Artemis II crew enters lunar space

Here, the Moon’s gravity acting on the Orion spacecraft will be stronger than the Earth’s gravity, becoming the dominant force controlling the ship’s trajectory. The crew completed this transition on day 5 of the mission, about 62,800 km from the Moon and 373,400 km from Earth. Astronauts set foot within the Moon’s sphere of influence for the first time since the Apollo 17 mission in 1972.

“This is a remarkable milestone in our mission,” said Rick Henfling, Flight Director at NASA. This also set the stage for the important event of the night of April 6-7: the crew flew around the far side of the Moon, reaching farther into space than anyone in history.

“Everyone is extremely excited for tomorrow. The flight operations team and the science team are all ready to fly by the Moon for the first time in more than 50 years,” said Lori Glaze, deputy administrator for NASA’s Exploration Systems Development Program.

Before that, the mission control team in Houston and the Artemis II crew completed an engine burn to correct Orion’s trajectory toward the Moon. The firing process began at 11:03 p.m. on April 5 (10:03 a.m. on April 6, Hanoi time), lasting 17.5 seconds.

Also on day 5 of the flight, the astronauts completed an important goal of testing the Orion Crew Survival System (OCSS) suit. All four performed a full test including wearing and pressurizing the suit, checking for leaks, simulating getting into a seat, and assessing mobility and eating. The suit is intended to protect astronauts during volatile periods of flight, providing life support during cabin decompression and landing in the ocean.

The Orion spacecraft left the launch pad on the evening of April 1 (5:35 a.m. April 2, Hanoi time) carrying four astronauts to the Moon, NASA’s first manned mission beyond low Earth orbit after 54 years. The crew included mission commander Reid Wiseman (NASA), pilot Victor Glover (NASA), mission specialist Christina Koch (NASA) and mission specialist Jeremy Hansen (Canadian Space Agency CSA).

The Artemis II mission marks a series of milestones in the aerospace industry. For example, the first black astronaut, woman, first non-American, oldest astronaut to reach the Moon. In addition, the crew also plans to set records for the farthest flight from Earth (402,000 km) and the fastest atmospheric re-entry speed (40,200 km/h) in the history of space travel.

Besides, this is the first manned flight of the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and the Orion spacecraft. Many of the technologies tested on board are also being used in space for the first time, such as the Orion Artemis II Optical Communications System, which uses lasers to send and receive data from Earth. In addition, the spacecraft is also equipped with the first fully functioning toilet during a flight to the Moon.