How long does it take to get to the moon? As NASA launches Artemis II astronauts there

Four astronauts have got a long journey ahead of them, as they are off on a trip to get to the moon with NASA. The Artemis II astronauts took off on Wednesday evening, on a mission around the moon and back.

The NASA mission will see commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover and mission specialists Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen do a lap around the moon. They left from Florida, and now, after separating from the other rocket components, the Orion crew capsule is now in high Earth orbit. This is in preparation for a Thursday night engine firing, that will send it on its way to the moon.

All very exciting stuff, but how long does a trip to get to the moon and back actually take?

via Richard Tribou/TNS via ZUMA Press Wire/Shutterstock

So, how long does it actually take to get to the moon?

The mission in total is nine and a half days. It’s the first of its kind since the end of the Apollo program, 53 years ago. The crew can expect to get to the moon after around five to six days.

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The journey out is slower than the journey back, as on the way back to Earth the force of gravity will help them along a bit. The crew should be back on Earth on the mission’s 10th day.

Speaking ahead of the launch, Nasa chief flight director Emily Nelson said: “Our teams in mission control and our crew members have been spent the last two years dedicated to training for this particular mission, developing all of the products associated with this flight, and they are ready to go. The opportunity is immense for us to finally get the opportunity to send our crew farther than anyone’s gone before.”

via Jennifer Briggs/ZUMA Press Wire/Shutterstock

If all goes to plan, the four man crew will get an experience no other man ever has. They are set to view of the far side of the moon, and set a record for the farthest distance ever travelled from Earth. How far? Just the casual 252,000 miles.

I can’t wait to see it all!

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