NORTH COUNTY — For the first time in decades, NASA is poised to execute a mission beyond Low Earth Orbit as Artemis II is scheduled to send astronauts around the moon.
The aerospace world is on pins and needles as the first manned mission around the lunar surface in more than 50 years is scheduled to launch today at 3:24 p.m. from Cape Canaveral, Florida, although it could be scrubbed if weather conditions change. If clear to go, the launch will be broadcast on NASA’s YouTube channel, and for one Encinitas resident, to see his work reach the stars.
Four astronauts, including one from Southern California, will test the Orion spacecraft on the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket to verify the capabilities for humans to explore deep space, according to NASA. SLS is also the most advanced rocket to fly since Saturn V.
The mission is scheduled for 10 days as the crew hurtles toward the moon, although they will not land on the moon, and is part of a larger NASA program to land on the moon on Artemis IV in 2028 and then move to Mars.
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According to NASA, the outbound segment of the trip will take four days and take the astronauts around the far side of the moon. They will travel more than 230,000 miles.
The return trip consists…..
