Artemis II Launch

MUCH FOR JOINING US. IT MIGHT BE APRIL FOOLS, BUT THIS IS NO JOKE. NASA IS SENDING MEN AND WOMEN BACK TO THE MOON. IT'S BEEN OVER 50 YEARS SINCE THE APOLLO MISSIONS VENTURE TO THE LUNAR SURFACE AND NOW ARTEMIS 2 WILL BREAK THAT STREAK THE 10 DAY MISSION WILL CREW OF 4, INCLUDING THE FIRST FEMALE ASTRONAUT AND FIRST PERSON OF COLOR FROM CAPE CANAVERAL FOR IN ORBIT OF THE MOON. THE FOCUS OF THE SPACE WORLD IS ON FLORIDA WITH EXCITEMENT EMANATING EMANATING FROM THE KENNEDY SPACE CENTER. BRENDAN BYRNE FROM CENTRAL FLORIDA, PUBLIC MEDIA JOINS US NOW FROM THE KENNEDY SPACE CENTER. BRENDAN, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US TODAY. >> HAPPY TO BE HERE. THANKS FOR THE INVITE PAY. YOU HAVE BEEN AT THE LAUNCH SITE ALL DAY AS NASA FEELS UP THE ROCKET. >> MAKING FINAL PREPS FOR THIS HISTORIC LAUNCH. WHAT IS THE MOOD LIKE THERE TODAY? >> CERTAINLY EXCITEMENT HERE. THERE ARE A TON OF JOURNALISTS HERE AT THE PRESS SITE. I THINK AROUND 800 WERE CREDENTIAL TO BE OUT HERE. TV CREWS, RADIO CREWS, A PRINT JOURNALISTS. IT'S IT'S THERE'S A LOT OF OF OF INTEREST HERE FROM THE MEDIA SIDE. MY WAY IN I WAS SEEING LINES TO GET INTO THE KENNEDY SPACE CENTER VISITOR COMPLEX. WE'RE SEEING REPORTS THAT THAT PEOPLE ARE GOING TO THE THE LAUNCH VIEWING SITES AROUND THE SPACE COAST HERE. THERE IS A LOT OF EXCITEMENT. >> DO YOU HAVE AN ESTIMATE OF HOW MANY SPECTATORS THERE ARE? >> LOCAL OFFICIALS ANTICIPATED SOMETHING LIKE 400,000 PEOPLE WERE GOING TO BE VISITING AND WATCHING THIS LAUNCH. SO THAT IS THAT THAT'S A LOT. >> IT'S INCREDIBLE. CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT THE 4 CREW MEMBERS AND WHAT THEY'VE BEEN DOING TODAY TO GET READY FOR THIS? >> SURE, THEY THEY ACTUALLY WOKE UP A LITTLE BIT LATER THAN ME, WHICH WAS NICE TO GET TO SLEEP IN TODAY. BUT THEY ARE THEY ARE 3 NASA ASTRONAUTS AND ONE FOR THE CANADIAN SPACE AGENCY. 3 NASA ASTRONAUTS HAVE BEEN TO SPACE BEFORE. THIS WILL BE THE FIRST FLIGHT FOR THE CANADIAN SPACE AGENCY ASTRONAUT. SO A HECK OF A FIRST MISSION FOR HIM. THEY HAVE BEEN TRAINING FOR THIS MISSION FOR FOR MONTHS. THEY HAVE BEEN HERE AT THE KENNEDY SPACE CENTER FOR QUITE A FEW DAYS QUARANTINING AND BEFORE BEFORE THEY GOT IN THEIR SUITS AND HEADED INTO INTO THEIR SPACECRAFT. >> CAN YOU TELL US MORE ABOUT THE 10 DAY MISSION AND WHAT THE CREW EXPECTS TO DO? WELL, THEY ARE IN SPACE. >> YEAH. THIS IS A A CRITICAL TEST FLIGHT OF THE ORION SPACECRAFT. THAT'S THAT'S THE CAPSULE THAT THEY ARE LAUNCHING IN AND PERFORMING THEIR MISSION. AND SO THEY'RE GOING TO TEST THE CONTROLS OF THE VEHICLE ONCE THEY GET INTO ORBIT, THEY WILL SEPARATE FROM THEIR SERVICE SPOTS WILL ACTUALLY FLY AROUND IT. AND THIS IS TO SEE JUST HOW THE SPACECRAFT HANDLES DRIVING IN SPACE FROM THERE. THEY WILL GO A FIRE, THEIR ENGINES ON A TRANSLATOR INJECTION, WHICH WILL SEND THEM AROUND OR SEND THEM ON A PATH AROUND THE MOON AND BACK AND WHAT'S REALLY EXCITING ABOUT THIS PATH FOR THEM IS THAT THEY ARE GOING TO BE FARTHER THAN ANYBODY ELSE HAS EVER GONE INTO DEEP SPACE TO BE ABOUT 5,000 MILES AWAY FROM THE SURFACE OF THE FAR SIDE OF THE MOON AND REALLY SCIENTISTS AND GEOLOGISTS ARE SUPER EXCITED TO SEE THAT BECAUSE NO HUMAN EYES HAVE EVER SEEN THE MOON FROM THIS PERSPECTIVE. SO THEY WILL BE TAKING GEOLOGICAL SURVEYS AND LOOKING FOR POTENTIAL LANDING SITES FOR THE FUTURE. AND THEN THEY WILL HEAD BACK HOME. THEIR HEAT SHIELD WILL PROTECT THEM AS THEY SMASHED THROUGH THE ATMOSPHERE AND PARACHUTES WILL SLOW THEM DOWN AND THEY WILL SPLASHDOWN IN THE PACIFIC OCEAN. >> WHY DO YOU THINK THERE'S SO MUCH EXCITEMENT? EVERYONE IS JUST SO MUCH LOOKING FORWARD TO THIS WISE IS GARNERING THIS MUCH ATTENTION. >> YOU KNOW, ANY TIME PEOPLE LEAVE THE PLANET, THERE IS QUITE A BIT OF ATTENTION. THE FIRST MISSION THAT SENT HUMANS INTO SPACE AFTER THE END OF THE SPACE SHUTTLE PROGRAM WAS IN 2011, THE FIRST MISSION BACK WAS IN 2020 WITH A SPACE X CREW OF 2. AND AND, YOU KNOW, IT'S REALLY COOL TO SEE PEOPLE LEAVE. BUT THIS THIS IS SOMETHING A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT THAN THAT WILL SAY A LOT BIT DIFFERENT. AND THIS IS WE'RE SENDING HUMANS TO THE MOON. THE LAST TIME THIS HAPPENED WAS THE THE FINAL LITTER APOLLO MISSION IN 1972. SO WE HAVEN'T HAD AN EXPERIENCE LIKE THIS. AND IN OVER 50 >> AND TO REITERATE AND CLARIFY, THEY ARE NOT ACTUALLY LANDING ON THE MOON. >> NO, THEY THEY ARE GOING TO BE A WHIPPING AROUND THE MOON AND COMING BACK THIS THIS LOWERS THE RISK AND IT USES A LOT LESS FUEL. BUT IT DOES GIVE THEM A CHANCE TO TEST THE SPACECRAFT IN DEEP SPACE. SO WHILE THEY ARE IN DEEP SPACE ON THIS ON THIS LUNAR FLYBY, THEY'RE GOING TO BE TAKING READINGS ON TEMPERATURE, RADIATION EXPOSURE, HOW THE ASTRONAUTS ARE HANDLING BEING IN DEEP SPACE IS, AS I MENTIONED, THEY HAVEN'T BEEN BACK THERE BEFORE. SO EVERYTHING WE LEARN FROM THIS IS GOING TO HELP THE NEXT MISSIONS. BOTH PREPARE THE SPACECRAFT IN THE ASTRONAUTS WERE PERFORMING IT. >> CAN YOU TOUCH ON WHAT SOME OF THE FUTURE ARTEMIS MISSIONS LOOK LIKE? >> SURE, THERE'S THERE'S GOING TO BE ARTEMIS. 3 WILL PERFORM A DOCKING IN ORBIT, WHICH IS THIS IS A VERY, VERY IMPORTANT STEP IN ORDER TO GO TO THE MOON AND IT WILL. IT WILL SHOW THAT IT CAN TALK TO A LUNAR LANDER. IT'S BEING DEVELOPED BY 2 DIFFERENT COMPANIES TO DIFFERENT LENDERS TO DIFFERENT COMPANIES, SPACEX AND BLUE ORIGIN. IT WEREN'T SURE WHICH ONE THAT WILL BE OR BOTH OF THEM MAYBE UP IN IN SPACE FOR THAT ONE. AN ORDINANCE FOR IS GOING TO TAKE THOSE ASTRONAUTS TO THE MOON FOR THE FIRST TIME. SO HAS REALLY THE EXCITING MISSION. AND FROM THERE NASA MISSION OR JARED ISAACMAN HAS LAID OUT A PLAN THAT HE WANTS TO HAVE LOTS MORE OF THESE HUMAN MISSIONS. AND EVEN WANTS TO SET UP A LUNAR SCIENCE BASED ON THE SURFACE OF THE MOON. SO WE COULD BE SEEING A LOT MORE OFTEN. >> AND THIS IS ALL GREAT AS WELL FOR PEOPLE TO TUNE IN TO YOUR PODCAST. ARE WE THERE YET TO KEEP UPDATED? CORRECT. >> THAT'S RIGHT. THIS WEEK'S EPISODE WE TALKED WITH ONE OF THE ARTEMIS TO SCIENTISTS ABOUT WHAT THOSE ASTRONAUTS WILL ACTUALLY BE LOOKING AT. ONE UNDER ON THE FAR SIDE, THE MOOD IS A FASCINATING WE WILL BE FOLLOWING THIS MISSION AFTER IT LAUNCHES ALL THE WAY UNTIL TOUCHDOWN. >> THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANKS. AND WE LOOK FORWARD TO A GREAT LAUNCH TODAY. >> LIKEWISE, LOOK EAST.