NASA Artemis 2 astronauts enter quarantine. Here's what that means
The four astronauts who are due to fly around the moon in NASA's historic Artemis 2 lunar mission are back in isolation ahead of a potential April launch.
Entering quarantine for the third time , the three Americans and one Canadian selected for the 10-day lunar voyage are due to spend the next two weeks cut off from most of the world. NASA initiated the quarantine period as the U.S. space agency prepares to soon roll the towering 322-fooot Space Launch System rocket back to the launch pad at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
Issues with the SLS rocket, which NASA designed specifically for its multibillion-dollar Artemis lunar program , prompted a series of delays to the mission amid required repairs . Now that the spacecraft appears to be back in working order, it could be a matter of days or weeks that the Artemis 2 astronauts hitch a ride to orbit atop the rocket in an Orion crew capsule.
Ahead of them will be a historic lunar flyby that would mark the United States' first human moon mission in more than 50 years.
Here's everything to know about the Artemis 2 astronauts, and what the quarantine process will be like for them.
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NASA Artemis 2 astronauts enter quarantine in Houston
The crew of Artemis 2 – NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman , Victor Glover and Christina Koch , and the Canadian Space Agency's Jeremy Hansen – entered quarantine for the third time while awaiting the launch of the mission.
Quarantining, which requires astronauts to isolate themselves before a spaceflight, began Wednesday, March 18, at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, NASA said in a blog post . The crew members of Artemis 2 have already begun – and ended – a short-lived quarantine process twice as the mission has encountered a series of delays.
Why do astronauts need to quarantine before a launch?
All NASA astronauts are required to go through a quarantine period ahead of a crewed spaceflight in order to avoid exposure to any illnesses that, if contracted, would jeopardize the mission.
But the spacefarers are hardly alone while in quarantine.
While spending their time largely among themselves in crew quarters, astronauts are still able to have visits from friends and family who agree to NASA's quarantine guidelines. That includes avoiding public places, wearing facemasks and maintaining distance from others.
How long will the Artemis astronauts be quarantined?
Astronauts typically quarantine for at least 14 days before the earliest possible launch of their mission.
For the next two weeks, the Artemis 2 astronauts will continue with training activities to prepare themselves for the impending launch, including mission simulations and medical checkouts, according to NASA.
About five days before liftoff, the four crew members will fly to the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, where they will continue to quarantine.
When is the Artemis 2 launch date? NASA targets April liftoff
NASA is working toward an April 1 launch of its historic Artemis 2 mission from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
But if the weather or any other factors were to cause the launch to be delayed, several other days in April remain possibilities under NASA's timeline , including April 2-6 and April 30.
What is Artemis 2? Will there be a moon landing?
Hitching a ride atop NASA's Space Launch System rocket, the Artemis 2 astronauts are due to pilot an Orion capsule on a 10-day trip around the moon. While no moon landing is in store for the mission, the crew will test systems and hardware for future expeditions to the surface while traveling about 4,700 miles beyond the far side of the moon – the farthest humans have ever ventured in space .
While NASA tested its spacecraft during the Artemis 1 mission in 2022, Artemis 2 will be the first time that the SLS rocket and the Orion capsule will fly with humans aboard.
A moon landing is now due to take place as early as 2028 during a mission known as Artemis 4. Prior to that mission, Artemis 3 astronauts aboard the Orion capsule are due to meet and dock in 2027 in Earth orbit with at least one of the commercial lunar landers being developed by Elon Musk 's SpaceX and Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin .
Eric Lagatta is the Space Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at elagatta@usatodayco.com
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Why do astronauts enter quarantine? NASA Artemis 2 crew in isolation
