EverythingScience

POV: You're flying by the Moon. This visualization is designed to show you what exactly the Artemis II astronauts will see outside their window during their lunar flyby. Here, the seven-hour visualization is compressed into 28 seconds. The Artemis II crew and lunar science team have been training and preparing for years to make the most of any lunar flyby, under any Moon illumination conditions. Now that the crew is on the way to the Moon, we finally know exactly which parts of the lunar surface will be sunlit during their closest approach, and dozens of scientists are hard at work in the back rooms of Mission Control in Houston. The science team has spent the last few days combining the spacecraft's trajectory with data from our Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, information about the motion of our solar system, and more to create tools that make it easy for humans to see the big picture. Source: @NASASolarSystem @EverythingScience

The Moon is special in so many ways. Scientifically, it provides opportunities we simply don't have on Earth. It's near enough to reach with robotic explorers and humans. And for all of us on Earth, it's special because it's ours. 🩶 Source: @NASA @EverythingScience

👀 Behind the scenes tour of European Space Agency's Eagle Artemis II mission control room 🌙 Source: @esaspaceflight @EverythingScience

Time for a check-up! During their 10-day mission, the Artemis II crew will verify the AVATAR organ chips are working properly as they gather data on how deep space radiation and microgravity affect bone marrow cells. go.nasa.gov/3Ok9hVO Source: @NASAScience_ @EverythingScience

It’s more than a suit — it’s survival engineering. 🧑‍🚀 NASA Artemis II astronauts wear the Orion Crew Survival System, a custom‑fit pressure suit built at NASA’s Johnson Space Center, to protect them during launch and splashdown. With a lighter helmet, fire‑resistant layers, touchscreen‑ready gloves, improved cooling, and boots built for agility, every detail is engineered for deep‑space safety. In an emergency, the OCSS can sustain an astronaut for up to six days with oxygen, hydration, and survival gear. Designed, tested, and tailored by JSC’s Orion Crew Survival Systems team, it’s one of the mission’s most essential pieces of hardware as Artemis II heads for the Moon. Source: @NASA_Johnson @EverythingScience

It's time for Artemis II to break Apollo 13's distance record. What to know about the moon flyby The Artemis II astronauts are already the champions of a fresh new era of lunar exploration. Now it's time to set a new distance record. Launched last week on humanity's first trip to the moon since 1972, the three Americans and one Canadian are chasing after Apollo 13's maximum range from Earth. That will make them our planet's farthest emissaries as they swing around the moon without stopping on Monday and then hightail it back home. Their roughly six-hour lunar flyby promises views of the moon's far side that were too dark or too difficult to see by the 24 Apollo astronauts who preceded them. A total solar eclipse also awaits them as the moon blocks the sun, exposing snippets of shimmering corona. "We'll get eyes on the moon, kind of map it out and then continue to go back in force," said flight director Judd Frieling. The goal is a moon base replete with landers, rovers, drones and habitats. A look at Artemis II's up-close and personal brush with another world—our constant companion, the moon. Source:Phys.org @EverythingScience

✅Artemis II update: Day 5, Orion is moving at 1536 km/h, 356 379 km from Earth and 89 967 km from the Moon. One last look at Earth before arriving at the Moon (pic: NASA). See nasa.gov/missions/artem… Source: @esa @EverythingScience

Today's daily planning conference began with the Artemis II crew awarding CSA ASC astronaut Jeremy R. Hansen with a gold astronaut pin to commemorate his first spaceflight, per NASA tradition. Source: @NASAArtemis @EverythingScience

The moment they’ve been waiting for. Scientists in the Science Evaluation Room are preparing for the Artemis II crew to become the first humans to fly around the Moon in over 50 years. These team members conduct rapid data interpretation, collaborative analysis, real-time decision making, and seamless coordination with the operations teams. Learn more about the SER: nasa.gov/blogs/missions… Source: @NASA_Johnson @EverythingScience

Artemis astronauts, here’s your Moon-observing assignment 👀 This custom science plan is fine-tuned for the exact lighting conditions on the Moon’s surface when the Artemis II crew flies by, and for their viewing angle as they’re hurtling through space. ️ Above is a screenshot of the actual Lunar Targeting Plan that the Artemis II mission will use for the April 6 flyby. The targets are prioritized based on both their science value and their visibility at the time of observation. As the astronauts approach the Moon, most of the lunar nearside will be illuminated – a shared view with observers on Earth. When they’re all the way on the other side of the Moon, they’ll see a waxing crescent: 20% of the lunar farside will be sunlit, and 80% will be dark. The Lunar Targeting Plan is focused on the sunlit parts of the surface, but the night side of the Moon offers unique science opportunities, too. The astronauts will look for bursts of light created when space debris slams into the Moon’s surface, a.k.a. “impact flashes”. They’ll keep their eyes out for dust lofted above the lunar horizon and backlit by the Sun. And on top of all that, they’ll experience a total solar eclipse lasting almost an hour Source: @NASAScience_ @EverythingScience

"Thanks to you and to the whole team on the ground for building on our Apollo legacy with Artemis." In addition to a wake-up song this morning, the Artemis II astronauts were treated to an audio message from Apollo 16 astronaut Charlie Duke. Source: @NASAArtemis @EverythingScience

Why do the Artemis II astronauts keep calling their Orion spacecraft, "Integrity"? The crew chose this name for their home away from home because it "embodies the foundation of trust, respect, candor, and humility" of the teams behind the Artemis II mission. Source: @NASAArtemis @EverythingScience