Alex McColgan

was finally on its way.

In less than 9 minutes, the crew were already in orbit around Earth, but they weren't heading straight for the Moon.

Instead, they spent the first 24 hours in this high, elliptical Earth orbit on a trip designated as a shakedown cruise.

This was a critical testing phase, making sure every system was working as it should before pushing on into deeper space.

After all,

This was the first time four humans were living and breathing inside the Orion architecture.

They needed to make sure it was performing properly before leaving the relative safety of Earth orbit.

The crew performed checks on the environmental control and life support system, monitoring the scrubbers designed to pull carbon dioxide and water vapour out of the cabin air,

It sounds like a routine check, but in microgravity, carbon dioxide is a silent killer.

Without the convection we have on Earth, carbon dioxide doesn't disperse.

It pools in stagnant pockets right in front of your face.

If the ventilation fails,

you could effectively suffocate while wide awake.

A sobering thought when you're thousands of kilometres away from any potential rescue.

A little over three hours into the mission, the crew also conducted proximity operations, where they used a jettisoned interim cryogenic propulsion stage

as a reference target, maneuvering Orion within close range to simulate the docking procedures required for the Artemis III and IV missions.

Over the course of 70 minutes, they repeatedly performed controlled approach and retreat maneuvers, collecting precise navigation data.

Out here in space, the crew had no GPS to rely on.

only the physics of the engine and the steadiness of pilot Victor Glover's hand.

However, even this early phase wasn't without its hiccups.