00:04Hello and welcome to Global Pulse News. April 1, 2026, NASA is set to make history.
00:11Four astronauts will venture farther from Earth than anyone has ever gone,
00:15reigniting humanity's deep space ambitions. The mission is Artemis II. If all goes to plan,
00:21the crew will embark on a journey around the moon, marking the first time humans have left
00:25Earth's protective sphere since the Apollo program ended more than half a century ago.
00:29This flight is a critical test for the rocket, the capsule, and the hardware designed to return
00:34humans to the lunar surface. With a nearly 10-day flight plan, the astronauts will conduct experiments
00:39paving the way for a permanent lunar base. The goal is not to repeat the past, but to build a
00:45sustainable future. As NASA planetary scientist Barbara Cohen explains,
00:50What we're trying to do is not pick up where Apollo left off, but to use our decades of experience
00:55and
00:55knowledge and planning to do this sustainable presence on the moon, and then to do science
01:00alongside of that. Key research will focus on how deep space travel affects human health.
01:05Meanwhile, astronauts will use their unique perspective to study lunar geology spots no
01:10human eye has ever seen. Scientists emphasize that having humans on board allows for real-time
01:15decision-making that robots simply cannot match. Again, Dr. Barbara Cohen.
01:20The amazing part of having crews is they have brains and eyes and the capacity for thought and reaction
01:26to take the path of knowledge that is best for science. The crew has undergone rigorous science
01:31training from volcanic fields in Iceland to Arctic terrain, among them veteran astronaut Christina Koch,
01:37a former science instrument builder, and Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen, a physicist with experience
01:42in underwater habitats. Nicola Fox, head of NASA's science mission directorate, puts it this way,
01:47we're excited about what the astronauts find interesting and what pulls their focus. That is an incredible
01:54opportunity. A journey to the moon driven by human curiosity and the spirit of discovery.
02:00We'll be watching as the launch window opens.
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