Just days after safely returning from their historic trip around the Moon, the Artemis 2 astronauts are already back in training.
Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen posted a photo on social media platform X (formerly Twitter) showing the crew in full spacesuits, working hard in realistic practice sessions.
The objective is to learn to move and use tools efficiently for future Moon landings.
The four astronauts, including Nasa’s Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen, completed Artemis 2 on April 11, 2026.
They splashed down in the Pacific Ocean after a 10-day journey that took them farther from Earth than any humans since the Apollo era ended in 1972. This mission tested Nasa’s Orion spacecraft as it looped around the Moon and returned safely to Earth.
TIME FOR PRACTICE
Training right after the flight makes good sense.
The astronauts’ bodies are still adjusting to Earth’s gravity, their muscles and sense of balance feel off, similar to how they might feel on the Moon, where gravity is only one-sixth as strong as on our planet.
By practising in this unique state, the crew gets a better feel for working in low gravity.
They suit up and run demanding drills to figure out the best ways to walk, bend, and handle tools on the lunar surface. Hansen noted they are pushing through these sessions while the experience is still fresh.
The sessions happen in special facilities with sandy, rocky surfaces designed to mimic the Moon’s dusty ground, called regolith.
Technicians watch closely as the astronauts test every movement in their bulky suits. The goal is to save time and energy, so future crews can focus on science.
GETTING CLOSER TO MOON
Artemis 2 was a test flight with no landing, but it did achieve what it was meant to. It proved that the spacecraft and giant Space Launch System (SLS) rocket could carry people safely on a lunar trip.
The next mission, Artemis 3, plans to put astronauts on the Moon’s surface, marking a lunar landing for the first time in over 50 years. Furthermore, that crew will include the first woman and the first person of colour to walk on the Moon.
Nasa and its international partners want those surface missions to run smoothly. Which means, practising now turns quick lessons from Artemis 2 into real improvements.
The shared photo shared by Jansen captures an astronaut in a white spacesuit carefully using a tool on a rocky test area, with a technician nearby.
It shows the level of dedication needed to explore worlds apart from ours. And owing to that dedication, right after an amazing spaceflight, the work to prepare for the next giant leap continues without delay.
