Artemis II Is Go — Humanity’s Return to the Moon

WEBVTT
Kind: captions
Language: en

00:00:00.240 --> 00:00:03.590
Welcome to Astronomy Daily, season 5,


00:00:03.600 --> 00:00:06.150
episode 79. I'm Anna.


00:00:06.160 --> 00:00:09.430
>> And I'm Avery. And today, today is the


00:00:09.440 --> 00:00:10.230
day.


00:00:10.240 --> 00:00:14.310
>> It really is. 54 years. That's how long


00:00:14.320 --> 00:00:16.790
humanity has been Earthbound, locked


00:00:16.800 --> 00:00:18.950
inside our cozy corner of the solar


00:00:18.960 --> 00:00:22.150
system. No human has ventured beyond low


00:00:22.160 --> 00:00:25.429
Earth orbit since Apollo 17 touched down


00:00:25.439 --> 00:00:28.710
on the moon in December 1972.


00:00:28.720 --> 00:00:31.429
But last night that changed. Four


00:00:31.439 --> 00:00:34.069
astronauts are on their way to the moon.


00:00:34.079 --> 00:00:36.950
>> Today's episode is a special Aremis 2


00:00:36.960 --> 00:00:39.910
edition. We're going deep on the launch,


00:00:39.920 --> 00:00:42.549
on the history being made right now, and


00:00:42.559 --> 00:00:45.030
on what's coming next for this crew.


00:00:45.040 --> 00:00:47.590
Plus, because the universe has a flare


00:00:47.600 --> 00:00:50.150
for the dramatic, the pink moon rose


00:00:50.160 --> 00:00:53.029
over Earth right as they lifted off.


00:00:53.039 --> 00:00:55.189
>> You honestly couldn't write it. Let's


00:00:55.199 --> 00:00:59.110
get into it. At 6:35 p.m. Eastern time


00:00:59.120 --> 00:01:02.470
on Wednesday, April the 1st, yes, April


00:01:02.480 --> 00:01:05.670
Fool's Day, NASA's Aremis 2 mission


00:01:05.680 --> 00:01:09.030
lifted off from launch complex 39B at


00:01:09.040 --> 00:01:11.510
the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.


00:01:11.520 --> 00:01:13.830
>> And for the record, absolutely not a


00:01:13.840 --> 00:01:14.710
joke.


00:01:14.720 --> 00:01:18.310
>> Definitely not. The 322


00:01:18.320 --> 00:01:21.030
foot tall orange and white space launch


00:01:21.040 --> 00:01:24.550
system, the SLS, vaulted off the pad


00:01:24.560 --> 00:01:27.749
with 8.8 8 million pounds of liftoff


00:01:27.759 --> 00:01:31.030
thrust. The solid rocket boosters alone


00:01:31.040 --> 00:01:33.510
provided more than 7 million pounds of


00:01:33.520 --> 00:01:36.149
that, burning out just 2 minutes after


00:01:36.159 --> 00:01:39.749
launch when the stack was already 29 m


00:01:39.759 --> 00:01:40.630
high.


00:01:40.640 --> 00:01:44.149
>> 29 m in 2 minutes. That's extraordinary.


00:01:44.159 --> 00:01:47.590
>> It is. And barely 10 minutes after those


00:01:47.600 --> 00:01:50.710
engines first ignited, Artemis 2 was in


00:01:50.720 --> 00:01:54.069
orbit. The launch was nearly flawless.


00:01:54.079 --> 00:01:56.469
Only minor battery and communications


00:01:56.479 --> 00:01:59.030
range issues briefly concerned ground


00:01:59.040 --> 00:02:01.510
crews, and those were resolved without


00:02:01.520 --> 00:02:02.230
drama.


00:02:02.240 --> 00:02:03.990
>> The crew are safe. They're in great


00:02:04.000 --> 00:02:05.910
spirits. NASA administrator Jared


00:02:05.920 --> 00:02:07.510
Isaacman confirmed that in the


00:02:07.520 --> 00:02:09.669
post-launch briefing. He called it a


00:02:09.679 --> 00:02:11.670
defining moment, not just for NASA, but


00:02:11.680 --> 00:02:13.190
for everyone who believes in


00:02:13.200 --> 00:02:14.070
exploration.


00:02:14.080 --> 00:02:17.190
>> And this is genuinely historic. The last


00:02:17.200 --> 00:02:19.910
time human beings headed moonward was


00:02:19.920 --> 00:02:23.030
December 7th, 1972


00:02:23.040 --> 00:02:25.670
before any of the four Artemis 2 crew


00:02:25.680 --> 00:02:27.110
members were born.


00:02:27.120 --> 00:02:29.110
>> That really puts it into perspective.


00:02:29.120 --> 00:02:31.990
>> After reaching orbit, Orion deployed its


00:02:32.000 --> 00:02:33.990
solar array wings and the crew


00:02:34.000 --> 00:02:35.990
immediately began transitioning the


00:02:36.000 --> 00:02:38.229
spacecraft from launch to flight


00:02:38.239 --> 00:02:40.949
operations. They ran through checks on


00:02:40.959 --> 00:02:43.110
life support, communications,


00:02:43.120 --> 00:02:45.990
navigation, and then, as if that wasn't


00:02:46.000 --> 00:02:48.790
enough, pilot Victor Glover got to take


00:02:48.800 --> 00:02:51.670
the spacecraft for a manual test drive.


00:02:51.680 --> 00:02:54.309
>> A test drive in a spacecraft around


00:02:54.319 --> 00:02:55.350
Earth.


00:02:55.360 --> 00:02:58.229
>> 70 minutes of hand flying the Orion


00:02:58.239 --> 00:03:00.710
capsule, which has been officially named


00:03:00.720 --> 00:03:03.670
Integrity, maneuvering around the now


00:03:03.680 --> 00:03:07.110
separated upper stage of the SLS. Lovers


00:03:07.120 --> 00:03:09.350
verdict. And I'm paraphrasing here


00:03:09.360 --> 00:03:11.990
because we love him. This flies very


00:03:12.000 --> 00:03:14.470
nicely, very precise.


00:03:14.480 --> 00:03:16.470
>> Excellent review, five stars.


00:03:16.480 --> 00:03:19.509
>> So, as we record this on Thursday, April


00:03:19.519 --> 00:03:22.470
2nd, right now, today, the crew of


00:03:22.480 --> 00:03:25.270
Artemis 2 is completing the final checks


00:03:25.280 --> 00:03:27.750
before the most critical maneuver of the


00:03:27.760 --> 00:03:29.190
mission so far.


00:03:29.200 --> 00:03:32.149
>> The trans lunar injection burn, TLI.


00:03:32.159 --> 00:03:34.070
This is the moment they leave Earth's


00:03:34.080 --> 00:03:34.869
orbit.


00:03:34.879 --> 00:03:38.309
>> Exactly. If all systems pass inspection


00:03:38.319 --> 00:03:40.470
and mission controllers at Houston's


00:03:40.480 --> 00:03:42.229
Johnson Space Center will be


00:03:42.239 --> 00:03:45.509
scrutinizing every data point, Belfire


00:03:45.519 --> 00:03:48.229
Orion's Europeanbuilt service module


00:03:48.239 --> 00:03:51.270
engine for approximately 6 minutes


00:03:51.280 --> 00:03:54.070
around 8:00 p.m. Eastern tonight.


00:03:54.080 --> 00:03:56.309
>> 6 minutes to change everything.


00:03:56.319 --> 00:03:59.270
>> That burn will accelerate Orion to about


00:03:59.280 --> 00:04:01.270
24,500


00:04:01.280 --> 00:04:05.350
mph escape velocity. At that speed,


00:04:05.360 --> 00:04:08.070
Earth's gravity is still exerting just


00:04:08.080 --> 00:04:10.309
enough pull that if something went wrong


00:04:10.319 --> 00:04:13.030
and the engine couldn't fire again, the


00:04:13.040 --> 00:04:15.270
spacecraft would remain on what's called


00:04:15.280 --> 00:04:17.590
a free return trajectory,


00:04:17.600 --> 00:04:19.590
>> meaning the moon's gravity would sling


00:04:19.600 --> 00:04:21.749
them back towards Earth automatically.


00:04:21.759 --> 00:04:24.550
>> Precisely. It's a beautiful piece of


00:04:24.560 --> 00:04:27.430
physics and a critical safety feature.


00:04:27.440 --> 00:04:29.909
The crew isn't just being brave. The


00:04:29.919 --> 00:04:32.390
mission is engineered so that even in a


00:04:32.400 --> 00:04:35.189
worstc case scenario, the moon becomes


00:04:35.199 --> 00:04:37.909
the mechanism that brings them home.


00:04:37.919 --> 00:04:40.150
>> And if the checks don't pass,


00:04:40.160 --> 00:04:42.390
>> mission controllers retain the option to


00:04:42.400 --> 00:04:45.510
command Orion home early. Premature end


00:04:45.520 --> 00:04:47.909
to this test flight, but a safe one.


00:04:47.919 --> 00:04:51.189
That's what Artemis 2 is, a test flight.


00:04:51.199 --> 00:04:53.670
Every system is being validated for the


00:04:53.680 --> 00:04:55.110
crews who will follow.


00:04:55.120 --> 00:04:57.350
>> We'll be watching that TLI burn very


00:04:57.360 --> 00:04:59.510
closely tonight. Let's talk about the


00:04:59.520 --> 00:05:01.749
four people making this journey because


00:05:01.759 --> 00:05:03.670
beyond the technology, beyond the


00:05:03.680 --> 00:05:06.469
rocket, this mission is about them and


00:05:06.479 --> 00:05:08.550
about what their presence means.


00:05:08.560 --> 00:05:10.790
>> Commander Reed Wisman, pilot Victor


00:05:10.800 --> 00:05:12.950
Glover, mission specialist Christina


00:05:12.960 --> 00:05:15.350
from NASA, and mission specialist


00:05:15.360 --> 00:05:17.590
Jeremy Hansen from the Canadian Space


00:05:17.600 --> 00:05:18.469
Agency.


00:05:18.479 --> 00:05:20.790
>> And this crew is making history in ways


00:05:20.800 --> 00:05:22.950
that go well beyond just going to the


00:05:22.960 --> 00:05:25.270
moon. Victor Glover will become the


00:05:25.280 --> 00:05:27.590
first person of color to travel beyond


00:05:27.600 --> 00:05:30.230
low Earth orbit. Christina Coch will be


00:05:30.240 --> 00:05:32.230
the first woman to fly to the moon's


00:05:32.240 --> 00:05:34.790
vicinity. And Jeremy Hansen will be the


00:05:34.800 --> 00:05:37.510
first non-American citizen to venture


00:05:37.520 --> 00:05:39.189
that far from Earth.


00:05:39.199 --> 00:05:40.870
>> Every one of those firsts is


00:05:40.880 --> 00:05:42.950
significant. And they're all happening


00:05:42.960 --> 00:05:44.629
on the same flight.


00:05:44.639 --> 00:05:46.870
>> The World Air Sports Federation, the


00:05:46.880 --> 00:05:49.909
FAI, is already preparing to ratify what


00:05:49.919 --> 00:05:51.990
could be multiple spaceflight world


00:05:52.000 --> 00:05:53.909
records. The mission's planned


00:05:53.919 --> 00:05:55.990
trajectory will take Orion to a high


00:05:56.000 --> 00:05:59.590
point of around 70,000 km above Earth.


00:05:59.600 --> 00:06:01.749
The current altitude record for a crude


00:06:01.759 --> 00:06:04.390
spacecraft in Earth orbit stands at just


00:06:04.400 --> 00:06:05.909
1369


00:06:05.919 --> 00:06:10.629
km set by Gemini 11 back in 1966.


00:06:10.639 --> 00:06:12.629
>> They're going to absolutely shatter


00:06:12.639 --> 00:06:14.870
that. And the record for the farthest


00:06:14.880 --> 00:06:17.350
any human has ever been from Earth is


00:06:17.360 --> 00:06:20.309
currently held by the Apollo 13 crew,


00:06:20.319 --> 00:06:23.749
248,655


00:06:23.759 --> 00:06:27.430
m. Artemis 2 is expected to go farther.


00:06:27.440 --> 00:06:29.350
>> I keep thinking about Victor Glover


00:06:29.360 --> 00:06:31.430
saying he just wants to find the quiet


00:06:31.440 --> 00:06:34.070
moments in all of this, to be present,


00:06:34.080 --> 00:06:35.749
to actually feel it.


00:06:35.759 --> 00:06:37.749
>> He said the biggest challenge would be


00:06:37.759 --> 00:06:39.909
immersing himself in the moment because


00:06:39.919 --> 00:06:42.550
it'll be over so quickly. That kind of


00:06:42.560 --> 00:06:44.870
reflection from someone living what the


00:06:44.880 --> 00:06:47.270
rest of us can only dream about. That's


00:06:47.280 --> 00:06:48.629
something special.


00:06:48.639 --> 00:06:50.629
>> Special is hardly the word for it, but I


00:06:50.639 --> 00:06:52.629
guess we don't have anything better. We


00:06:52.639 --> 00:06:54.070
could do with a new word to use on


00:06:54.080 --> 00:06:55.430
occasions like this.


00:06:55.440 --> 00:06:57.670
>> So, what does the next 10 days look like


00:06:57.680 --> 00:07:01.110
for Reed, Victor, Christina, and Jeremy?


00:07:01.120 --> 00:07:03.189
>> Once that TLA burn fires tonight,


00:07:03.199 --> 00:07:05.110
they're on a roughly 4-day journey


00:07:05.120 --> 00:07:07.589
outbound. Gravity will slow them down


00:07:07.599 --> 00:07:11.189
steadily from nearly 25,000 mph all the


00:07:11.199 --> 00:07:14.710
way down to about 3,400 mph. And it


00:07:14.720 --> 00:07:17.430
won't be until they're about 41,000 m


00:07:17.440 --> 00:07:19.830
from the moon that lunar gravity takes


00:07:19.840 --> 00:07:22.309
over and starts pulling them forward


00:07:22.319 --> 00:07:24.710
again. That transition is called the


00:07:24.720 --> 00:07:27.110
Lraange point and it's where the moon


00:07:27.120 --> 00:07:29.909
effectively claims them. Day six of the


00:07:29.919 --> 00:07:32.070
mission, that's Monday, April 6th, the


00:07:32.080 --> 00:07:34.070
crew will reach the moon's neighborhood,


00:07:34.080 --> 00:07:35.670
approaching from the western lunar


00:07:35.680 --> 00:07:36.629
hemisphere.


00:07:36.639 --> 00:07:39.110
>> They'll come within approximately 4,000


00:07:39.120 --> 00:07:41.430
m from the lunar surface, close enough


00:07:41.440 --> 00:07:43.830
to see detail, far enough to swing


00:07:43.840 --> 00:07:46.070
around on that free return ark, and


00:07:46.080 --> 00:07:48.309
they'll be among the first humans ever


00:07:48.319 --> 00:07:50.629
to lay eyes on parts of the moon's far


00:07:50.639 --> 00:07:51.350
side.


00:07:51.360 --> 00:07:54.070
>> The far side, the side that never faces


00:07:54.080 --> 00:07:56.469
Earth. No human has seen it directly


00:07:56.479 --> 00:07:58.790
since the Apollo era. The conditions


00:07:58.800 --> 00:08:01.029
during the flyby should create long


00:08:01.039 --> 00:08:03.589
shadows across the surface. Sunrise


00:08:03.599 --> 00:08:05.909
style lighting that reveals ridges,


00:08:05.919 --> 00:08:08.150
crater rims, and depth that full


00:08:08.160 --> 00:08:10.469
illumination normally hides. The


00:08:10.479 --> 00:08:12.550
photographs from this flyby are going to


00:08:12.560 --> 00:08:14.150
be extraordinary.


00:08:14.160 --> 00:08:15.830
>> Here's a thought. I wonder if they'll


00:08:15.840 --> 00:08:18.629
see the alien moon bases. Maybe we can


00:08:18.639 --> 00:08:20.309
finally put that story to bed for once


00:08:20.319 --> 00:08:21.270
and for all.


00:08:21.280 --> 00:08:23.110
>> You love your conspiracy theories, don't


00:08:23.120 --> 00:08:25.189
you, Avery? Let's move on.


00:08:25.199 --> 00:08:27.909
>> And then they come home. Then they come


00:08:27.919 --> 00:08:31.589
home, a journey of more than 96 hours


00:08:31.599 --> 00:08:34.310
back to Earth with a splashdown in the


00:08:34.320 --> 00:08:36.949
Pacific Ocean planned for Friday, April


00:08:36.959 --> 00:08:41.350
10th. That re-entry will be at 25,000


00:08:41.360 --> 00:08:45.269
mph. And Orion will use a skip entry


00:08:45.279 --> 00:08:47.990
technique, dipping into the atmosphere,


00:08:48.000 --> 00:08:51.269
bouncing back into space, then coming in


00:08:51.279 --> 00:08:54.230
again, bleeding off speed and heat in


00:08:54.240 --> 00:08:56.790
stages. We'll be covering every step of


00:08:56.800 --> 00:08:59.350
it right here on Astronomy Daily.


00:08:59.360 --> 00:09:01.350
>> Here's something that didn't get a lot


00:09:01.360 --> 00:09:03.110
of attention in all the launch


00:09:03.120 --> 00:09:05.910
excitement, and we think it deserves its


00:09:05.920 --> 00:09:08.150
moment. The hitchhikers.


00:09:08.160 --> 00:09:11.590
>> About 5 hours after launch, a series of


00:09:11.600 --> 00:09:14.790
tiny satellites, cubats, roughly the


00:09:14.800 --> 00:09:17.350
size of a shoe box, deployed from the


00:09:17.360 --> 00:09:19.910
Aremis 2 spacecraft at one minute


00:09:19.920 --> 00:09:22.389
intervals. four of them supplied by


00:09:22.399 --> 00:09:24.870
space agencies from Germany, South


00:09:24.880 --> 00:09:28.310
Korea, Saudi Arabia, and Argentina.


00:09:28.320 --> 00:09:30.710
>> That's genuinely international. This


00:09:30.720 --> 00:09:32.949
isn't just an American mission. It's a


00:09:32.959 --> 00:09:34.790
mission that's carrying science from


00:09:34.800 --> 00:09:37.430
four continents into deep space.


00:09:37.440 --> 00:09:40.389
>> Germany's contribution is called Teelis,


00:09:40.399 --> 00:09:42.710
and it's studying how space affects


00:09:42.720 --> 00:09:45.030
electrical components that could be used


00:09:45.040 --> 00:09:48.070
in future lunar vehicles. Think of it as


00:09:48.080 --> 00:09:50.389
stress testing the hardware that might


00:09:50.399 --> 00:09:53.190
one day drive a rover across the moon.


00:09:53.200 --> 00:09:54.870
>> And then there's the one I find


00:09:54.880 --> 00:09:58.949
absolutely fascinating. Krad Cube


00:09:58.959 --> 00:10:02.310
Cube contains humanlike tissue organ on


00:10:02.320 --> 00:10:04.949
a chip technology designed to measure


00:10:04.959 --> 00:10:07.430
the effects of space radiation as the


00:10:07.440 --> 00:10:09.990
spacecraft passes through the Van Allen


00:10:10.000 --> 00:10:12.550
belts. Those are the two zones of


00:10:12.560 --> 00:10:15.430
intense radiation that surround Earth


00:10:15.440 --> 00:10:17.990
produced by trapped solar particles.


00:10:18.000 --> 00:10:19.990
>> So, we're essentially sending a tiny


00:10:20.000 --> 00:10:22.230
laboratory of human tissue through the


00:10:22.240 --> 00:10:24.949
most radioactive region near Earth to


00:10:24.959 --> 00:10:27.350
understand what that does to biology,


00:10:27.360 --> 00:10:30.150
>> which directly informs how we protect


00:10:30.160 --> 00:10:33.269
future crews, not just on Artemis 3 and


00:10:33.279 --> 00:10:35.829
beyond, but eventually on missions to


00:10:35.839 --> 00:10:38.230
Mars. It's one of those stories where


00:10:38.240 --> 00:10:40.630
the scale of what's being deployed is


00:10:40.640 --> 00:10:44.389
tiny, but the implications are enormous.


00:10:44.399 --> 00:10:46.550
>> The universe in a shoe box.


00:10:46.560 --> 00:10:48.949
>> We can't close today's episode without


00:10:48.959 --> 00:10:51.350
acknowledging the cosmic coincidence


00:10:51.360 --> 00:10:53.829
that made last night feel almost


00:10:53.839 --> 00:10:54.710
scripted.


00:10:54.720 --> 00:10:57.750
>> The pink moon. April's full moon, known


00:10:57.760 --> 00:11:00.470
as the pink moon, reached its peak at


00:11:00.480 --> 00:11:03.670
10:12 p.m. Eastern on Wednesday night,


00:11:03.680 --> 00:11:06.310
just hours after the Aremis 2 launch


00:11:06.320 --> 00:11:09.750
window opened, the moon itself rose full


00:11:09.760 --> 00:11:12.710
and luminous over the eastern horizon.


00:11:12.720 --> 00:11:15.190
>> Humanity launched towards the moon under


00:11:15.200 --> 00:11:18.550
a full moon. I mean, come on. The pink


00:11:18.560 --> 00:11:20.870
moon gets its name from the wild flower


00:11:20.880 --> 00:11:24.069
called moss pink or flocks subulada


00:11:24.079 --> 00:11:26.470
which blooms across North America around


00:11:26.480 --> 00:11:28.630
this time each spring. Various


00:11:28.640 --> 00:11:30.389
indigenous communities have their own


00:11:30.399 --> 00:11:32.870
names for it. The flower moon, the


00:11:32.880 --> 00:11:35.350
windbreak moon, the frog moon.


00:11:35.360 --> 00:11:37.829
>> And tonight, Thursday, April 2nd, it's


00:11:37.839 --> 00:11:40.310
still visible. If you're out after dark,


00:11:40.320 --> 00:11:42.470
look east at dusk. It'll be hard to


00:11:42.480 --> 00:11:44.870
miss. For our southern hemisphere


00:11:44.880 --> 00:11:47.350
listeners, and there are plenty of you,


00:11:47.360 --> 00:11:49.750
look north toward the moon rising in


00:11:49.760 --> 00:11:53.030
your eastern sky. The same moon our four


00:11:53.040 --> 00:11:55.269
astronauts are right now h hurtling


00:11:55.279 --> 00:11:57.990
toward at thousands of miles hour.


00:11:58.000 --> 00:12:00.949
>> That shared view, us looking up, them


00:12:00.959 --> 00:12:03.110
looking down, is one of my favorite


00:12:03.120 --> 00:12:05.350
things about space exploration. We're


00:12:05.360 --> 00:12:06.629
all part of it.


00:12:06.639 --> 00:12:09.430
>> That's our special Artemis 2 launch day


00:12:09.440 --> 00:12:12.230
edition of Astronomy Daily. What a day


00:12:12.240 --> 00:12:14.389
to be alive and what a day to be


00:12:14.399 --> 00:12:15.030
listening.


00:12:15.040 --> 00:12:16.629
>> We'll be back tomorrow with the latest


00:12:16.639 --> 00:12:19.110
from the mission covering that TLI burn


00:12:19.120 --> 00:12:21.430
result, any updates from the crew aboard


00:12:21.440 --> 00:12:23.590
Integrity, and whatever else the


00:12:23.600 --> 00:12:25.509
universe decides to throw at us.


00:12:25.519 --> 00:12:27.990
>> If today's episode moved you, if you


00:12:28.000 --> 00:12:30.150
felt something when that rocket left the


00:12:30.160 --> 00:12:33.269
pad, share it. Tell someone. This is a


00:12:33.279 --> 00:12:35.990
moment worth talking about. from Anna


00:12:36.000 --> 00:12:39.030
and Avery at Astronomy Daily. Keep


00:12:39.040 --> 00:12:39.910
looking up


00:12:39.920 --> 00:12:42.470
>> and to read Victor, Christina, and


00:12:42.480 --> 00:12:46.550
Jeremy. Safe travels. We'll be watching


00:12:46.560 --> 00:12:48.790
>> Daily


00:12:48.800 --> 00:12:56.790
Stories.


00:12:56.800 --> 00:13:04.710
Stories told.


00:13:04.720 --> 00:13:08.440
Stories for told.