
Before the big decision Go/No Go to the Moon, liftoff deserves some analysis.
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Tim Peake
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Narrator
It's 2009 and we're in the German mountains. A man straps himself into a car on the world's most dangerous racetrack. He whispers to himself, it's time to
Tim Peake
put my balls on the dashboard as
Narrator
he starts the engine.
Tim Peake
In 15 minutes, he's in an ambulance, unconscious. In 15 years, he's a billionaire.
Narrator
This is Toto Wolff, Formula One's most powerful team boss and the breakout star of Drive to Survive.
Tim Peake
This week on Good Bad Billionaire. How Toto Wolff made his billions. Listen wherever you get your BBC podcasts.
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Tim Peake
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Step it to the zero proof season at rk0proof.com.
Maggie Adairin
Welcome to 13 Minutes presents Artemis 2. From the BBC World Service, I'm space scientist Maggie Adairin.
Tim Peake
I'm astronaut Tim Peake. And we're following the progress of of the first crewed mission around the moon in more than 50 years. With a new episode every day.
Commercial Voice
Seven RS25 engines linked.
Maggie Adairin
And this was the moment we had all been waiting for. Probably the most played news clip in the world today.
Commercial Voice
And lift off the crew of Artemis 2 now bound for the moon, Humanity's
Maggie Adairin
next great voyage begins.
Tim Peake
And as ever, we are joined by space journalist Kristin Fisher. Now, Kristen, you were there at the launch. So how was the launch party? And are you exhausted as the rest of us?
Kristin Fisher
Well, I think I've lost my voice a little bit. It's a bit hoarse because there was so much cheering, so much excitement. I think I'm honestly just still a bit in shock that humans are now finally on their way back to the moon after all this time. I don't think it's really sunk in yet.
Maggie Adairin
I think I'm gobsmacked too. I was watching the launch with my daughter and I kept thinking, oh, yeah, is it likely to go ahead? And at that 10 minute hold, I was thinking, oh dear, we've got so close. And then launch. We were jumping around the room and I put on my moon dress and I just. General excitement all around. But yeah, it does seem unbelievable.
Tim Peake
I was so nervous. I was surprised myself. I've watched so many rocket launches and I think it's far easier to sit on top of a rocket than to watch a rocket launch when you know the people involved. But what a fantastic launch. It was absolutely spectacular.
Kristin Fisher
It was such a clean countdown and so few issues compared to what the rocket had endured during the Artemis one, that first uncrewed attempt. I just, I couldn't believe how smoothly everything went yesterday. I think that's what really, really shocked me as well.
Tim Peake
I think what was really interesting you could hear in the voices in mission Control. They were troubleshooting problems with a view to going. There was no holding back. You just got that sense that everything that came up, that could have thrown a glitch, they were there, they were on it, they wanted to go. And I thought it was a really good balance. It wasn't too much go fever, it was a really good balance between, sure, we got a few problems, we're going to sort them out, but we're determined to go this evening. And that was fantastic to see.
Kristin Fisher
I was so impressed by the entire NASA team yesterday. And you really got the sense that, wow, maybe this cadence that Jared Isaacman, the NASA administrator was talking about yesterday, really increasing the cadence of these moon missions, maybe it really is possible this time.
Tim Peake
I think it's a really good plan. I think nobody wants to wait two years and then try and do this again with landing on the moon. I think putting Artemis 3 as a low earth orbit test flight, Artemis 4 as boots back on the moon again, is a very sensible plan. Absolutely.
Maggie Adairin
The idea that we could get there by 2028 is mind boggling, but so exciting.
Kristin Fisher
Listen to us. Artemis 2 has been off the ground for what, less than 24 hours and we've already moved on to humanity's grand experience, expansion to the universe and building a lunar base. That's how inspired we are.
Maggie Adairin
Well, we've all had a long 24 hours since our last episode. BBC science editor Rebecca Morell was at Kennedy Space center and sent us this postcard from the pad.
Rebecca Morell
Hello, Tim, Maggie and Kristin. I'm really sorry I can't join you today because by the time you're recording this, I'm actually hopefully going to be asleep for a few hours because we're going to be broadcasting the full day for BBC News, but I just wanted to tell you a bit about what the rocket launch was like here at the Kennedy Space Center. It was absolutely spectacular. It wasn't just the bright light of the rocket and the roar of its engines. You could actually feel the force of it moving through your body. Now I have a bit of a confession to Make. I have covered so many launches during my career at BBC News, but I've never actually seen one close up. Tim, when you made your journey to space, I was actually locked in the BBC News Channel studio talking about it, but not actually able to see it. And it really is something special to be here in person to watch it. It has been such a day of drama. I mean the launch countdown actually went very, very well. I mean almost seamlessly right up until the last minute when they found problems with the flight termination system. This is a mechanism that deliberately destroys a rocket. Were it to veer off course that was fixed few. And then they found an issue with one of the batteries on the launch abort system. The launch abort system sits right at the top of the rocket and it is essential because if there were any problem with the rockets on the pad or actually during its first three minutes of launch, it would pull the astronauts away to safely. But that was deemed to be okay too. So, you know, finally we got to the countdown. The crowd here on the Lawn shouted the 10, 9, 8, you know, all the way down to zero. And then it was almost that pause before the rockets started to lift up. I mean, it really was an incredibly special moment. And you know, I think we were all wondering, the BBC News team whether it would actually launch on the 1st of April. I mean, there have been so many delays to this. The Artemis 1 mission, you know, that didn't happen first time around, but everything just went so well today and the astronauts are finally on their way to the moon. And it was a real privilege to see, you know, the most powerful rocket that NASA's ever built blast off. But for the astronauts, well, it's going to be quite busy for them. Their first day in space is going to be checking that everything is working with the spacecraft. They're going to be taking it on its first test drive, which is, you know, particularly exciting for the crew on board. And at the end of that first 24, 25 hour period, they're going to need to make a big decision whether they press go on the trans lunar injection. This is a big burn of the engine which will actually take the spacecraft on its way to the moon. So it's going to be really busy for them, but also very busy for the BBC news team here as well because we're going to be broadcasting throughout the day. So again, I'm really sorry I can't join you today, but I hope the podcast goes well.
Kristin Fisher
Becky, you are forgiven. There is nothing like getting to see your first launch in person. And, you know, for her to be able to experience her first launch, be Artemis 2, I mean, I'm just. I'm thrilled for her. And it reminds me of the first time that, you know, I was really old enough to appreciate a rocket launch. You know, I grew up seeing rocket launches. I don't remember my first rocket launch, but I remember the first time that I was watching it with my mom as an adult in 2011, the last space shuttle launch. And my mom and so many other space shuttle astronauts were there, and they were so emotional because it was the end of an era, the end of the Space Shuttle program. And there was this real feeling of sadness because nobody knew what vehicle was gonna replace it. And then the United States had this massive gap in an ability to launch its own astronauts from its own soil up to the International Space Station. So to feel that sadness on that day and then feel the joy of, we, finally, we being Earthlings, are now in the business of going back to the moon. Man, that contrast, I am just. I'm feeling it today.
Tim Peake
And, Kristin, how was that launch for you? Whereabouts were you actually standing?
Kristin Fisher
So I was broadcasting live from the spacebar, which is about 10 miles away from the launch pad yesterday. And so I didn't quite have as visceral a feeling as Becky did. That's where I was for Artemis I. And it's not quite as intense of an experience when you're 10 miles back. But to give you a sense of how powerful this rocket is, the glass on the railings of the space bar, they all rattled when Artemis II lifted off yesterday. So, I mean, that's the power. You can still feel the vibrations from
Tim Peake
10, 12 miles away with 22 million horsepower. I'm surprised they didn't shatter the glass. That must have been incredible.
Kristin Fisher
It did set off a car alarm.
Commercial Voice
Brilliant.
Maggie Adairin
I remember going and seeing a launch, something much, much smaller, of course, because it was a satellite, but you feel it in your chest and it reverberates, and it's sort of just a fundamentally out of the world experience. You can feel the power of.
Tim Peake
Definitely is a visceral experience. Now, Becky mentioned there are a couple of glitches in the countdown sequence, and the first one was this flight termination system. And just to explain to our listeners that that's a system that's actually used to destroy the rocket in the event that it might come off course and cause danger to the public. And so the Eastern Range team lost communication with the rocket for this flight termination system. And that's a go no Go criteria. If you can't actually destroy the rocket in those circumstances, then that's no go. So it was critical that they re establish this communication link. What was interesting is that it actually went back to some old shuttle technology heritage equipment that was able to re establish the communication link and to verify that everything was working. And it only took them about 15 minutes to resolve that problem and give them the confidence that they were go to launch. And then they also then had a problem with the launch abort system. And Maggie, what was that?
Maggie Adairin
Yes, and so one of the batteries seemed to be causing an issue. It seemed to be well out of the acceptable range of temperature. But the problem with this, of course, is is it the battery is actually out of range or is it the instrument reporting on the battery playing up? And so what I loved about this was that they were solving sort of these problems live across sort of in front of the whole world in real time. They were very cal and systematic about it, but they were able to solve the problem. They worked out it probably wasn't the battery, it was the instrumentation actually sort of monitoring the battery. And so they had the go ahead to go. But Tim, I guess it's not abnormal to run into issues like this at this stage of the launch sequence.
Commercial Voice
No.
Tim Peake
As we've been discussing, this is just the second launch of this rocket. And actually that was remarkably smooth. As we were going through the afternoon into the evening with the tanking operations and getting closer and closer. We got to T minus 10 minutes and I thought, this is incredible. You know, we are actually going to go here. And I'm sure the crew was thinking that as well. Kristen, you'll know from, you know, so many shuttle launches with your parents and living through that era, how many times did that space shuttle scrub, how many times did the crew walk out and then walk back and then walk out again? And perhaps, you know, the crew, this is the first time they've actually got to sit on top of the rocket. Perhaps they thought this is the first of three or four attempts, but no, it was a go. So it's not abnormal to have minor glitches. And I thought the team yesterday, they dealt with those minor glitches in an incredibly professional manner. And to see the rocket launch was phenomenal. And I just have to say there was one moment, there were many moments during the launch where I was holding my breath the whole time. And, you know, the SRB separated and that's a big relief that those solid rocket boosters. Get them clear of the rocket, please. As Quickly as possible. And then the launch abort system was jettisoned after about 3 minutes and 18 seconds. And one of the best comments was Reid Wiseman at that point, just saying it's a great view. And of course that's the first time that they would have had these fairings come away from the Orion spacecraft and be able to see out. And then moments later he said, hey, we got a good moonrise coming up. And to be, to be actually riding a rocket and looking at the moon, your destination at the same time must have been incredible.
Commercial Voice
Houston integrity, good last jettison. Great view. Copy jettison. Team Eco 8/02 integrity GPS processing outstanding. Stan, we see the same and we have a beautiful moon rise. We're headed right at it.
Kristin Fisher
I think the only thing abnormal about yesterday was how normal everything went for the first crude test flight of a new vehicle. I hear you, Tim. And just watching the, you know, right after liftoff, not too long after that here in Florida, this huge full moon rose right over where that rocket had just lifted off from. It was just incredible to see. And so there were a few glitches though once the astronauts actually got into orbit. One of them was with the toilet. And I know this may sound a little, slightly less serious than issues with the flight termination system and whatnot, but it's actually a very serious problem potentially. If there had been an issue with the toilet and they couldn't fix it, they wouldn't be able to go to the moon. Luckily, it was fixed by the incredible engineer and mission specialist Christina Cook. You know, as I was listening to that all play out, the fixing of the toilet, I was reminded of how much simpler Apollo bags would have been. That's what they used during the Apollo mission. You just had, you know, bags that you had to do your business in, not a toilet. And this is the same kind of toilet like they have on the International Space Station. Little fun known fact, my mother, Dr. Annalee Fisher, she used to work on the Orion spacecraft back when it was called the Orion Multipurpose Crew Module. And her big contribution to it was to encourage everybody at Lockheed to not use Apollo bags and actually put a toilet in. So that could have gone bad yesterday if they didn't fix it. Mercifully, that they did. And that is not going to be an issue on this mission, hopefully.
Maggie Adairin
I love how they're fettling out these problems. To me, the Orion capsule integrity seems like a camper van and it's going to go on an epic journey. But before you set off, you're in Earth orbit, you're testing out all the systems, just making sure everything works. So I'm glad the loo's back online. But they also had another issue with one of the water valves. The water valves were meant to be linked together, and one of the valves closed. It has since been reset. But it's likely that the force of the launch probably caused this to shut and cut itself off.
Tim Peake
What's really interesting here is the kind of small anomalies that have been reported. They're all to do with the human element, because, of course, this is different from Artemis I. And so we didn't need a loo to work on Artemis I. We didn't need a potable water dispenser. They always had a minor electronics issue, which was probably caused by a radiation hit that did happen to Artemis I. And also listening into communications, Christina reported that it was feeling a little bit chilly in Integrity, A bit too much ventilation, maybe. So these are now sort of fairly relatively minor issues that they're working through. But it's a reminder that Artemis 2 is a test flight, and we have humans on board. And a lot of these problems are the ones that the humans are identifying.
Maggie Adairin
One of the most important tests done last night, soon after launch, when the upper stage separated, was turning the Integrity spacecraft around to test maneuverability of the service module.
Commercial Voice
All right, Amy, welcome on board. The Integrity spacecraft we got right now, myself and Christina are in seats one and two getting ready for rendezvous and Proxop's demonstration.
Kristin Fisher
And that maneuver is so important because it is what's setting up the spacecraft for docking. And you can't land on the moon unless you're able to dock, you know, in future missions like Artemis 4, 5 and beyond. And so what would happen in a future mission is the Orion spacecraft would dock with an hls, a human landing system likely created by either Blue Origin or SpaceX, and then the astronauts would transfer from one spacecraft to the next and then descend down to the moon. So that's why docking is so critical. And, Tim, that's really what they were beginning the very early stages of testing out with that maneuver last night.
Tim Peake
Absolutely. This is a maneuver that Victor Glover would have been loving, because this is when Victor really gets his hands on the controls. And just to describe a little bit about how you fly a spacecraft, because it's different to any other vehicle that you do. And in your left hand you've got what's called a translational controller. And if you push it in or pull it out, that's your X axis, that's forwards or backwards. If you go left or right, that will translate you left or right and then up and down also is in. These are translations, maneuvering. But in your right hand you've then got another controller that is pitch, roll and yaw. So six axes that you're controlling this spacecraft in. And it's actually really quite complicated. And I have to say here, this is why helicopter pilots make the best astronauts. Because us helicopter pilots, you see, we're, we're very used to flying things in six axis fast jets. It's just a stick and a throttle, you know, So I have to have to sort of blow the trumpet there for helicopter pilots. But Victor would have been loving this, maneuvering the spacecraft around. And as you said, Kristen, it's really important. You have to be able to dock to a human lander system that's then going to take those astronauts down to the surface of the moon. So it was a really big benchmark to get out of the way.
Narrator
It's 2009 and we're in the German mountains. A man straps himself into a car on the world's most dangerous racetrack. He whispers to himself, it's time to
Tim Peake
put my balls on the dashboard as
Narrator
he starts the engine.
Tim Peake
In 15 minutes, he's in an ambulance, unconscious. In 15 years, he's a billionaire.
Narrator
This is Toto Wolff, Formula One's most powerful team boss and the breakout star of Dry to Survive.
Tim Peake
This week on Good Bad Billionaire, How Toto Wolff made his billions. Listen wherever you get your BBC podcasts.
Maggie Adairin
As we record, astronauts are now busy in the lead up to the big decision as to whether it's go or no go for the tli, that's the trans lunar injection. This is effectively the moment when they decide to go or not to go to the moon.
Kristin Fisher
Yeah. And that really is the moment of no return. But before they can do that, they were woken up, the crew, after a few hours of sleep with music, which is really an old Apollo tradition. And this was just a brief period of waking up so that they could perform a burn. And that burn is really designed just to make sure that they're in the right orbit before deciding to make that call of are we go or no go for this critical translunar injection burn.
Tim Peake
That's right. And so this whole day that they're spending in orbit, this first day is taking them really far away. Right now they've just passed that point of 70,000 kilometers, which is the furthest that humans have ever been since 1972. So they're already seeing Earth. If you imagine holding a basketball at the end of your arm, that's how big Earth will look. And having been on the space station where Earth is really big in your window, that's going to feel really, really far away. So they're at the furthest point, but they're not going to the Moon right now. They are going to fall back towards Earth. Earth's gravity is going to pull them back. And so they're only doing 2,000 miles an hour at the moment, which isn't that fast, considering they were doing 18,000 miles now when they launched into space. But as they fall back towards Earth, they're going to regain all that lost velocity. And that perigee burn is going to put them in exactly the right place at exactly the right speed for this big translunar injection that we're all waiting for.
Maggie Adairin
I guess it's critical to get that speed by falling back towards the Earth, so we're getting a gravitational assist there. And then the translunar injection will give them even more thrust and increase the speed even more so they can head out towards the moon.
Tim Peake
And before they do that translunar injection, that. That's the go no go of are we actually going to the Moon again? Now, they do have an option. If things haven't gone according to plan in the next sort of 10 hours, 12 hours or so, they could go round again. Let's go another 24 hours in this highly elliptical orbit and set ourselves up again. Or they could decide to abort the mission, come back to Earth. But we're obviously hoping that there's going to be a go for tli, that
Kristin Fisher
press conference, that go no go press conference. I mean, they're going to be going through absolutely everything. Is the spacecraft performing as it should be? Are all the thrusters firing as we designed them to? Is the bathroom working the loo? Excuse me. Are all of those things. Everything has to be working for them to say, okay, this is the moment. Because once that TLI burn happens, it's so hard to turn back. They will be essentially in the hands of a gravitational slingshot, using the moon itself to whip around it.
Tim Peake
Absolutely. And the tests that they've been doing are all to give them that information, the vital information for the go no go. So can we maneuver the spacecraft? Is the air conditioning systems working? They've just tested out the deep space network. Because they've gone so far away from Earth, they've gone beyond gps. They've gone beyond, beyond what we call the tactical data relay. Satellites. These are the communication satellites that the space station uses. So they're using something different called a deep space network, which is radar installations around the whole of the earth to communicate with this spacecraft. So that went well as well. So it's a really busy time for the crew to find out all the information they need to give them the decision making capability of Go no Go for tli.
Maggie Adairin
Before we go, I just wanted to share a little bit of a conversation that anyone who has ever tried to join a meeting remotely might just. After a successful perigee burn, Houston and Integrity performed a communication check. They also asked for the temperature in the capsule to be raised a bit before their next sleep.
Commercial Voice
Alright, Reed, thanks for the report. And my last one is actually more of a comment than a question. I know we were having a little trouble with the handheld mics and y' all's volume coming down to us. Just wanted to be clear how the mic is set up. It sort of has a front and a back. They look the same. But the microphone side just under the top of the mic will have a little black raised nub that you can feel and maybe particularly see that is the microphone side of the mic. You flip it over 180, it looks the same. But that is the noise canceling side of the mic. So just ensure that you're talking into that side for that. That is a great note. We've adjusted by how we hold the mic. I do confirm we are speaking into the mic side. And how has the volume been on this operation? Great. Ever since y' all have been awake for this PRB ops, it's been loud and clear. We have no concerns. That's great. We'll keep with how we're holding it. Speaking of the temperatures, we are going to retrieve our crew suitcases so we can get long sleeves on. We have been using the ones that we have out so far. We're into one of the E lockers. Can you let us know where all of the crew suitcases are? All they say on ours are D and E and we're wondering if we should open both sides or not. All right, we're checking.
Maggie Adairin
I love the simplicity of that. And with the mic, we've all done it.
Kristin Fisher
I mean, is this thing on? Is this thing on?
Tim Peake
Where are my pajamas? And am I speaking into the right end of the mic?
Maggie Adairin
Just seems so mundane.
Kristin Fisher
Yeah, that was great. I had not heard that until just now. And you're so right, Tim, because Artemis 1 was so successful. The uncrewed first test flight. This one, the first crewed test flight. So much of it is about just making sure the temperature's right, the water's running. The microphone, they're holding the microphone on the right end. Just literally all the. The smaller human things that. Well, they seem small, but they really do matter.
Tim Peake
Absolutely, they are. And I have to actually say there was one problem that did worry me yesterday, soon after launch insertion. And everybody was kind of relieved about the launch. And then I noticed that there was a loss of communication between Integrity and Houston. But I did see that white Sands in New Mexico, they were still receiving the telemetry, which was giving them some confidence. But for a few moments there, there, Integrity was hearing Houston, but Houston was not hearing anything back. So Houston was just transmitting in the blind. And that was a moment where I thought, you know, oops, we could be seeing a return of the crew after just one orbit. But other than that one, you're right. All the other glitches seem to be minor. So let's keep it that way.
Maggie Adairin
That's all we've got time for today. Kristin, you'll be heading off to Houston now, following the mission. Or are you sticking around at the Kennedy Space Centre?
Kristin Fisher
I still don't know what I'm doing. I am still taking this very much day by day. I have a few more things I have to film here. My kids flew down. I've got to get that them back home. So I think, like a lot of us, I wasn't sure that, you know, it was going to go on a first attempt. And now that it has, I need to begin the process of getting my life back into order.
Maggie Adairin
But I love the idea. You'll see where it takes you.
Kristin Fisher
We'll see where. We'll see where I end up. We'll see where I. See you guys tomorrow.
Maggie Adairin
No, I love that.
Tim Peake
So tomorrow, not only will we find out the mystery location that Kristen will be transmitting from, but we'll also be speaking to an engineer who built the European Service module, which will be really exciting. So do join us for that as if.
Maggie Adairin
Thank you, Christian. And yeah, see you tomorrow from who knows where.
Kristin Fisher
Oh, thank you both. And it has been such a joy to get to kind of recap what we just all witnessed yesterday.
Tim Peake
With both of you, a reminder, we're doing an episode every day for this mission, so do follow or subscribe to 13minutes. So you never miss an episode. But that's it for today. So goodbye from me, Tim Peake, and me, Maggie Adairin.
Maggie Adairin
The producers are Alex Mansfield and Sophie Ormiston and The series editor is Martin
Tim Peake
Smith, and our thanks to Hans Zimmer and Christian Lundberg at bleeding thinking US music for our epic theme music 13
Maggie Adairin
minutes presents Artemis 2 is a BBC audio science production for the BBC World Service.
Narrator
It's 2009 and we're in the German mountains. A man straps himself into a car on the world's most dangerous racetrack. He whispers to himself, it's time to
Tim Peake
put my balls on the dashboard as
Narrator
he starts the engine.
Tim Peake
In 15 minutes, he's in an ambulance, unconscious. In 15 years, he's a billionaire.
Narrator
This is Toto Wolff, Formula One's most powerful team boss and the breakout star of Drive to Survive.
Tim Peake
This week on Good Bad Billionaire, How Toto Wolff made his billions. Listen wherever you get your BBC podcasts.
Air Date: April 2, 2026
Podcast: BBC World Service
Hosts: Maggie Aderin, Tim Peake
Guests: Kristin Fisher (US Space Journalist), Rebecca Morelle (BBC Science Editor)
This episode captures the exhilaration, relief, and behind-the-scenes stories in the immediate aftermath of Artemis II’s successful launch—the first crewed mission aiming to loop around the Moon in over fifty years. The hosts and guests recount their personal reactions, the tension and drama of launch day, share memorable moments, and break down the critical first twenty-four hours in orbit for Orion’s crew. Listeners hear first-person accounts from the launch site, technical explanations of pre-launch glitches, a run-through of the crew’s first tasks in space, and a look ahead to the crucial trans-lunar injection (TLI) burn that will send the crew on their journey around the Moon.
Launch Party Atmosphere
Legacy and Continuity
“To feel that sadness on that day and then feel the joy of, we—finally, we being Earthlings—are now in the business of going back to the moon. Man, that contrast, I am just... I'm feeling it today.” (07:37)
Firsthand Report from Kennedy Space Center
“You could actually feel the force of it moving through your body ... it really is something special to be here in person to watch it.” (04:37)
Problems Resolved in Real Time
Professionalism Under Pressure
A New Kind of Test Flight
Minor but Important In-Flight Anomalies
“Is this thing on? Is this thing on?” — Kristin Fisher (24:35)
“Where are my pajamas? And am I speaking into the right end of the mic?” — Tim Peake (24:40)
Docking Demonstration
The TLI “Go/No Go”
All Eyes on the Data
Crew to Mission Control:
Personal Touches:
Technical Poise:
Reflections:
The episode is spirited, warm, and insightful—capturing both awe and nerdy satisfaction. The speakers’ excitement is infectious, ranging from personal analogies and family moments to deep technical appreciation for NASA’s work and the crew’s adaptability. There’s an inclusive, almost giddy feeling that the whole world is celebrating together.
In the next episode, the team hints at an interview with an engineer from the European Service Module. The Artemis II mission continues to promise both technical drama and very human moments as the crew readies for the next critical step: the translunar injection burn.
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