Back to the Moon and Beyond

After over 50 years, humans are returning to the Moon—and NASA is taking that next big leap. Following in the footsteps of the uncrewed Artemis I mission in 2022, Artemis II will not only demonstrate the capabilities of the rocket and spacecraft but also develop our understanding of human sustainability within deep space environments.

Once the spacecraft embarks on its figure-eight trajectory over those next 10 days, the four astronauts will conduct research in collaboration with scientists back on Earth, setting humanity upfor success in future lunar and martian missions.

Derrol Nail, NASA launch commentator, is tasked with understanding the complexities of this mission to best share with the public. To do so, he says that he sits in with the launch team through all simulations and exercises to prepare for the fast-paced day.

“When you hear these engineers work through problems and issues and in creative ways, (you think) ‘Wow, how did they come up with that?’ It’s been really neat to just observe, and my job is to take in this information to understand it as best I can.”

With the rocket on the pad and the launch window opening as early as Feb. 6, NASA is working diligently towards this next stride in space exploration.

“I feel like most all of us can agree that we’re doing something special and we can all have pride and share in the excitement and the adventure that these astronauts are going on on behalf of this country and on behalf of humanity,” Derrol says. “That’s special when you can have something that’s as unifying as I think the Artemis II mission will be.”