Artemis II’s crew will begin 18 months of training in June before their flight

NASA astronauts Reed Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Hammock Koch and CSA (Canadian Space Agency) Jeremy Hansen, who will fly the Artemis II program, are preparing to begin their training in June. Establishing a long-term presence on the Moon for science and exploration.

All four astronauts will complete their training about 18 months before their 10-day mission. They will receive detailed lessons on the Orion spacecraft and SLS (Space Launch System) rocket systems, and learn to operate and monitor systems for the ascent, orbit and entry phases of the mission and how to respond to emergency situations.

“The crew of our Artemis II test flight will pave the way for incredible science at the forefront of all of our future missions,” said NASA Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy. “His experience in flight testing and his personal bravery in his mission to the Moon will help enable our Moon to take the next big step to Mars.”

During the first phase of training, Crews will learn key systems to establish a foundation for the rest of their training. Experts from NASA’s Flight Operations Directorate at the agency’s Johnson Space Center in Houston will train them in day-to-day operations during the space and mission phases, and the crew will begin training to operate displays on the crew, vehicle controls and Orion audio and imaging systems.

“We are putting together a robust crew training program to ensure they are ready for all aspects of this first mission to the Moon under command of Artemis aboard our new spacecraft and rocket,” said Jackie Mahaffey, chief of Artemis II crew training. “As this is the first time for a training crew for the Artemis missions, Reid, Victor, Christina and Jeremy will also work closely together to refine future training requirements.”

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Spacesuit engineers demonstrate the functions inside the Orion spacecraft using a mock-up of the vehicle at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.

Ready to return

During the climb and entry training phases, the crew will focus on vehicle systems and operations to support normal and potential emergency situations during the two most dynamic phases of the mission. Ascent training will include pre-launch activities around the launch pad and will give the crew an in-depth understanding of the key milestones leading up to and after launch and the first few hours in orbit. ready to return to earth, Crews will learn how to monitor and execute entry operations, How to contact rescue teams; How to deal with the various post-trench scenarios they may face while awaiting rescue on the sea surface.

On-orbit and shore-based training will show the crew how to carry out planned mission activities and how to deal with unplanned situations that arise. This training phase will give the crew the skills they need to conduct rendezvous and proximity operations demonstrations during the remainder of their first day in space after launch. The high-Earth orbit demonstration will help computer scientists and flight controllers better understand Orion’s hand-piloting qualities and reduce the risk of future Artemis missions to the Lunar Gateway space station or Orion docking with spacecraft systems. The crew will also learn about the solar panels that power Orion. How to fix communication problems and how to respond to other potential situations. Additionally, crews will practice exiting Orion after splashdown with rescue teams.

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Throughout their training stream, crews will refine their understanding of water survival and emergency evacuation operations, practice exercising and using medical equipment, and learn to use Orion’s other daily life support systems, including food preparation.

“Most of the crew training takes place at Johnson Space Center, where we have the Orion simulator and crew module mockup, which helps crews understand the location and orientation of what’s inside, and at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, where the rocket and spacecraft hardware is assembled and launch countdown activities take place,” Mahaffey said. “Crews will begin their training in our launch and entry simulator in Houston in the fall, and we plan to begin our integrated simulations between the crew and mission control 12 months earlier.”

NASA teams are developing robust programs to simulate all aspects of the mission., countdown, in-flight operations, entry and rescue, including implementation of procedures. While some tests will involve crews and others between system operators, the agency will conduct a series of coordinated simulations with crew, launch and flight control teams in the months leading up to the mission.

Through Artemis Missions, NASA will use innovative technologies to explore more of the Moon’s surface than ever before. NASA will collaborate with commercial and international partners to establish the first long-term presence on the Moon. We’ll use what we’ve learned about the Moon and its surroundings to take the next big leap: sending the first astronauts to Mars.

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