How the Artemis 2 astronauts spent their last night on Earth before historic moon launch
After years of delays, technical setbacks and mounting anticipation, NASA's Artemis II mission finally blasted off from Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida.
It was the first crewed flight to the Moon since Apollo 17 departed for the lunar surface in 1972.
NASA Commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, mission specialist Christina Koch and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen prepared for the 10-day voyage that will take them further from Earth than any human has travelled in over half a century.
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Once the rocket reaches approximately 70,000 kilometres (45,000 miles) above Earth, the Orion spacecraft carrying the crew will separate from the launcher and begin its journey toward the Moon.
NASA broadcasted the full event live across its official website, the NASA+ app, Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, Apple TV and its official channels on YouTube, X, Facebook and Twitch.
While we're still getting over the eye-watering amount of money that's being invested in the Artemis program, Koch explained that she hopes the mission will ultimately help answer humanity's biggest question.
In the final stages, mission staff loaded the upper stage liquid oxygen in the SLS (Space Launch System), ensuring 'the oxidizer remains at flight-ready levels throughout the final countdown,' NASA reported. According to CBS News, there are about '500 launch commit criteria,' that had to be met for Artemis II to launch. In fact, a violation of any one of criteria could've halted the countdown or terminated the launch altogether.
How did the Artemis II crew spend their last night before launch?
Well, historically, astronauts spend the hours before a launch running final health checks and mentally preparing for the journey ahead. But the evening before, tradition calls for something a little quieter and more personal.
According to NASA administrators (via Live Science), the Artemis II crew spent Tuesday evening (31 March) at the Kennedy Space Center beach house on Merritt Island. The beloved spot reportedly served as a sanctuary for astronauts and their families since it was first built in 1962.
From the Apollo era through to ISS crews and SpaceX missions, the beach house has been the place where astronauts gather with their loved ones for one last moment of calm.
The US space agency noted that there's an '80% chance of favourable weather conditions' to launch Artemis II, so if all goes well, it'll be one to watch!