50 years on from the last manned mission to the Moon, Artemis I is about to begin a new era of lunar exploration.
Following several delays due to technical issues, NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) and Orion spacecraft are now standing by at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida for the first step in sending humans back to the Moon five decades after the end of the Apollo program.
Artemis I won't be carrying any passengers, but it will serve as a test run for future manned missions.
As things stand, the launch is scheduled to take place on August 29th sometime during a two-hour window which begins at 08:33 EST (13:33 BST).
While it won't be landing on the Moon, Artemis I will be going into orbit around it and will spend several weeks in space to make sure every part of the spacecraft is tested to the max.
If everything goes to plan, the first crewed mission will launch in 2024.
Then, in 2025, an actual attempt to land humans on the lunar surface will be made.
Suffice to say, things are about to get very interesting.
Going to be a bad Monday. I work at a place in Cape Canaveral. Traffic is going to be a complete nightmare. When the falcon heavy launched it took me 2 hours to get home. I live 14 miles from work.....
I went down there for a night launch of Columbia and it was delayed twice and finally flew on the third attempt. That night launch was worth every minute of the wait and the hours-long traffic jam to get away from the Space Center where we'd parked. That memory is one of those "bucket list" things It was right up there with a tandem skydive
Having lived in the area my whole life (more than 5 decades) I have to remember that the launches, all of them, are a big deal for a lot of people. The folks visiting to see the launches bring in lots of money for the local businesses as well. I sometimes take it all for granted.
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