A Big Trip to the Moon
NASA is getting ready for a very exciting space adventure called Artemis II. Four astronauts will climb into a spacecraft and fly all the way around the Moon, then come back home to Earth.
This is a huge deal because no people have traveled to the Moon since 1972. That was longer ago than your parents were born! Artemis II will be the first crewed Moon mission in over 50 years.
Meet the Crew
Four brave astronauts will make the journey. Three are from NASA: Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch. The fourth, Jeremy Hansen, is from the Canadian Space Agency.
Christina Koch will become the first woman ever to fly to the Moon, and Victor Glover will be the first Black astronaut on a Moon mission. They have been training hard for this big day.
The Rocket and the Spacecraft
The astronauts will ride inside a spacecraft called Orion. It sits on top of a giant rocket named the Space Launch System, or SLS for short. This is one of the most powerful rockets ever built.
When the rocket lifts off, it pushes the crew up and away from Earth with a roaring blast of fire. Orion then carries the four astronauts on the long journey toward the Moon.
What Will They Do Out There?
Artemis II is a flyby mission. That means the astronauts will loop around the Moon but not land on it. They will swing around the far side of the Moon, the part we never see from Earth.
The whole trip takes about 10 days. The crew will test how Orion keeps them safe, healthy, and comfortable so far from home. Everything they learn will help future astronauts who will actually land on the Moon.
Why This Mission Matters
Artemis II is like a practice run for an even bigger goal. NASA wants to land astronauts near the Moon's South Pole on a later mission called Artemis III.
One day, NASA hopes people can live and work on the Moon for longer stays. The lessons from Artemis II are an important first step toward making that dream come true.