“Today is history in the making when America returns to the Moon.”
Artemis I is scheduled for launch at 8:33 a.m. (EST) Aug. 29, 2022, from Launch Pad 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Please note that today’s launch window runs until 10:30 a.m. (EST).
Artemis I is the first integrated test of NASA’s deep space exploration systems, including the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, the Orion Spacecraft and the ground systems at Kennedy Space Center.
Spacecraft Orion will launch atop the most powerful rocket ever built, propelled by a pair of five-segment boosters and four RS-25 engines. It will reach its greatest atmospheric force within 90 seconds of liftoff.
Artemis I is an uncrewed flight with a destination for a distant retrograde orbit around our Moon. This mission will provide a foundation for human deep space exploration, and demonstrate America’s commitment and capability to return humans to the Moon—and beyond.
During the mission, the Orion Spacecraft will have flown farther than any other spacecraft before—more than 1.3 million miles. The Orion spacecraft also will remain in space longer than any other predecessor spacecraft without docking to a space station.
Two hours after launch, Orion will separate from the remaining portions of the booster responsible for propelling it toward the Moon. On the outbound trip, Orion will fly past the moon about 60 miles above its surface, using the Moon’s gravity to enter a distant retrograde orbit—traveling about 40,000 miles past the Moon.
The Artemis I mission is scheduled to last 42 days, three hours and 20 minutes with a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean, off the coast of San Diego, on Oct. 10, 2022.
When Orion finally makes the return trip to Mother Earth, it will be traveling at approximately 25,000 mph upon entering our atmosphere. By the time Orion splashes down in the Pacific, it should be traveling at less than 20 mph.
Neil Armstrong said of his first step on the moon, “That’s one small step for man…one giant leap for mankind.”
It has been nearly 50 years since America left moon travel behind, but truly today… “Artemis I is the next giant leap for mankind” (at least as far as American space travel is concerned).
Footnotes and Disclosures:
Portions of this feature, including graphical artwork contained therein, have been adapted from the official NASA Artemis I Press Kit and related resources. All such source materials within this Insightful Accountant feature were adapted and are furnished solely for educational purposes.
NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration), headquartered in Washington, DC, is America’s civil space program and the global leader in space exploration.
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