By Ray Chang
The turn of the 21st century marked the beginning of an expanding digital age along with emerging endeavors in climate and healthcare advocacy that have become associated with checkpoints of global progression. Likewise, humanity yet again equips itself to trespass upon another checkpoint—this time in space—after over half a century since the Apollo 11 mission took the first humans to the moon.
NASA’s Artemis II mission, poetically named after the Greek goddess of the moon, encompasses a collective distance of approximately almost 700,000 miles traveled over the course of 10 days from April first to the tenth. Accompanying the four chosen people part of the Artemis II mission is the Orion spacecraft, the shuttle NASA plans on using as a catalyst for not only the observation of astronaut performance but also for future missions to the Moon or even Mars. Highlights of the crew include Victor Glover and Christina Koch, talented personnel coined as the first colored person and woman, respectively, to venture to the Moon. Along the journey, the crew will focus on running and gauging the Orion spacecraft’s systems and procedures. For example, the crew will calibrate the Orion’s capacity to protect crewmates from radiation and also run medical procedures provided on the Orion spacecraft to ensure human wellness in space. These procedures, diligently carried out by the Artemis II crew, serve as a foundation for space travel with the Orion spacecraft and will aid in future missions to the Moon and beyond. Additionally, the crew will gather empirical data on the Moon’s surface and snap a myriad of photos to reveal and verify the previously unknown facets of the Moon.
The expansive endeavor of space travel lights a bright path ahead, and the Artemis II mission currently leads that exact path. With the success of the Artemis II mission, intel gathered will provide as crucial assets in the future, especially when the vision of sending humans to inhabit Mars looms ahead. NASA projects the first humans to step foot on Mars as early as the 2030s, a date that seems within grasp of humanity’s everlasting desire for curiosity and advancement.