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NASA's initial takeaways from the Artemis II mission, and more science stories
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Now that Artemis II is all wrapped up, NASA has begun its post-game performance analyses of all the systems that worked together to get four astronauts safely to the moon and back earlier this month.
Key facts
- In addition to taking humans farther than ever before, Artemis II served as a crucial test flight for upcoming crewed missions that are planned for as soon as 2027 and 2028, the latter being NASA's
- The Artemis II astronauts have continued to share glimpses into their journey around the moon, and this week, the mission's commander, Reid Wiseman posted an incredible video of the Earth setting
- Shortly after launch, the astronauts reported problems with the urine vent line, which mission specialist Christina Koch could troubleshoot with help from the ground crew
- Now that Artemis II is all wrapped up, NASA has begun its post-game performance analyses of all the systems that worked together to get four astronauts safely to the moon and back earlier this month
Summary
NASA says its initial assessments of the crew capsule show its heat shield "performed as expected, with no unusual conditions identified," and it didn't exhibit as much char loss as seen in the uncrewed Artemis the reporter test. (Navy divers snapped some cool pictures of the heat shield underwater after splashdown, as seen below). NASA says the SLS rocket performed well, too. One thing that they know did cause some issues, though, was the toilet system. The Artemis II astronauts have continued to share glimpses into their journey around the moon, and this week, the mission's commander, Reid Wiseman posted an incredible video of the Earth setting behind the moon, as seen from the Orion spacecraft.