For space fans, today marks an exciting milestone: NASA is set to launch Artemis II at 6:24 p.m. ET, sending four astronauts on a journey around the Moon. Artemis II is the first crewed mission of NASA’s Artemis program and a crucial step toward eventually returning humans to the lunar surface for the first time in decades.
Ahead of the launch, we're seeing lots of content from NASA and beyond, sharing information about what we can look forward to seeing. One interesting video by YouTuber Erin Winick Anthony walks through some of the more than 28 cameras that will be mounted on Artemis II to document the journey. NASA is streaming footage from some of those cameras on YouTube.
The Orion capsule has numerous mounted cameras, including some on the ends of the four Orion solar arrays, which will provide really awesome views of the capsule. There are also lots of handheld cameras for the astronauts, too. That includes four handheld GoPros for the crew to record daily life, though that footage will be stored locally, and we'll have to wait to see it. The crew also has Nikon cameras that will provide live video during some of the mission as well, continuing a longstanding tradition of the agency using Nikons in space.
The sheer number of cameras underscores how important it is for NASA and its partners to document the mission well. To aid in that mission, National Geographic stepped in, sending photo and video experts to Houston last year to train the Artemis II crew. Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen essentially attended a mini "astronaut film school," learning core visual storytelling techniques to better showcase the Artemis mission.
That's not all, either. The crew has also been using visualization tools to help plan photographic targets. Those targets include the Orientale basin and recreating the "Earthrise" moment from Apollo 8 that Christina Koch had as a poster on her wall as a child. The visualization tools have allowed the crew to practice with different lighting scenarios, and they've even been practicing by aiming cameras at the simulations.
The launch is scheduled for this evening, so hopefully conditions align, and everything goes smoothly for a planned – and safe – launch. If you happen to be in Florida or eastern Georgia, you may even be able to catch a glimpse. NASA shared a map of when to expect to see the launch based on your location, which you can check out here.