This is not the first challenge they have faced
Artemis II has left Earth’s orbit, carrying four astronauts farther from our planet than any humans have ever travelled, with plans to circle the Moon’s far side before returning to Earth.
The decision to travel beyond Earth’s orbit has been described by some as a ‘point of no return’, though of course the astronauts will be back on Earth within days, with their journey set to conclude next week (April 10).
Before initiating the critical burn to leave Earth’s orbit, the Artemis II astronauts received a worrying warning about a potential cabin pressurisation leak, which could have been serious if it had been real.
Fortunately, NASA ground controllers said the capsule’s pressure was stable, and Artemis flight director Judd Frieling later labelled the warning as a ‘false indication’.
“We quickly knew that there was no leak,” Frieling explained in a press conference, which thankfully wasn’t real, as it would have posed a serious danger to the astronauts.
According to astronaut Jeremy Hansen, the crew definitely noticed the alarm going off and had to consider whether their capsule was losing air, which could have forced them to cut the mission short and return to Earth.
“Luckily, it was just a little anomaly; Houston helped us out,” he said.
However, this is not the first hiccup the crew has experienced, as shortly after lift-off, they encountered issues with their space toilet.
And it’s expected this won’t be the last challenge they face, with the most critical moment coming at re-entry and a period when the spacecraft will be out of contact with Earth. For now, however, everything is proceeding according to plan.
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