NASA has launched an initiative to send, through a registry of virtual boarding passesthe name of those who wish to travel around the Moon, aboard Artemis II.
The names received will be included in a USB stick that will fly inside Orion when the mission launches in 2026. Four astronauts will travel around the Moon and back to Earth aboard Artemis II, the first crewed flight of NASA’s Artemis campaign.
The address to send your name is the following: https://go.nasa.gov/TuNombreArtemis.
This mission will be the first crewed test flight aboard the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, the Orion spacecraft and supporting ground systems.
NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen will be on board to test Orion’s life support systems in the harsh environment of space.
This flight is another step toward manned missions to the lunar surface and will help the agency prepare for future missions with astronauts to Mars.
NASA is sending astronauts to explore the Moon to make scientific discoveries, reap economic benefits, and lay the groundwork for the first manned missions to Mars.
Artemis II will test NASA’s deep space capabilities for the first time, with the first crewed flight of the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft.
The mission, which will last approximately 10 days, will take off from Launch Complex 39B at the Kennedy Space Center no later than April 2026.
The crew will perform initial checks of Orion’s systems and manually test the spacecraft’s handling near Earth during the first two days of the mission, before heading to the Moon.
Orion’s service module will provide the boost needed to break free from Earth’s orbit and set course for the Moon. This firing of engines for the translunar injection maneuver will send astronauts on a four-day one-way trip around the far side of the Moon.
Route
The route will have a figure-eight pattern that will extend more than 370,000 kilometers away from Earth. At maximum distance, the crew will fly at about 7,400 kilometers beyond the Moon, evaluating the spacecraft’s systems along the way.
Several payloads will fly aboard Artemis II to expand our knowledge of space radiation, human health and behavior, and space communications and navigation. «What we learn will help us advance future exploration efforts,» notes NASA.
Orion will conduct a high-speed reentry through Earth’s atmosphere before splashing down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of San Diego, where a recovery team from NASA and the Department of Defense will rescue the crew and recover the spacecraft.
Europa Press Agency.
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