely home even if their main engine never lights again. Instead of relying solely on propulsion, the mission leans on a carefully tuned “free return” loop ...
The moon-bound Artemis II astronauts, enjoying spectacular views of Earth as it recedes behind them, took a break to chat with their families Friday before reviewing plans for closely observing the moon from the unique perspective of the lunar far side Monday.