Na big news for space world as NASA don start countdown for wetin go be first human mission to moon since 1972. Dem dey call am Artemis II, and if all things go well, four astronauts go blast off from Florida for Wednesday evening. The last time human beings travel go moon na during Apollo 17 mission for December 1972. Since dat time, na only robots and satellites dey go there. But now, human beings wan return.
The rocket wey dem go use na Space Launch System, wey be 32-story tall giant. E dey stand for Kennedy Space Center for Cape Canaveral, Florida. The astronauts dem don already enter isolation, wey be normal practice before space mission. Dem dey wait for the final go-ahead.
Commander Reid Wiseman na the person wey dey lead the mission. E be retired Navy captain and former NASA chief astronaut. For inside the crew, we get mission specialist Christina Koch from North Carolina. Na she hold record for longest single spaceflight by woman—328 days! She even participate for first all-female spacewalk before. Pilot Victor Glover from California join dem. E don spend over six months for International Space Station already. Then Jeremy Hansen from Canadian Space Agency complete the four. Hansen become astronaut for 2009 and dem choose am for this mission for 2023.
This mission no be like wetin dem do before. For Apollo days, na only men dey go moon. But this Artemis II crew different. E include woman, person of color, and non-U.S. citizen. Victor Glover go become first Black man to travel to deep space if mission successful. Jeremy Hansen go be first Canadian to do am. Christina Koch go be first woman to journey to moon.
Victor Glover talk say e want young people to see dem and think say “Girl power na awesome thing.” E say e want young brown boys and girls to look at am and say “Hey, he look like me and he dey do wetin?” But at the same time, Glover talk say e look forward to day when we no go dey talk about “firsts” again. When exploring space go become just “human history” for everybody.
The journey go last nearly 10 days. After one day for orbit around Earth, their Orion capsule go propel dem to moon and back. No landing for moon this time—just quick U-turn around the far side of moon. Dem go travel about 685,000 miles total, deeper into space than any crew before. The flight go end with splashdown for Pacific Ocean.
Launch director Charlie Blackwell-Thompson talk say their team work extremely hard to reach this moment. E say all indications show say dem dey in excellent shape. Managers talk say the rocket dey do well after latest round of repairs. Forecasters talk say weather suppose cooperate.
But the road no smooth entirely. Artemis II mission suppose fly for February, but hydrogen fuel leaks ground am. Dem fix the leaks, but then helium pressurization line clog, force dem return rocket to hangar late last month. The rocket return to pad about one and half weeks ago. The crew arrive launch site for Friday.
NASA get first six days of April to launch Artemis II before dem stand down until end of month. The two-hour launch window open at 6:24 p.m. Wednesday. Weather or technical issues fit still delay am, but as things dey now, everything dey on track.
This mission na major step for NASA plan to return humans to lunar exploration. E dey part of long-term goal to establish permanent presence for moon and one day send humans to Mars. NASA talk say the crew ready, the rocket ready, the spaceship ready. Now na just to wait for final countdown.
For Kennedy Space Center, tension dey mix with excitement. The astronauts dem dey inside isolation, but dem don already visit their rocket and spacecraft for Monday. Dem take group photograph with the giant SLS rocket behind dem. Bill Ingalls, NASA photographer, capture the moment.
The world dey watch. After more than half century, human beings wan return to our closest cosmic neighbor. Whether e go happen for Wednesday or small later, one thing clear: space exploration enter new chapter. And this time, e carry different faces—faces wey represent more of humanity.
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