Science finds a place on Artemis 2

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. — While the Artemis 2 mission is primarily a test flight, the four astronauts on board will conduct some science during the nearly 10-day mission.

At a March 29 briefing, NASA officials said preparations for the mission, the first crewed flight of the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft, are going well, with no major issues being worked. Forecasts call for an 80% chance of favorable weather for a liftoff in a two-hour window that opens at 6:24 p.m. Eastern April 1.

There will be a science team at the Johnson Space Center during the mission, coordinating the observations by the astronauts, along with a science officer in Mission Control itself. "For the first time ever, science has a seat in the control room," said Nicky Fox, NASA associate administrator for science, at a March 26 symposium by the Universities Space Research Association and Space Policy Institute.