Artemis II: Launch

NASA's Artemis II mission, the first crewed flight of the Artemis program, is set to orbit the Moon, testing systems for future lunar landings. NASA's Artemis Launch Director Charlie Blackwell-Thompson discusses her journey to the launch console, influenced by watching Apollo missions as a child and encouragement from a high school physics teacher. Blackwell-Thompson recalls her early career integrating flight hardware for space shuttle payloads and her move to the NASA test director office. As Launch Director, she emphasizes teamwork, symbolized by her "Green for Go" bracelets, and the mission's focus on crew safety and capability testing. Blackwell-Thompson highlights key milestones leading up to the launch, including vehicle stacking and rollout, and describes the emotional experience of seeing the rocket's construction.