“There is no turning back”, Artemis II crew is already heading to the Moon

After last Wednesday’s launch, flight director Jeff Radigan informed the Artemis II crew that the Mission Management Team gave the green light to the translunar insertion (TLI) maneuver, which means that the four astronauts are already heading to the Moon and “there is no turning back.”

This operation consists of turning on the engines that significantly increases the speed, lengthening the circular orbit to a very oval elliptical whose apogee is close to the lunar orbit.

The Orbital Maneuvering System engine, located at the base of the capsule’s service module Orionbegan operating as the spacecraft passed through the lowest point of its elliptical orbit.

During your second day off the planet with music and physical exercises that will minimize muscle and bone loss that occurs in the absence of gravity.

After having rested for four hours and having resolved several incidents, such as a loss of communication after takeoff and a problem with the spacecraft’s toilet Orionthe crew woke up to the song Sleepyheadby Young and Sick, an American art and music project led by Dutch artist Nick van Hofwegen, and Green Light by John Legend and Andre 3000, played by the mission control team, to monitor the vehicle’s systems during the ignition maneuver.

Contingency plan

They also used a flywheel, a cable device that works like a yo-yo so they could do rows, squats and deadlifts to strengthen their body.

The ship fired its main engine in the service module for five minutes and 49 seconds.

The engine of Orion It provides up to 6,000 pound-force (lbf) of thrust, which is equivalent to approximately 2,720 kilogram-force (kgf) of thrust, enough to accelerate a car from 0 to 96.5 kilometers per hour in about 2.7 seconds.

The communication problem caused a temporary loss of communication with the ship; the crew could hear the NASA experts on Earth, but they could not hear the four astronauts.

An intermittent malfunction light was also reported shortly before the spacecraft Orion100 meters high, will enter a higher orbit around the Earth, above where the satellites and the International Space Station are located.

That light indicated a mishap with the toilet fan, which eliminates odors and suspended particles, which got stuck, NASA spokesman Gary Jordan announced in a live broadcast of the mission.

The $23 million toilet, also known as the Universal Waste Management System, is the first designed for a deep space mission.

Due to the problem with the fan, the astronauts could still use the toilet to defecate, but not to urinate. “In the meantime, they are implementing their contingency plan: their backup waste management systems, specifically for urine,” Jordan said.

Toilet paper, wet wipes and gloves used by astronauts are disposed of in waterproof bags, and solid waste, in individual waterproof bags, is placed in a removable container for feces storage.

Smartphone use

For this mission, NASA recently changed its policy to allow the Artemis II crew to carry and use their personal smartphones during the trip, which means we’ll soon have photos of the astronauts on their social media feeds.

In a video shared on social networks, a conversation that mission commander Reid Wiseman had with the Earth was heard, where he shared that “sometimes we forget how beautiful it is to see the Earth from above.”

British ground station

Orion It orbited the Earth several times, and then embarked on the four-day trip to the Moon, the ship will fly over the natural satellite and return to Earth. During that trip around the dark side of the Moon, the astronauts will have no communication with Earth, if something goes wrong on the trip, there is no rescue ship.

The space vehicle will be the home of this crew during their journey of approximately 1.1 million kilometers and 10 days. They will live and work in the spacecraft’s crew module, while its service module will provide the essential products astronauts need to stay alive, including drinking water, nitrogen and oxygen for breathing.

A British satellite ground station is playing a crucial role in NASA’s Artemis II mission to the Moon.

Goonhilly Earth Station in Cornwall, UK, will track the spacecraft Orion on its journey around the lunar surface and back to Earth.