NASA giving update on Artemis II mission as astronauts head toward moon

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Artemis II crew talk tension, toilet trouble from space

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#TheMoment an air passenger saw the Artemis II launch from the sky

Air passenger Jane Clukey tells The National about the moment she saw the Artemis II launch from the window of her plane over Florida.

Talk about a first-rate view.

Passengers aboard a plane over Florida on launch day got to watch the Artemis II mission blast off from their windows.

Jane Clukey said she was on the flight when her husband pointed out the "twinkling light" of the spacecraft launching from the pad in Cape Canaveral. In Clukey's video you can see the rocket arc into the sky, trailed by a plume of exhaust, before it gets fainter as it moves up, up and away.

Everyone on the plane was so excited, Clukey said. 

The Artemis II crew has another full schedule on the third day of their mission to the moon.

A small engine firing called an outbound trajectory correction is planned for today, according to NASA. This helps make sure the Orion capsule stays on course for its loop around the moon. Canadian mission specialist Jeremy Hansen will be preparing for the burn, which is scheduled to take place at 6:49 p.m. ET.

The astronauts will also practise CPR procedures and check out the medical kit on board. Mission specialist Christina Koch also plans to test the capsule's emergency communication system.

The entire crew will also practise getting the cabin ready for moon observations that will take place on Day 6, when they're closest to the lunar surface.

During their video address yesterday, the astronauts talked about how they were adjusting to conditions inside the spacecraft — where everything from sleeping to using the bathroom is a completely different experience. 

The shared space is only about the size of an SUV, meaning the astronauts are in close quarters at all times — though more of that space can be used when you're floating without gravity.

Mission specialist Christina Koch has been sleeping upside down in the middle of the capsule "kinda like a bat," according to Wiseman. He added he's glad to be sleeping in zero gravity again — Wiseman spent several months on the International Space Station in 2014 — as it's surprisingly comfortable.

Pilot Victor Glover said the living quarters on board have been pretty cold, so the crew has had to adjust fan speeds to make the temperature more comfortable. 

Koch also said she stepped in to be the "space plumber" when an issue with the vessel's toilet arose — a small hiccup that seems to have been resolved.

Wiseman also reflected on how it felt to be part of such an incredible moment. 

"I gotta tell you, there is nothing normal about this, sending four humans 250,000 miles away is a herculean effort," he said. 

"We are just now realizing the gravity of that."

Hansen added the support of the NASA team back on Earth has made their monumental mission feel less daunting. 

"You know, it's a remarkable thing. You would think it would be weighty, but we just feel like we're lifted up by the team that supports us."

Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen says 1st time in space 'makes me feel like a little kid'

With their Orion capsule en route to the moon, the crew of NASA's Artemis II mission spoke with reporters on Thursday about the achievement. Mission commander Reid Wiseman said seeing the Earth from pole to pole 'paused all four of us in our tracks,' while Canadian mission specialist Jeremy Hansen described the 'disbelief' of his first time in space.

Hansen said the experience of being in space for the first time has been surreal. 

"It's just so extraordinary," he said during yesterday's crew Q&A. 

"I just kept saying to them [fellow crew members] yesterday, 'I really like it up here. I wish I could have gotten here sooner.' It just makes me feel like a little kid." 

Even though they'd been preparing for the moment for years, Hansen said he was in "disbelief" when the launch went off without a hitch. 

"'I just had a huge smile across my face." 

Later, he added he had to remember to keep his cool while Artemis II lifted off. 

"You're trying to be professional, but the kid inside you just wants to hoot and holler."

Artemis II crew talk tension, toilet trouble from space

The Artemis II astronauts connected with Earth via video on Thursday, just after completing the translunar injection burn that is leading them toward the moon, to answer reporters' questions about their experience so far. Mission specialist Christina Koch declared herself the 'space plumber' after fixing a faulty toilet onboard.

As their rocket blasted toward the moon Thursday night, the crew of the Orion took questions live from reporters back on Earth about their historic mission and what life aboard the spacecraft has been like so far. 

Commander Reid Wiseman said there was a moment just before the broadcast when the crew got a view of Earth from space that "paused all four of us in our tracks." 

"You could see the entire globe from pole to pole, you could see Africa, Europe and if you looked really close you could see the northern lights," he said.

"It was the most spectacular moment." 

Wiseman said they'd just gathered for their first meal in space after a busy first 36 hours.

Artemis II commander Reid Wiseman snapped this stunning pic of the Earth from the Orion capsule after completing yesterday's big engine firing that pushed the mission toward the moon.

According to NASA, the image shows the Earth eclipsing the sun, with a thin edge of the sun's light visible around our planet on the bottom right.

And the faint beams of greenish light visible around the bottom left and upper right? Those are auroras.  

"That's us, together, watching as our astronauts make their journey to the moon," NASA said of the view of our home planet.

Yesterday evening the Artemis II crew executed a translunar injection burn, the last major engine firing that provided the final push to take them out of Earth's orbit and on the way to the moon. 

NASA confirmed that all of the Orion capsule's critical systems were in order following its 25-hour stay in orbit, the Canadian Space Agency posted on social media yesterday. 

Officials said at a news conference that the burn that pushed the capsule toward the moon was "flawless." 

"Our crew is healthy and our spacecraft is performing really well," said Lori Glaze, acting associate administrator for NASA's Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate.

Hansen spoke to NASA from the Orion capsule a few minutes after the thruster fired. 

"Humanity has once again shown what we are capable of, and it's your hopes for the future that carry us now on this journey around the moon," he told mission control. 

After reaching space, the crew got busy testing the Orion's piloting capabilities. They also assessed several critical systems on the spacecraft, including life support and communication and navigation systems, according to the Canadian Space Agency's website. 

Another critical task: fixing the Orion's toilet after an issue was found during early checkouts. 

These tasks were performed while the spacecraft was still relatively close to Earth to make sure everything was operational before setting off on the 400,000 kilometres journey to the moon. 

Meanwhile, four CubeSats — microwave-sized satellites — were also deployed in high Earth orbit. Each developed by different countries, these satellites will collect a range of information on things like radiation, space weather and long-range communications.

NASA’s Artemis II crew launches to the moon

NASA’s Artemis II crew launches to the moon

After a successful launch, the Artemis II crew is on its way to making history.

Despite a brief delay as NASA worked through some final preparations, the Orion spacecraft —  propelled by the Space Launch System — took off from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida just after 6:30 p.m. ET, shortly after the launch window opened. 

In an update following the launch, NASA officials said the four astronauts on board — including mission specialist Jeremy Hansen, from London, Ont. — are safe and secure aboard the Orion.

Over the next 10 days, the crew will be gathering scientific data that could help humans go even farther into space one day. 

If all goes according to plan, the crew will fly past the moon in six days' time. That's also when Artemis II will make history by surpassing the Apollo missions' distance record and travelling deeper into space than any human has gone before. 

After flying around the moon, the Orion will take about four days to get back to Earth. The crew is expected to splash down on April 10. 

We're concluding our live updates on this page, but you can keep following our coverage of the mission on cbc.ca/news.

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