THE MIND OF THE PEOPLE – The Artemis II mission caused public panic when the Orion spacecraft performed a flyby maneuver around the Moon. During this mission, the astronauts had to face a critical situation in the form of a communications blackout, a loss of contact with Earth for approximately 40 minutes.
This event occurs when Orion is on the back side of the Moon from Earth’s perspective. At this position, radio signals were unable to penetrate the mass of the Moon, so communication between the crew and the control center in Houston was completely lost.
During this period, the four astronauts were in a condition that could be said to be completely isolated. There is no real-time voice, data or video communication with Mission Control. Although it sounds stressful, this phase is actually predictable and a natural part of long-distance space travel.
The Artemis II crew consists of Reid Wiseman as commander, Victor Glover as pilot, and two mission specialists, namely Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen from the Canadian Space Agency. They also made history as humans who explored the furthest from Earth on a manned mission.
Interestingly, even though they were in a situation without communication, the astronauts still carried out their duties with high discipline. Various scientific activities are still being carried out, starting from observations, taking high-resolution images, to ensuring that the entire Orion system continues to function optimally.
One of the rarest experiences they had was seeing directly the far side of the Moon (lunar far side), an area that has never been seen from Earth and still holds many mysteries. This view was one of the important highlights of their trip.
Once Orion comes out of the Moon’s shadow, communication with Earth will certainly return to normal. The team at Mission Control is also waiting for news from the crew to ensure that all stages of the mission run safely and according to plan.
Back to the Moon
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