Artemis II rocket to the moon

Dark side of the moon

Well, if your head explodes with dark forebodings too...

ONE HOUR

UNTIL

LAUNCH

Artemis II facts:

The Artemis II mission is scheduled to launch today, Wednesday, April 1, 2026, at 6:24 p.m. ET (3:24 p.m. PT) and is a 10 day mission the moon. It has been 53 years, 3 months, and 18 days since humans last walked on the lunar surface. The last mission, Apollo 17, departed the Moon on December 14, 1972. Since then, no human has traveled beyond low-Earth orbit—until today. The Artemis II mission is scheduled to conclude with a splashdown on Friday, April 10, 2026. Splashdown Time: 8:06 p.m. ET (5:06 p.m. PT) Location: The Pacific Ocean, specifically off the coast of San Diego, California. The US military, the Space Force, the Air Force, and the Navy, will be assisting throughout this mission.

-------------------------------------------------------------

Historic Firsts:

While Christina Koch becoming the first woman to leave low-Earth orbit (LEO) is a major milestone, Artemis II is breaking several other historic barriers with this mission:

First Person of Color to Leave LEO: Pilot Victor Glover will be the first Black astronaut to travel to the moon's vicinity.
First Non-American to Leave LEO: Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen will be the first Canadian—and the first person from any country other than the U.S.—to journey beyond Earth's orbit.
Farthest Distance Humans Have Ever Traveled: The mission's planned "free-return trajectory" will swing the Orion spacecraft roughly 4,700 miles past the far side of the moon. This is expected to break the 1970 record set by Apollo 13, making this crew the humans who have traveled the farthest from Earth in history.
Highest Reentry Velocity: Upon their return, the crew will hit Earth’s atmosphere at speeds of approximately 25,000 mph (roughly Mach 32), the fastest reentry ever attempted by a crewed spacecraft.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Special Items on board:

The crew is definitely carrying a mix of historic artifacts, personal mementos, and even a "stowaway" toy! While there isn’t a golf ball this time, they have several "special" items intended to honor the past and connect with the public:

Historic Artifacts

NASA is flying several items that bridge the gap between early aviation and modern spaceflight:

Wright Flyer Fabric: A small swatch of muslin fabric from the original 1903 Wright Flyer is on board.
Apollo 18 Flag: A 3-by-5-foot U.S. flag originally meant for the canceled Apollo 18 mission is finally making its trip to the moon.
The "Legacy Flag": A 13-by-8-inch flag that flew on the very first (STS-1) and very last (STS-135) Space Shuttle missions is making its third journey.
Ranger 7 Negative: A copy of a photo negative from the 1964 Ranger 7 mission—the first U.S. probe to successfully impact the moon—is tucked away in the flight kit. 
Personal "Mementos"

Each astronaut has a Personal Preference Kit (PPK) with items that matter to them:

Jeremy Hansen: Is carrying four moon-shaped pendants for his wife and three children, plus maple syrup and maple cookies to honor Canada.
Victor Glover: Packed his Bible, family heirlooms, and a collection of quotes from Apollo 9 astronaut Rusty Schweickart.
Christina Koch: Brought handwritten notes from her family to have a tactile connection to home.
Reid Wiseman: Opted for a simple notebook and pencil to record his thoughts during the 10-day journey.

If you think a sunset or a sunrise on Earth is beautiful....imagine seeing an Earthrise on the moon....but this time Artemis II will have it in 4K video!

This picture was taken in on December 24, 1968, during the Apollo 8 mission.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=2PiO495X8Sg

13 Correction. That title belongs to Theodore "Call Me Teddy Again, I Dare You" Rosevelt.