Astronaut Snaps Space Shot of Moon Rocket

Up in the sky, a lone astronaut spotted something cool from the International Space Station. It was NASA's new moon rocket, the Space Launch System, all ready on its launch pad. This rocket is special because it's the first one built for sending humans to the moon in over 50 years. The astronaut, Chris Williams, shared a photo of the rocket from space. He pointed out the rocket's shadow on the launch pad, saying it would soon carry four astronauts on a trip around the moon. The Artemis 2 mission is a big deal. It will have four astronauts on board. Reid Wiseman will be the commander, Victor Glover the pilot, and Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen as mission specialists. Glover will make history as the first person of color to leave Earth's orbit, Koch as the first woman, and Hansen as the first non-American. This mission is a big step since the last moon landing in 1972.Williams took the photo while flying solo on the ISS. He admitted it wasn't his best shot but said it was special to him. The rocket had just arrived at the launch pad, moving slowly on a giant transporter. It took nearly 12 hours to get there. The Artemis 2 crew will spend 10 days testing the Orion spacecraft. They will first check things out in Earth's orbit and then head to the moon. Artemis 2 is not the first flight for the Orion spacecraft. An uncrewed Orion flew around Earth in 2014, and another went around the moon in 2022 with the Artemis 1 mission. The upcoming mission will conduct many science and health experiments to prepare for longer moon missions. Artemis 3 is planned to land astronauts on the moon in 2027 or 2028, using SpaceX's Starship lander. The launch date for Artemis 2 is not set in stone. It depends on tests at the pad, including a "wet dress rehearsal, " which is like a practice run for the launch. This rehearsal is scheduled for no later than February 2nd. The mission is part of NASA's goal to build a permanent presence on the moon.