Nell Greenfield Boyce

Mission Commander Reid Wiseman told reporters that it's surreal to see the massive 322-foot-tall rocket standing on the launch pad.

Their test flight is expected to last 10 days.

First, while their Orion capsule is in orbit around Earth, they'll check out its communications, life support, navigation and propulsion.

If their spacecraft all looks good, they'll go on a looping trip around the moon before coming back to splash down in the Pacific.

Nell Greenfield-Boyce, NPR News.

Since private astronaut and wealthy entrepreneur Jared Isaacman became NASA's administrator a few months ago, he's been shaking up its Artemis Moon program.

In a speech at NASA headquarters in Washington, D.C., he said work on the lunar space station, known as Gateway, would stop so that all efforts can go towards constructing a permanent moon base.

NASA is on the verge of launching four astronauts on a mission to circle the moon and return for the first time since the 1970s, with a launch opportunity coming in about a week.

Landing astronauts on the lunar surface is targeted for 2028.

Nell Greenfield, Voice, NPR News.

The moon base will not appear overnight.

We will invest approximately $20 billion over the next seven years and build it through dozens of missions.

Since private astronaut and wealthy entrepreneur Jared Isaacman became NASA's administrator a few months ago, he's been shaking up its Artemis Moon program.

In a speech at NASA headquarters in Washington, D.C., he said work on the lunar space station, known as Gateway, would stop so that all efforts can go towards constructing a permanent moon base.

NASA is on the verge of launching four astronauts on a mission to circle the moon and return for the first time since the 1970s, with a launch opportunity coming in about a week.

Landing astronauts on the lunar surface is targeted for 2028.

Nell Greenfield-Boyce, NPR News.

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