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 Hey, Space Placers! SCREENSHOT OF NASA IMAGE  NASA will be  broadcasting live coverage of the   lunar flyby of Artemis II   here . Here is the latest schedule by NASA on the lunar flyby of Artemis II: Monday, April 6 All times are EDT 12:41 a.m.: Orion enters lunar sphere of influence 2:20 a.m.: Crew sleep begins 10:50 a.m.: Flight Day 6 begins, Crew wake up 1 p.m.: NASA+ coverage of lunar flyby begins. 1:56 p.m.: The crew will surpass the record for human’s farthest distance from Earth previously set by Apollo 13, at 248,655 miles from Earth. 2:10 p.m.: Crew remarks about Apollo 13 distance record (audio only) 2:15 p.m.: Crew configures Orion’s cabin for flyby operations 2:45 p.m.: Lunar observation period begins 6:47 p.m.: Predicted loss of communications as crew heads behind the Moon (estimated 40-min.) 7:02 p.m. Orion closest approach to the Moon 7:05 p.m.: Orion reaches maximum distance from Earth 8:35 p.m.: Orion enters period with Moon eclipsing the...

 Hey, Space Placers! Victor Glover, Jeremy Hansen, and Reid Wiseman work together inside the Orion spacecraft on their way to the Moon. NASA Excitement is building world-wide with every mile closer to the Moon for all of us to experience the lunar flyby of Artemis II. Currently scheduled for Monday, April 6, at 12:45 pm EDT, NASA will begin live coverage of the event. Get the scoop on what the astronauts will be doing during flyby. SKY GUY IN VA

 Hey, Space Placers! FROM SPACEWEATHER.COM ASTRONAUTS ARE INSIDE THE MAGNETOTAIL:  Artemis II is on its way to the Moon. The crew capsule broke orbit on April 2nd, propelled by a 6-minute-long translunar injection burn. This means the crew has officially left the protection of Earth's inner magnetic field, prompting NASA to keep  a very close eye  on solar activity. The crew is now inside a part of Earth's magnetosphere that humans have not visited before: the magnetotail--a comet-like extension of the our planet's magnetic field that stretches millions of kilometers:  Think of it as a windsock. The solar wind compresses and elongates our planet's magnetic field, creating a downwind tail as shown in the NASA model above.  The magnetotail is extremely dynamic. It whips back and forth in response to solar storms, providing some protection while astronauts are inside and no protection outside. During extreme storms, the magnetotail itself becomes dangerous. Ma...

 Hey, Space Placers! The SLS (Space Launch System) launches with the Artemis II crew aboard the Orion spacecraft on April 1, 2026, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.  Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls THE CANDLE GOT LIT! Artemis II launched successfully yesterday at 6:35 pm EDT . You can tune in for continuous live coverage for the mission as it unfolds.

 Hey Space Placers! NASA WEB PAGE  The countdown clock for Artemis II's launch is now less than 12 hours remaining before NASA LIGHTS THAT CANDLE. Live coverage by NASA begins at 7:45 am EDT today. Tune in to history in the making...... Check out Google today... THE MOON PUT ON QUITE THE LIGHT SHOW LAST NIGHT: AND MY OWN ARTEMIS: GODSPEED ARTEMIS II...... Busy Day in VA for Sky Guy