When the moon mission launched from Florida last week, I was holding my breath and hoping the rocket would get where it was supposed to go in one piece. I’ll be doing the same tonight when the crew is scheduled to re-enter Earth’s atmosphere. The astronauts have traveled farther from our planet than any human. They’ve sent back gorgeous pictures as they performed scientific observations. But this, this is the most dangerous part of the whole adventure. As the world awaits that moment, one thing I find diverting is going back to look at interesting views of the giant NASA rocket that vaulted the crew into orbit. Since April 1, NASA has posted an assortment of images from liftoff we couldn’t see on launch day because they were captured by specialized cameras the agency uses to study each flight. Take the clip at the top, which you can watch in full on NASA’s website. This is a video NASA shot from the spacecraft itself. The rocket twirls with the grace of a figure skater — a figure skater that weighed 5.74 million pounds when it lifted off fully fueled.
Atop the rocket you can see a sharp white tip. This is the launch abort system, which can whisk the astronauts to safety if something goes wrong during liftoff. Once the rocket gets to a certain altitude, the escape system is no longer useful and it shoots away from the capsule. NASA released video of that, too.
Finally, just as cinema looks more dramatic in black-and-white, it’s fascinating to see what the launch looked like through an infrared camera. This kind of view helps NASA engineers understand whether parts of the rocket — its core stage and its side boosters — are working as intended. NASA has many more amazing videos and they are available to anyone. It’s a fun rabbit hole to dive down while you wait for those astronauts to come home. Watch the SplashdownThe Artemis II astronauts are set to conclude their 10-day journey around the moon at about 8:07 p.m. Eastern time tonight. The splashdown is expected to be near San Diego. You can watch starting at 6:30 p.m. NASA’s YouTube and X accounts, as well as NASA’s website and smart TV apps. You can also watch it here on The New York Times’s website, with live commentary from our space reporters. People in California probably won’t be able to spot the spacecraft from the coast because of its trajectory and the fact that it will still be light out. Yes, That Really HappenedThe mission has had no shortage of amusing moments: Toilet problems; issues with email; “Moon Joy.” Plus that Nutella jar zipping across the capsule in microgravity that many saw on video.
When NASA announced the Artemis II menu, it included “chocolate spread” as a “culinary flavoring.” Turns out the spread in question was not some carefully composed space food that the astronauts had to rehydrate to consume. It was just the same jarred treat that children and perhaps a few grown-ups enjoy the world over lathered on toast (or sneaked on a sly finger). Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney was one of legions who took note of the Nutella. In a call to the astronauts, he expressed hope that the Canadian crew member, Jeremy Hansen, would forego the cocoa-hazelnut indulgence in favor of the country’s beloved maple syrup to top any space pancakes. ONE NUMBER 24,000— That’s nearly how many miles per hour the Orion capsule will be traveling as the astronauts re-enter the atmosphere. The encounter will heat the capsule to searing temperatures. A heat shield at the bottom of the spacecraft is supposed to keep it intact, but NASA acknowledges it is flawed. They changed the flight in a way that they say will keep the astronauts safe, but some critics said the mission never should have launched. Read more about the risks of re-entry. QuizAt NASA mission control in Houston, the CAPCOM has the job of talking to the astronauts of Artemis II. What does the title CAPCOM stand for?
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