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The crew of NASA\u2019s Artemis II mission achieved another milestone this week when they conducted the first-ever direct communication between astronauts on a lunar voyage and astronauts in Earth orbit aboard the International Space Station.<\/p>\n
Scientific American\u00a0<\/em>reports<\/a> that the Artemis II crew, traveling more than 200,000 miles from Earth, participated in an unprecedented 15-minute audio call with astronauts stationed on the International Space Station (ISS). This marks the first time in space exploration history that a moon mission has established direct contact with an orbital habitat.<\/p>\n The Artemis II team consists of NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch, along with Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen. They connected with ISS crew members including NASA astronauts Jessica Meir, Chris Williams, and Jack Hathaway, as well as European Space Agency astronaut Sophie Adenot. According to Wiseman, the lunar crew was beaming with joy throughout the exchange.<\/p>\n During the conversation, the astronauts shared experiences about various aspects of spaceflight, from the mundane to the extraordinary. Meir observed the evident enthusiasm of the moon-bound crew, telling them, \u201cWe can tell that you guys are definitely experiencing \u2018moon joy.\u2019 I feel like even we are experiencing \u2018moon joy\u2019 right now.\u201d The term \u201cmoon joy\u201d has emerged as an unofficial catchphrase of the Artemis II mission.<\/p>\n The communication took place while the Orion spacecraft, which the crew has named Integrity, was positioned more than 200,000 miles from Earth. In contrast, the ISS maintains an orbit approximately 250 miles above the planet\u2019s surface, highlighting the vast distance separating the two crews.<\/p>\n Koch, who has previous experience working aboard the ISS, reflected on how her time on the space station prepared her for the lunar mission. She explained that \u201cbasically every single thing that we learned on ISS is up here,\u201d ranging from \u201cthe funny and practical\u2014how to eat\u2014[to] how to do silly things with water [to] how to flip around.\u201d However, Koch also noted significant differences between the two experiences, particularly regarding the view of Earth. While acknowledging that the perspectives from the space station are impressive, she emphasized that observing Earth from the moon\u2019s vicinity revealed something quite different. She was struck by the amount of darkness surrounding the planet.<\/p>\n \u201cIt truly emphasized how alike we are, how the same thing keeps every single person on planet Earth alive. We evolved on the same planet. We have some shared things about how we love and live that are just universal. The specialness and preciousness of that really is emphasized when you notice how much else there is around it,\u201d Koch said.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Breitbart News previously reported<\/a> on another tech highlight of the Artemis II mission, stunning pictures of the Earth taken with standard iPhones.<\/p>\n Not all the tech aboard the Artemis II mission has performed well.\u00a0Breitbart News\u00a0previously reported<\/a>\u00a0that the astronauts experienced the same kind of Microsoft Outlook glitches that many Americans experience in the office:<\/p>\n Mission Commander Reid Wiseman reported the Outlook issue to Houston-based mission control approximately seven hours after the historic launch. \u201cI also see that I have two Microsoft Outlooks and neither one of those are working,\u201d Wiseman communicated over dispatch. He followed up with a request for assistance: \u201cIf you want to remote in and check the Optimus and those two Outlooks that would be awesome.\u201d<\/p>\n Mission control responded by planning to access the shuttle\u2019s PCD, or personal computing device, remotely to address the malfunction. These specialized tablets serve as essential tools for astronauts, enabling them to handle routine communications with Earth-based personnel and review mission documentation throughout their journey.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n The crew has also had\u00a0multiple problems<\/a>\u00a0with the spacecraft\u2019s toilet system:<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s an issue with dumping the waste out of the toilet,\u201d Artemis II Flight Director Judd Frieling\u00a0told<\/a>\u00a0reporters Saturday morning. \u201cAnd so it appears to me that we probably have some frozen urine in the vent line.\u201d<\/p>\n As AP\u00a0reports<\/a>, the three Americans and one Canadian will reach their destination Monday, photographing the mysterious lunar far side as they zoom around it before heading back to earth.<\/p>\n It is the first moon-bound crew in more than 53 years, picking up where NASA\u2019s Apollo program left off, however the toilet system is still refusing to cooperate with mysterious \u201csmells\u201d emanating from the facility alongside possibly clogged plumbing.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Read more at\u00a0Scientific American\u00a0<\/em>here.<\/a><\/p>\n\n
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