Artemis II manned orbital Moon mission about to launch

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Thought the Moon was grey? Think again​

Alison Francis
Senior science journalist

As we've just been reporting, the astronauts have been describing the colours they can see on the surface of the Moon.

The astronaut Harrison Schmitt was chosen for Apollo 17 because of his background as a geologist.

As he and Gene Cernan were collecting rock samples from the grey and bleakly beautiful lunar surface they were in for a surprise.

Schmitt suddenly said: “Hey wait a minute - it’s orange… there is orange soil… it’s all over.” A sample was brought back to Earth, and scientists think it’s microscopic glass beads that formed from lava "fire fountains" that rapidly cooled in the lunar vacuum.

The Artemis astronauts have a key objective to look for those nuances of colour on the surface of the Moon from the Orion spacecraft.

The eye of a well-trained person is one of the best scientific instruments for detecting those colours, as well as texture and geological features on the far side of the Moon.

Kelsey Young, Artemis II Lunar Science Lead, told us: “When you really start to spend time and let your eyes get attuned to what you're seeing, you do see subtle shades of colour pop out, especially when you're close to the Moon, like our Artemis II astronauts will be.”

Crew expecting to see crescent Earth and Moon at the same time​

One of the astronauts tells mission control it's "truly awesome" the crew "now have the Moon and the Earth in window three simultaneously".

They say the Moon is a gibbous - when the illuminated part is greater than a semicircle and less than a circle - and the Earth is a crescent - the curved sickle shape.

"I'm guessing in about 45 minutes we'll have two identical crescents as we change our position in the universe," he adds.

Artemis II live: Watch as Artemis astronauts travel further from Earth than any humans before

The astronauts lost connection with Nasa for 40 minutes as they passed behind the Moon and will soon witness a total solar eclipse.

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[Tecumsehsbones]

Artemis II - carrying the four loneliest humans in history - is just over four hours away from the far side of the Moon.

The spacecraft will spend three hours flying over the Moon's far side during which the crew will take spectacular photos and make spectacular sketches.

For forty minutes the Moon will block all communications with Earth.

Actually, the loneliest human in history was Michael Collins, the command module pilot of Apollo 11. While Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin were on the surface and the command module was on the far side in its orbit, he was farther away from the next person than any human in history.

 

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Artemis II crew prepare for communication loss with Earth

The Artemis II crew are already the furthest humans from Earth in history but are still getting further away and will do so for around another 45: minutes or so.

They are over the far side of the Moon and in around 30 minutes from now they will lose contact with Earth temporarily as the Moon blocks all communications with their home planet.

Talk about lonely....

 

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'I had an overwhelming sense of being moved by the Moon' - astronaut​

Mission specialist Christina Koch describes to mission control her lunar observation as an "incredible experience".

"At one point... I just had an overwhelming sense of being moved by looking at the Moon", she says.

She says this lasted "just a second or two" as something "drew me in suddenly into the landscape and it became real".

"The moon really is its own body in the Universe. It's not just a poster in the sky that goes by. It is a real place and when we have that perspective and we compare it to our home of the Earth it just reminds us how much we have in common.

"Everything we need the Earth provides and that is in and of itself truly a miracle."

'Hey babe, I love you from the Moon', Artemis II pilot tells wife​

Artemis II pilot and Nasa astronaut Victor Glover hears that his family is in the viewing gallery, listening to him give his "sit-rep" (situational report) to mission control.

When he is told Dionna Glover, his wife, is "all smiles", he replies: "Hey babe, I love you from the Moon... I'm glad you get to be there."

Artemis II live: Watch as Artemis astronauts travel further from Earth than any humans before

The astronauts lost connection with Nasa for 40 minutes as they passed behind the Moon and will soon witness a total solar eclipse.

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[Blackleaf]

Actually, the loneliest human in history was Michael Collins, the command module pilot of Apollo 11. While Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin were on the surface and the command module was on the far side in its orbit, he was farther away from the next person than any human in history.

I think these four are even further away from the next person. Surely.

 

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Artemis II astronauts about to lose contact with Earth as they move behind the Moon

Alison Francis
Senior science journalist

As the astronauts pass behind our celestial neighbour, the radio and laser signals that allow communication between the spacecraft and Earth will be blocked by the Moon itself.

For about 40 minutes, the four astronauts will be totally alone.

They’ll spend the blackout dedicated to lunar observation – taking images, studying the Moon’s geology and simply gazing at its bleak beauty.

When they emerge and the signal is re-established, the world is expected to breathe a collective sigh of relief.

And the history-making astronauts will be able to share their incredible views with everyone back home.

Artemis II live: Watch as Artemis astronauts travel further from Earth than any humans before

The astronauts lost connection with Nasa for 40 minutes as they passed behind the Moon and will soon witness a total solar eclipse.

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[Blackleaf]

Wow. Live images on Sky News from Artemis II showing a crescent Moon and a crescent Earth.

During the 40 minute blackout the astronauts will achieve their closest distance to the Moon and minutes later will reach the furthest they will get from Earth.

 

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Four intrepid astronauts in high spirits as they lose contact with Earth...

'We will see you on the other side' - last words before loss of contact​

Houston begins speaking again and says it is a privilege to watch the astronauts.

Thank you to all of you for allowing us to be on this immense journey together pilot Victor Glover says.

"To all of you down there, we love you from the Moon," Glover speaks briefly about what he calls the most important mystery on Earth - "love".

Glover and the other astronauts will be out of communication for 40 minutes.

"Houston copies, we'll see you on the other side," a woman at Nasa says.

Glover replies "We will see you on the other side," and then there's just silence, as we all eagerly await to hear from the astronauts again.

Astronaut Jeremy Hansen shouts out to family back on Earth​

Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen sent a message to family members in the Nasa viewing gallery, including his wife Catherine and his son Devon.

"I just wanted to let them know how much fun we're having out here," he says.

"It's extraordinary to be on the far side of the moon right now. Just see it hanging out there looking back at the Earth.

"Just wanted to say hi to all you guys. Love you guys and we'll be heading back your way shortly."

Artemis II live: Watch as Artemis astronauts travel further from Earth than any humans before

The astronauts lost connection with Nasa for 40 minutes as they passed behind the Moon and will soon witness a total solar eclipse.

www.bbc.co.uk

 

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Astronauts out of contact with Nasa for estimated 40 minutes​

Pallab Ghosh
Science correspondent

Orion has just slipped behind the bulk of the Moon and out of radio contact with Earth.

Engineers have always known this moment was coming – part of the flight plan – but when the signal drops, it's still a tense moment.

Right now, four astronauts are arcing round the far side of the Moon, further from home and more cut off than any humans have been for more than 50 years. There will be no comforting murmur for them from Mission Control, just the faint hum of fans and electronics as Orion follows its pre‑programmed path.

Outside the window, they are seeing landscapes we have only ever mapped with robots – steep‑walled craters, mountains thrown up by ancient impacts, and highlands pummelled by billions of years of debris.

For the next several minutes or so there is nothing anyone on Earth can do but wait. The spacecraft’s computers will handle the crucial engine burn that bends Orion onto its long loop home.

If everything goes to plan, the first sign that all is well will be a simple one: the signal returning followed by a cheery voice of one of the astronauts.

Artemis II live: Watch as Artemis astronauts travel further from Earth than any humans before

The astronauts lost connection with Nasa for 40 minutes as they passed behind the Moon and will soon witness a total solar eclipse.

www.bbc.co.uk

 

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Artemis II tells the world "Love Your Neighbour" just before she loses contact with Earth

 

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What the astronauts are looking for​

Pallab Ghosh
Science correspondent

Scientists say this close pass will let Orion’s crew study the Moon as if they were doing a low‑altitude aerial survey, without ever touching down.

As they skim some 9,000 kilometres above the surface, the astronauts will be asked to "read the rocks" – picking out craters, cliffs and frozen lava flows, then photographing them in ultra‑high detail.

Those images, plus laser and camera data from Orion itself, should sharpen maps of the lunar surface and help geologists piece together how the Moon's crust was built and battered over billions of years.

Researchers are especially keen on views of the polar regions, where later missions hope to land near suspected deposits of water ice.

By watching how sunlight and shadow play across those pitted landscapes in real time, the crew can give planners a much better feel for which slopes look treacherous, which flat plains might take a lander, and where future astronauts should go hunting for resources.

Scientists will also be watching for any telltale glow from "lofted lunar dust", kicked up by sunlight and electrostatic forces, to understand how gritty particles move above the Moon’s surface.

For the scientists, it’s not just about the images​

Rebecca Morelle
Science editor

We’ve been chatting to Nasa's science team and asking them what they're most looking forward to from the fly by.

While they're definitely very excited to see the images the astronauts take, it's actually the audio that they really can't wait to hear.

As the astronauts fly around the far side of the Moon and train their eyes on the lunar landscape, they'll be saying what they see out loud and recording it into their tablets.

And these descriptions will be beamed back to Earth, so you can listen along at home.

"I just can't wait to hear how excited they are when they're actually looking at the Moon from close up," Dr Nicola Fox, Nasa’s Head of Science tells the BBC.

"So that's going to be the moment that's going to make me probably burst into tears."

Artemis II live: Watch as Artemis astronauts travel further from Earth than any humans before

The astronauts lost connection with Nasa for 40 minutes as they passed behind the Moon and will soon witness a total solar eclipse.

www.bbc.co.uk

 

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Connection re-established with Artemis II​

Pallab Ghosh
Science correspondent

Right on schedule, Orion has reappeared from behind the Moon and checked back in with Earth.

First came the reassuring return of the radio signal on engineers' monitors, then a burst of data, and finally a clear voice from the capsule. The words were unremarkable - the relief in Mission Control was not.

"Houston, Integrity, comm check," mission specialist Christina Koch said as she broke the silence from Orion.

"It is so great to hear from Earth again."

During the 40 minutes of radio silence, the spacecraft had to look after itself.

Its onboard computers carried out a key engine burn on the far side – unseen and unheard from Earth – to bend Orion onto its return arc.

In human spaceflight there is always a tiny edge of uncertainty until you hear the crew again.

Families watching from the viewing gallery have spent the blackout poring over briefing notes, trying not to watch the clock.

Now that contact is restored, the data backlog will pour in.

Stored telemetry and images from the far side will be relayed through NASA’s Deep Space Network, ready for engineers and scientists to comb through in the coming days.

Early thumbnails hint at some of the most detailed views yet of the Moon’s hidden hemisphere.

For the crew, there is little time to savour the moment.

Artemis II live: Watch as Artemis astronauts travel further from Earth than any humans before

The astronauts lost connection with Nasa for 40 minutes as they passed behind the Moon and will soon witness a total solar eclipse.

www.bbc.co.uk

 

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Artemis II crew see an Earthrise as they emerge from far side of the Moon and begin their journey home

The Artemis II crew has made contact with NASA's mission control after travelling around the far side of the moon.

Their Orion spacecraft reached its maximum distance from Earth at 252,760 miles, passing 4,070 miles away from the moon, and was out of contact with the Earth for around 40 minutes.

The astronauts are now returning home.

 

[petros]

 

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And that's why so many people nowadays think the Moon has a dark side.

 

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First words beamed back from astronauts after re-emergence from far side​

The first words are now back from Integrity.

"Houston, Integrity, comms check," were the first words from mission specialist Christina Koch, after a tense 40 minutes of radio silence while the crew was on the far side of the Moon.

"It is so great to hear the Earth again," she says.

She then addresses the residents of Asia, Africa and Oceania.

"We are looking back at you. We hear you can look up and see the Moon right now. We see you, too," Koch says.

Houston responds: "Integrity from Earth. Our single system, fragile and interconnected, we copy. Those of us that can, are looking back."

A few minutes later, mission control adds: "You are Earthbound, and we're ready to bring you home."

Astronauts studying 'impact flashes' - and will soon see a total solar eclipse​

Pallab Ghosh
Science correspondent

Astronauts have been studying "impact flashes".

These are the tiny, split-second bursts of light when small space rocks slam into the Moon fast enough to vaporise themselves and a patch of lunar surface.

The astronauts now have a one-hour observation break.

That’s a chance to rest their brains from checklists while still doing useful observing on the darkened Moon.

Coming up in an hour or so – a total solar eclipse, which should be a mind-blowing moment for the crew.

Artemis II live: Watch as Artemis astronauts travel further from Earth than any humans before

The astronauts lost connection with Nasa for 40 minutes as they passed behind the Moon and will soon witness a total solar eclipse.

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[petros]

First words beamed back from astronauts after re-emergence from far side​

The first words are now back from Integrity.

"Houston, Integrity, comms check," were the first words from mission specialist Christina Koch, after a tense 40 minutes of radio silence while the crew was on the far side of the Moon.

"It is so great to hear the Earth again," she says.

She then addresses the residents of Asia, Africa and Oceania.

"We are looking back at you. We hear you can look up and see the Moon right now. We see you, too," Koch says.

Houston responds: "Integrity from Earth. Our single system, fragile and interconnected, we copy. Those of us that can, are looking back."

A few minutes later, mission control adds: "You are Earthbound, and we're ready to bring you home."

Astronauts studying 'impact flashes' - and will soon see a total solar eclipse​

Pallab Ghosh
Science correspondent

Astronauts have been studying "impact flashes".

These are the tiny, split-second bursts of light when small space rocks slam into the Moon fast enough to vaporise themselves and a patch of lunar surface.

The astronauts now have a one-hour observation break.

That’s a chance to rest their brains from checklists while still doing useful observing on the darkened Moon.

Coming up in an hour or so – a total solar eclipse, which should be a mind-blowing moment for the crew.

Artemis II live: Watch as Artemis astronauts travel further from Earth than any humans before

The astronauts lost connection with Nasa for 40 minutes as they passed behind the Moon and will soon witness a total solar eclipse.

www.bbc.co.uk

I want to know why they didn't send a lunar satellite as a relay?

 

[pgs]

I want to know why they didn't send a lunar satellite as a relay?

Next time they might . Blackie is right into this .