Four astronauts depart for the Moon with a fiery send-off from Cape Canaveral

Liftoff of Artemis II occurred at 6:35 pm EDT (22:35 UTC) on Wednesday.

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[Butterchuck]

Very exciting! Wishing the astronauts a safe trip, and I can't wait to see the images they capture.

 

[SavedByTechnology]

Godspeed Integrity!

 

[Rockyroad]

I was born only months before Apollo 11. I cried watching it today. Got teary again just typing this.

While rockets of destruction fly across the Middle East, a rocket of hope and human spirit vaults off from this tiny blue planet into the vast expanse.

 

[Wickwick]

Nothing like testing proximity ops without a rangefinder.

 

[TheTamago]

Watched the feed on and off from the beginning. Watch all the way through from about the 1hr mark to see it finally take off. Expensive tincan with annoyance but may their journey lead us to a better future to conquer the moon once more.

 

[sorten]

Too bad the flag is obscuring that pic. I enjoyed the launch. As a member of GenX, I'm always a bit nervous during launches.

 

[the cave troll]

Can't wait to meet Editor Moonshark in person!

 

[Yui]

Jeremy Hansen is a mission specialist on Artemis 2, but according to Ars his job is professional Canadian.

So happy for this crew, hope they get back safe.

 

[SportivoA]

Very fun to see all the Ars-credited photography from Stephen! Looking forward to the additional on-site coverage of this big event.

 

[tsunam]

Nothing like testing proximity ops without a rangefinder.

Yeah, why no rangefinder? Is that something else that is delayed or was that not in Orion’s design?

 

[SirOmega]

“The crew (on Orion) has to be much more proficient to know where to go to see the right information. The SpaceX vehicle was built so that your kids could jump off their video games and jump in Dragon. A lot of it is intuitive, and that’s a good thing. That’s the paradigm that they are shooting for.”

Sounds like an apt comparison for the webcasts too. SpaceX has all the graphics and telemetry. NASA had... not much.

 

[Statistical]

I really like the mix of physical controls, glass cockpit displays, and mechanical switches for critical functions on Orion.

The translation hand controller is the square in the upper right hand corner of each pilot station. The rotational hand controller is the joystick looking thing. the cursor controller is that thing to the left.

 

[schnackenpfefferhausen]

On this mission, the spacecraft lacks a rangefinder to measure the distance between Orion and the upper stage.

Bold strategy, Cotton.

 

[Tom the Melaniephile]

Anyone else have this come to mind when the (we can't say toilet) waste management issues cropped up?


View: https://youtu.be/BeskbiJjCXI?t=21

 

[Uncivil Servant]

When Isaacman said that it's easier to be strapped to the rocket than watching, it reminded me of a similar line from Band of Brothers about how it was hard to spend the Battle of Bastogne at HQ. I didn't really understand that until COVID...

 

[GFKBill]

Moments later, a wave of sound reached spectators a few miles away as the rocket thundered into the sky, leaving an incandescent plume of fire and smoke in its wake.

Those poor spectators.

 

[GFKBill]

I really like the mix of physical controls, glass cockpit displays, and mechanical switches for critical functions on Orion.

Yo, modern car makers - take note! This is how it's done!

 

[Justin Credible]

WTG NASA!!!!!

 

[dmsilev]

Jeremy Hansen is a mission specialist on Artemis 2, but according to Ars his job is professional Canadian.

Well, you wouldn't want to give such an important job to an amateur Canadian, would you?

 

[Bzored]

How Americans display that flag and actually still feel pride or patriotism is beyond me. Must be Stockholm syndrome or something.

 

[whoisit]

Well, you wouldn't want to give such an important job to an amateur Canadian, would you?

 

[Ripcord]

I was born only months before Apollo 11. I cried watching it today. Got teary again just typing this.

I got teary-eyed reading your comment. This is nice. Nice things are nice.

 

[Findecanor]

Too bad the flag is obscuring that pic.

I've got a feeling that flag waving is a large reason why the mission got off the ground.

 

[Uncivil Servant]

I've got a feeling that flag waving is a large reason why the mission got off the ground.

If we're going to launch massive rockets with payloads far greater than any thermonuclear warhead, I feel like this is the best possible reason.

 

[Zitchas]

It was a wonderful launch. It's awesome to see people come together and actually achieve something hopeful and aspirational.

I know the future of space travel is probably more with Starship or Falcon 9 (or immitators thereof), but I genuinely find NASA launches to be more inspirational than I do SpaceX. Despite the fact that SpaceX's streams are just so much more informational and useful and actually better at explaining what's going on, with better mission tracking info. But NASA appears to be learning. It's amusing to contrast.

In any case, good luck, and Godspeed to the astronauts. I will be looking forward to watching all the footage from this mission, and I wish them all the best. I hope many more follow in their footsteps.

from: https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/55182878409-d6c46a73a0-k.jpg

 

[Statistical]

Yeah, why no rangefinder? Is that something else that is delayed or was that not in Orion’s design?

You aren't going to like the answer.

This Orion is incomplete. It has no nose hatch, IDSS port, or docking tunnel. The rangefinder, actually a fancy 2D scanning LIDAR is in <drumroll> the docking tunnel. Artemis III will be the first "for real this time" everything included Orion. I mean for the low low price of a billy each you can't expect it to be complete can you?

 

[Alex Enders]

The launcher’s twin boosters consumed their solid propellant in a little more than two minutes after reaching an altitude of more than 150,000 feet, then jettisoned to fall into the Atlantic Ocean. They won’t be recovered.

Also not recovered: the four RS-25 engines on the core stage, which borders on a criminal offense in my mind. Those engines are things of absolute beauty, and are reusable. But SLS decided to make them one-and-done. Of the four on this mission, I think three of them flew on a Shuttle mission, and one of them is a Frankenstein from leftover parts.

 

[whoisit]

You aren't going to like the answer.

This Orion is incomplete. It has no nose hatch, IDSS port, or docking tunnel. The rangefinder, actually a 2D scanning LIDAR is in <drumroll> the docking tunnel. Artemis III will be the first "for real this time" everything included Orion.

So,...they might actually need Red Green, some duct tape, and a couple of old K-Cars?

 

[Statistical]

Maybe it's just me, but it all looks a bit crude, TBH. Almost like software with a UI designed by an engineer with no real HMI training or design experience. Functional, but one of the panels on the left even appears to be mounted crookedly.

What I posted was a mockup for training and one that has been beat up for years. The final version in the capsule is more polished but due to the positioning it is hard to find photos that show the whole layout.

 

[Uncivil Servant]

I really like the mix of physical controls, glass cockpit displays, and mechanical switches for critical functions on Orion.

View attachment 132046

The translation hand controller is the square in the upper right hand corner of each pilot station. The rotational hand controller is the joystick looking thing. the cursor controller is that thing to the left.

With the caveat that my experience is confined to DCS and as a pilot I'm only just slightly ahead of Stevie Wonder in terms of safety, I can see why the pilot mentioned familiarity from the F/A-18 series. Those sticks and the vertical rectangular MFDs gave me some mild nostalgia for a simulator cockpit, I can only imagine how a real pilot would react.

(I would provide a photograph but google will only offer me several thousand screenshots of DCS modded cockpits)

 

[SGJ]

I was 13 when humans last walked on the moon; I didn’t foresee that I would be long retired before I saw it again!

 

[Defenestrar]

Nothing like testing proximity ops without a rangefinder.

Not quite, they've got a Mark I rangefinder named Hansen

 

[Wolfie2]

The upper stage will vent all of its hydrogen fuel before Orion moves in close.

I assume the upper stage has some smaller thrusters or something to safely deorbit? Tell me NASA is practising good orbital hygiene and not just leaving it up there to decay over a random city?

Edit: Just saw this on a SpaceNews page so I think we’re all good:

“After the end of those tests, ICPS will perform a burn about five hours after liftoff to ensure it reenters over the Atlantic Ocean.”

 

[UserIDAlreadyInUse]

Fly well, fly safe, and send a wave Selene's way and a scratch behind the ears for Yutu from all of us here on Earth.

 

[Uncivil Servant]

Not quite, they've got a Mark I rangefinder named Hansen

It was good enough for Jim Lovell and Apollo 13

 

[Argent Claim]

Yeah, why no rangefinder? Is that something else that is delayed or was that not in Orion’s design?

Psht. Who even needs the extra mass?

If a handheld rangefinder was good enough for Savinykh and Dzhanibekov on Soyuz T-13, then it should be good enough for everyone!

 

[Meowl]

What I posted was a mockup for training and one that has been beat up for years. The final version in the capsule is more polished but due to the positioning it is hard to find photos that show the whole layout.

View attachment 132053

Thanks for clarifying the original photo source. I was thinking how the prominent use of "80/20" aluminum struts would make that company very proud, and also thinking it looks like a lab bench?

 

[Barleyman]

Too bad the flag is obscuring that pic. I enjoyed the launch. As a member of GenX, I'm always a bit nervous during launches.

Yeah, it should be really $100 bill. Or perhaps some bacon. Or both.