The Artemis-2 mission is now heading towards the Moon. One day after launch, on Friday morning at 5:19 AM, the Orion capsule fired its thrusters and left Earth’s orbit. It will now travel through space for the next 4 days and reach where only 24 humans have reached till date. This process of firing the engine to leave Earth’s orbit and head towards the Moon is called ‘Translunar Injection Burn’. This was approximately a 6-minute maneuver, which increased the spacecraft’s speed to 22,000 miles per hour, that is, approximately 34 thousand km/hour. A slight mistake on the way could cause the spacecraft to crash into the moon Artemis-2 is now on a ‘free-return trajectory’. This means the spacecraft is now moving forward relying on Newton’s first law of motion – an object in motion will remain in motion. Throughout the entire journey, the engines will only be fired for minor corrections. This part is extremely sensitive. A slight mistake on the way could cause the spacecraft to crash into the moon or send it wandering into infinite space. Mission progress and astronauts’ experience NASA says – Astronauts are completely healthy Astronauts’ conversation from zero gravity Fifth Day: Artemis-2 will enter Moon’s gravity By the fifth day of the mission on April 5, the capsule’s speed will slow down due to Earth’s gravitational pull. As soon as it enters the Moon’s gravitational field, its speed will start increasing again and it will begin moving rapidly towards the Moon. Sixth Day: Moon will appear as big as a basketball On the sixth day, Orion will pass just 6,400 km above the lunar surface. During this time, astronauts will be able to see with their own eyes that part of the moon which is never visible from Earth. When looking through the window, the moon will appear so large, as if a basketball is placed near one’s hand. Seventh Day: Spacecraft will return to Earth from Moon’s gravity On the seventh day, after exiting the Moon’s gravitational field, the spacecraft will begin its journey back towards Earth. The path of Artemis-2 is quite similar to the Apollo-13 mission of 1970. It will use the Moon’s gravity like a ‘slingshot’, which will propel the spacecraft back towards Earth. During the entire mission, the four astronauts will travel approximately 11.02 lakh kilometers. Tenth Day: Spacecraft will land in Pacific Ocean on April 10 According to Indian time, Orion will enter Earth’s atmosphere at 6:30 AM on April 11. At 6:36 AM, it will ‘splashdown’ in the Pacific Ocean near San Diego. After this, there will be a press conference in Houston, where information about the mission will be provided.
