Artemis II launched April 1 from Kennedy Space Center, carrying astronaut Christina Koch, astronaut Jeremy Hansen, astronaut Reid Wiseman, and astronaut Victor Glover on the second Space Launch System flight and the first crewed Orion mission beyond low Earth orbit since 1972.
Before liftoff the Artemis II crew stepped out of an Airstream motorhome at the pad, continuing a decades‑old NASA tradition of transferring astronauts in vans even though this vehicle was not originally destined for the program and lacks the flash of earlier transport vans.
NASA notes that transfer vans date to the 1960s Mercury program, when crews rode in a van pulled by a Reo tractor; historical records cite Gordon Cooper’s 16‑minute trip and driver C. J. LaMar’s long service.
Artemis II sets several milestones: astronaut Victor Glover is the first person of color, astronaut Christina Koch is the first woman, and astronaut Jeremy Hansen is the first non‑U.S. citizen to travel beyond low Earth orbit, while NASA managed both launch hardware and ground logistics.
Read the full article at theautopian.com.
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