NASA’s Artemis II Daily News Conference (April 5, 2026)

The Artemis II mission continues successfully, with the crew healthy and preparing for a lunar flyby. The crew, including Reid, Victor, Christina, and Jeremy, has expressed awe at their view of Earth and the Moon, particularly the three-dimensional perspective from space. Apollo 16 astronaut Charlie Duke sent a message to the crew, highlighting the continuation of the Apollo legacy and wishing them well. The mission is geared towards an exciting lunar flyby. The Earth and Moon are composed of the same materials, originating from a massive collision involving a Mars-sized object and the proto-Earth. The Moon serves as a "witness plate" to 4.5 billion years of history, and human observations from Artemis II will complement robotic exploration, enhancing knowledge of the Earth-Moon system. The mission also includes human health studies, such as the avatar experiment, to prepare for longer future missions. A key aspect is learning how flight operations, science evaluation teams, and the crew can work together in real-time, which will be critical for future lunar surface missions. Yesterday, the flight crew completed a manual piloting activity, testing the spacecraft's performance with some thrusters disabled. They also held a public affairs event with the Canadian Space Agency, conducted routine medical conferences, and reviewed the science plan. Activities were performed to characterize the carbon dioxide removal capability of Orion, with favorable results. Today, the astronauts practiced donning their orange launch and entry suits in zero gravity and simulated contingency scenarios, such as drinking protein shakes or delivering medication while wearing the bulky suits. These practices are crucial for potential future emergencies. The crew will also perform the third outbound trajectory correction maneuver, using auxiliary thrusters, as the first two were not needed due to Orion's precise trajectory. Other activities include in-flight maintenance demonstrations and an optical communication system demonstration to increase bandwidth to 100mbps. A significant milestone will be when Orion enters the lunar sphere of influence at 12:40 a.m. Eastern Time, marking when the Moon's gravity becomes stronger than Earth's pull on the spacecraft. The planning team in Mission Control has been working diligently, being the first to see downlinked images from the crew. Pilot Victor Glover shared poignant remarks about humanity's shared existence on Earth. The lunar flyby, scheduled for tomorrow, will involve the crew observing the illuminated surface of the Moon for approximately five hours. The lunar science team has finalized the lunar targeting plan, a software guide for the crew's observations. This plan includes specific targets aligned with the mission's ten lunar science objectives, encouraging the crew to also explore compelling features outside the guide. The crew will use Nikon cameras with zoom lenses for imaging and their unaided eyes for descriptions, aided by cue cards for scientific detail. Training for the flyby included practicing with flight-like camera hardware and visualizations of the Moon at the correct distance. The crew also trained inside an Orion mockup, looking out a window at a giant inflatable Moon globe to practice physical choreography. During the flyby, the crew will observe Apollo 12 and 14 landing sites and Reiner Gamma, a target of significant scientific interest. They will also view the edge of the south polar region and the South Pole-Aitken basin. The pace of observations has been adjusted to allow the crew more time per target (8-20 minutes) to settle into observations and discern details, maximizing scientific return. The crew will work in pairs, swapping roles of imaging and unaided eye descriptions to stay fresh. There will be an hour-long break where the vehicle points back to a sun attitude before pivoting for the eclipse. The lunar science team in the science evaluation room will monitor the crew's descriptions, synthesizing them and downlinking additional information overnight for further discussion. The cameras used for the flyby include two Nikon D5s with 80-400mm zoom lenses and a Nikon Z9, primarily for eclipse observations and planetary views. Images will be downlinked as bandwidth allows, with remaining images processed after splashdown. Regarding contingency operations, the speed of suit donning is not a primary concern as the Orion spacecraft can maintain cabin pressure during a leak, allowing time for the crew to suit up safely. The manual piloting demonstrations are ongoing, with positive feedback on Orion's handling qualities. Public engagement for the mission has been strong, with expectations of significant spikes in interest during the lunar flyby and splashdown. The team encourages public participation in sharing information about this unifying moment. The "official arrival point" at the Moon is considered when Orion enters the lunar sphere of influence, where the Moon's gravity exerts a stronger pull than Earth's. Future Artemis missions will benefit from concurrent observations from both orbital and surface crews, providing different scientific vantage points and crucial contextual information for geological processes and sample collection. The crew will be moving slowly enough relative to the lunar surface to make robust observations. The science evaluation room is designed to facilitate real-time interaction and dialogue with the crew, with planned follow-up questions and discussions to enhance scientific return. The mystery smell reported earlier in the mission has no identified root cause, but the mission continues nominally with the use of the toilet. The optical communication system has performed well, and increased bandwidth will expedite image and data downlink. Preparations for Artemis science operations have been ongoing for several years, with specific Artemis II science preparations intensifying over the past year. The rapid suit donning practice involved Reed and Victor, aiming for completion in about 15 minutes. The 144-hour life limit for astronauts in suits is tied to the oxygen supply capacity. Orion will decrease cabin pressure to 10.2 psi as planned, to evaluate performance for future dockings with other spacecraft. The wish list for lunar observations includes discerning subtle color hues and unexpected discoveries on the far side of the Moon, an area not previously observed by human eyes. While LRO data provides extensive information, human observations in specific illumination conditions offer unique scientific value. The wastewater vent line issue is still being investigated as a complex engineering challenge, with learnings from this mission informing future Artemis missions. For those watching on Earth, video from Orion's cameras will be streamed, offering views of the Moon and occasional glimpses inside the spacecraft. The crew's science descriptions will be shared several times an hour, with full audio and images downlinked as quickly as possible post-flyby. The lunar targeting plan will be made public, and the user interface for it will be archived for public access after the mission. During Earthrise, the crew will see Asia, Africa, and Oceania. Orion will break the Apollo 13 distance record tomorrow afternoon, reaching its farthest distance from Earth at 252,760 miles. At its closest approach to the Moon, Orion will be 4070 miles away, with approximately 21% of the far side illuminated. The interplay of Earth's and Moon's gravity will guide the spacecraft's trajectory. The crew is expected to take thousands of pictures. The mission aims to answer specific science questions, particularly those related to color provinces and albedo, as human eyes are adept at discerning subtle nuances that inform morphology and texture. Coordinated observations with the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter and citizen science initiatives are planned. The Artemis II mission is seen as a crucial first step in exploration, inspiring future generations and uniting people globally through a shared connection to the Moon.