Artemis II astronauts prepare for flyby to behold the moon's far side
發佈日期: 2026-04-06 20:32
TVB News
The three American and one Canadian astronauts on NASA's Artemis II are ready for the lunar flyby that is expected to surpass the record for the farthest distance from Earth set by the Apollo 13 mission.
NASA's deputy associate administrator Lori Glaze said: "Our mission continues to go incredibly well. Our crew is healthy. As we prepare and gear up to fly by the moon tomorrow, we're all extremely excited for tomorrow."
One of the pilots, Victor Glover, said: "In all of this emptiness, this is a whole bunch of nothing. This thing we call the universe. You have this oasis, this beautiful place that we get to exist together. I think as we go into Easter Sunday thinking about all the cultures all around the world, whether you celebrate it or not, whether you believe in God or not. This is an opportunity for us to remember where we are, who we are and that we are the same thing and that, we got to get through this together."
After reporting loo malfunctions that probably resulted from a frozen vent line, the astronauts have been instructed by Mission Control to break out more backup urine collection bags.
Launched last Wednesday on humanity's first trip to the moon since 1972, the Orion spacecraft, now in the lunar sphere of influence, will hang a U-turn behind the moon on Monday without stopping and then hightail back home.
The nearly 10-day mission will conclude with a planned splashdown in the Pacific Ocean off San Diego, California on Friday.
