Artemis II will zoom past the Moon like a car speeding by a tree on the side of the road.
Imagine you're in a toy car, racing down a hallway. The Moon is like that tree, it's not going anywhere, but your car is moving super fast. Artemis II will do something similar: it will travel really quickly around the Moon without actually stopping or landing on it. It’s kind of like giving the Moon a quick wave as you zoom by.
How does it work?
Artemis II uses thrust, which is like pushing really hard with your feet to make your toy car go faster. The spacecraft has special engines that push it forward, making it speed up enough to loop around the Moon in one smooth motion, no stops or landings needed!
The astronauts inside will see the Moon get bigger and then smaller again, just like how a balloon gets closer and farther when you move toward and away from it.
It’s not magic, it's just really fast movement with a little help from powerful engines!
Examples
- Artemis II will swing by the Moon on its way to deep space, like a car passing by a tree while heading down the road.
- Imagine throwing a ball around a post, that's how Artemis II will pass the Moon.
- Like a spaceship doing a loop-de-loop near the Moon before continuing on its journey.
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See also
- What is Artemis and how will humans return to the Moon?
- Why is NASA sending a mission to an asteroid made of metal?
- What is the Artemis program trying to achieve with new Moon missions?
- How the James Webb telescope sees ‘back in time’ | NASA JWST explained?
- How Does NASA ScienceCasts: Earth's Magnetosphere Work?