NASA crew begins gruelling training for monumental mission that's not been done in 50 years

Plenty has been achieved in the space industry across the last 50 years, but there is one thing in particular that nobody has been able to do in over half a century that NASA astronauts are finally training for once again.

NASA is now capable of identifying hidden planets outside of our solar system that are hundreds of light-years away from Earth, and have maintained a consistent presence on the International Space Station over the years in order to perform vital experiments and tests.

With plans seemingly in place to reach landmark achievements that could involve placing humans on Mars for the first time ever, NASA has seemingly never been in a better place, yet one particular detail still looms over the legendary space agency.

It has been 56 years since man first set foot on the Moon during the iconic Apollo 11 mission, and NASA achieved the same feat five further times in the years between 1969 and 1972.

However, with over half a century since Apollo 17's Challenger allowed Eugene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt to be the last astronauts to walk up on the Moon, NASA appears to be finally addressing it's failure to achieve a similar feat in the years since.

What are NASA astronauts now training for?

As reported by Digital Trends, NASA has provided a new update surrounding the training progress of its Artemis II astronauts, with the team continuing to train hard in the hope that it can be the first to land on the Moon in over 50 years.

NASA has issued a promising update on the progress of its Artemis program tests, making a new Moon landing feel closer than ever (NASA/Rad Sinyak)

Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen were the astronauts that participated in NASA's crew equipment interface test, which involved the team simulating the events of a launch and various orbital activities while wearing their suits.

It was long seen as an embarrassing failure for NASA that it couldn't return astronauts to the Moon after such a long period of time, with financial and regulatory hurdles blocking its progress, yet a recent u-turn from the Trump administration has allocated the funds necessary to make this dream a — albeit in lieu of progress towards Mars.

Artemis I – the unmanned test flight involving the Orion spacecraft that astronauts will use to reach the Moon – was sent within 80 miles of its eventual destination in November 2022.

The Artemis II mission will use NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) rocket to send the Orion spacecraft towards its destination in a lunar flyby, and the planned trip is said to be likely taking place at some point next year, with April being the currently floated month.

It won't be until Artemis III – currently scheduled to take place in 2027 at the earliest – that Orion actually lands on the Moon though, as the second instalment is merely a manned version of the first test flight.

All Artemis flights will use NASA's Space Launch System, allowing the spacecraft to reach it's lunar destination (Paul Hennessy/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Describing the events that occurred during the recent tests, NASA outlined in a new statement: "Once in Orion, the crew performed several launch day activities, including communications checkouts and suit leak checks.

"For the first time, the crew was connected to the spacecraft and its communications and life control systems, and all umbilicals were connected while the spacecraft operated on full power."

The space agency also emphasized that "getting this hands-on experience and learning how to act fast to overcome potential challenges during the flight helps ensure the crew is ready for any scenario."