As NASA is rolling out the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft to Launch Pad 39B at Kennedy Space Center on Saturday, as part of the Artemis II mission preparations — the Astronauts met the press.
The SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft are being transported from the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) to Launch Pad 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. This 4-mile journey started at 7:04 a.m. EST and is expected to take around 8-10 hours.
According to NASA, this mission moon is not only targeting the moon but it’s a preparatory step before its mission to Mars, indeed. “Through Artemis, NASA will send astronauts to explore the Moon for scientific discovery, economic benefits, and to build the foundation for the first crewed missions to Mars,” the statement said.
This mission is expected to help to understand various scientific aspects which will help for future space missions.
NASA’s Artemis II Crew Rollout Media Event
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman and the crew of Artemis II — NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch; Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen — appeared at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center to answer questions from the media about the upcoming mission and preparations.
A striking moment during the press conference was when a Canadian reporter asked the Canadian astronaut regarding what lies in the future for Canada.
Hansen was asked by the reporter, “You often talked about how Canada has been taking all of the steps in space for decades alongside – our international partners – including NASA here. And you have also said, let’s imagine what’s next for Canada. So, in your mind, what’s next for Canada, once we finish this step?”
In response, Hansen said, “It (NASA) represents an extraordinary American workforce right here — watching that thing roll out. We have been around and we have met them and we appreciate them.”
“No matter what their future, that’s a workforce that is trained to do extraordinary things. And they will be redirected as we adapt and continue to do extraordinary things. And that is the same story in Canada,” Hansen said.
“I have really applauded the American space leadership because they carved out space for Canada to hone some of our skills to develop workforce in specific areas and to bring that knowledge and the future for Canada kind of looks like where the international collaboration wants to go.”
“We aren’t leading that collaboration. NASA is leading that collaboration inviting our participation,” he added.
“We have skill sets and I know Canada will rise to the challenge……….When we were asked to join Artemis, we started to lean into developing new robotic systems for deep space. Even though we are working on lunar surface stuff now, we will just bring that workforce to bear to meet joint collective objectives. And maybe I will just end with – I am actually pretty pumped to see that because — just a few weeks you are going to see four humans fly around the moon.”
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