Artemis II: First Crewed Moon Mission in 53 Years

0:00It's April 1st, U.S. News Today starts now, AI powered in Nationwide. I'm Corey with the story. NASA's Space Launch System rocket is fully fueled with over 700,000 gallons, ready for the Artemis 2 mission to kick off from Kennedy, Space Center in Florida. This 32-story beast has a 2-hour launch window starting at 6.24pm Eastern Time on Wednesday evening. The crew, Reed Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hanson will strap in for the first crewed moon trip in 53 years. This flight takes 4 astronauts, thousands of miles past the moon for a quick loop and stray back home in under 10 days, no landing or orbiting, just testing the systems. It's a big step from the Apollo days, with a woman, a person of color, and the first non-American on board, marking real diversity in space. Folks are buzzing worldwide, from NASA's top brass, calling it the start of a new exploration era, to messages pouring in, like one from England's King.

1:01Charles III to Hanson, its bridging nations and generations, building hype for NASA's push toward a permanent moon base. The astronauts have suited up in bright orange or rye and gear, designed for launch, re-entry, and emergencies. They can last up to six days with built-in, hydration and waste systems. Future moonwalkers get white suits from Axiom Space, unlike Apollo's all-in-one outfits, as they head to the pad before 2 p.m., eyes are on this test run paving the way for lunar south pole landing in 2028, then Mars. The countdown's on, and space history's about to drop another bar.