
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission.
The four astronaut's of NASA's Artemis 2 mission arrived in style ahead of their historic moon mission.
What is it?
NASA astronauts Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Reid Wiseman, and the Canadian Space Agency's Jeremy Hansen landed their T-38 jets at the Launch and Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida on Friday (March 27).
The crew of four landed at KSC shortly before unveiling their zero gravity indicator, "Rise." Zero gravity indicators are small stuffed items that accompany crews into space to serve as a visual signal that they've left Earth's gravity as they begin to float around their spacecraft.
Rise consists of a smiling moon, wearing a cap decorated to resemble Earth, featuring a brim covered in stars.
Rise was designed by second-grader Lucas Ye of Mountain View, California, and was inspired by the iconic Earthrise moment from the Apollo 8 mission, according to a statement from NASA. The agency opened a call for submissions for the Artemis 2 mission's zero-g indicator last year and received over 2,600 submissions from over 50 countries.
Why is it amazing?
Artemis 2 will be the first crewed mission to lunar space in over 50 years, since the Apollo 17 mission in 1972. The flight will test the Orion spacecraft and see the crew carry out experiments that will help NASA prepare for further Artemis program missions.
The overall goal of the Artemis program is to establish a sustained human presence on the lunar surface, including building permanent moon bases.
NASA is currently 'go' to launch Artemis 2 as early as Wednesday, April 1, at 6:24 p.m. EDT (2224 GMT).
Follow along with the latest updates on our Artemis 2 mission live blog.
LATEST POSTS
- 1
Meet Beef the bulldog, who takes slow walks with his 78-year-old friend - 2
Step by step instructions to Boost the Eco-friendliness of Your Smash 1500. - 3
Supercharge Your Remote Work Arrangement with These Game-Changing Instruments - 4
The year's first meteor shower and supermoon clash in January skies - 5
The Artemis II launch is tonight. Here's how to watch it live.
Instructions to Discuss Successfully with Your Auto Collision Lawyer
Politics at the table? Drinking the wine you brought? An etiquette expert's Thanksgiving dos and don'ts.
Vote In favor of Your Favored Kind Of Cheddar
What an expert on the gut microbiome eats in a day
How HIV/AIDS got its name − the words Americans used for the crisis were steeped in science, stigma and religious language
Careful Connections: Building Association and Trust
Former defense minister Gallant vacated home over security threat under Shin Bet direction
Heavenly Pastry Confrontation: Pick Your #1 Sweet Treat!
PA accuses Israel of 'human trafficking' after planeload of Gazans arrives in South Africa













