Artemis Two: Moon Mission with Recycled Shuttle Parts

0:00NASA's Artemis-2 mission is gearing up for launch this week, from Cape Canaveral sending four astronauts on the first trip around the moon in over. 50 years. The big news is the space launch system rocket pulling double duty with recycled parts from the old space shuttle program, like engines and booster, segments that flew as far back as 1982. Those four RS-25 engines on the core stage are straight out of shuttle history. Three of them powered missions like Discovery's Trips to Mir. And Atlantis' final flight in 2011. The fourth is a fresh spare, but unlike the reusable shuttles, this SLS is a one and done deal, lighting up for the last time. Digging into the boosters, they've got segments from 47 to 64 shuttle flights combined, including pieces from Challengers Night, launch in 1983, and even Columbia's last mission. The Orion capsule joins the party with an engine that flew six times on Atlantis, back in the early 2000s.

1:00This crew makes history, too, featuring the first woman and first black astronaut venturing beyond Earth's orbit since Apollo wrapped up in 19. 72. They're testing Orion's chops for a 10-day flyby after the uncrewed Artemis-1 nailed it in 2022. All this heritage hardware keeps the shuttle spirit alive in the vehicle assembly building and Pat 39B, paving the way for lunar landers. From SpaceX and Blue Origin, with moonboots possibly hitting the surface by 2028, Dallas news today, powered by AI bringing you what matters.