Madison Burgess
We're just days away from humanity returning to the moon for the first time in more than 50 years - and astronaut Christina Koch is about to make history.
NASA's four-person Artemis II crew went into quarantine this week in Houston, as they're preparing to be sent on a 10-day-long journey in space, spanning more than half a million miles around the moon and back home.
We're witnessing an important moment in history, as according to NASA, the mission in question 'will send astronauts to explore the moon for scientific discovery, economic benefits, and to build the foundation for the first crewed missions to Mars'.
Not only that, but the crew will be travelling further from Earth than anyone has ever been before, marking the first time astronauts will travel around the moon and back again since Apollo 17 in 1972.
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On board the spacecraft will be Commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, and mission specialists Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen.
While all of them will be making history, Koch will be breaking records in more ways than one as she's set to be the first woman to ever go to the moon.
Koch, 47, is an American explorer and engineer for NASA who became an astronaut more than a decade ago in 2013.
And she's no stranger to breaking records - she has already set a record for the longest single spaceflight by a woman, with a total of 328 days in space, and participated in the first all-female spacewalk.
Thanks to her already historic career, she has been assigned the role of Mission Specialist I of NASA’s Artemis II mission.
As per her NASA page, Koch's previous experience in spaceflight included living and working on the International Space Station for almost all of 2019 in Expeditions 59, 60, and 61.
Her hobbies include surfing, rock and ice climbing, programming, community service, triathlons, yoga, backpacking, woodworking, photography, and travel.
She lives in Texas with her husband, Robert Koch, who has supported her career during previous space missions.
After being previously delayed, takeoff for the historic Artemis II Moon Mission is due to take place as early as April 1.
It was initially scheduled to take off in February; however, it was postponed after a helium leak was detected.
As per Texas Public Radio, Lori Glaze, manager of NASA's Moon to Mars program, said during an event on Tuesday: "We've been tracking it day by day in the preparations leading up to launch, and I can tell you that as of this moment right now, there are no major issues that we're working [on].
"We are doing everything according to plan, we're following the plan, we'll be watching the weather very closely over the next week."
Artemis II should launch at 6.24pm Eastern Daylight Time on April 1, which is 11.24pm UK time.
If this date doesn't go ahead, NASA's backup opportunities are April 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6. And if all these slots are missed, April's final launch chance will fall on April 30.
Right now, the crew is quarantining in preparation for the launch, which will take place at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, to 'ensure they stay healthy' leading up to it.
As reported by The Mirror, Dr. Raffi Kuyumjian, the Canadian Space Agency's flight surgeon, explained: "We choose to isolate the crew for 14 days before a launch because most infectious diseases take 10 to 14 days to be transferred from one person to another."
Koch took to Instagram earlier this week (23 March) to share a snap of herself in quarantine, taking photos of the night sky, joined by her dog, along with the caption: "Weekend in quarantine vibes."
She wrote: "Two weeks before launch, a crew and the launch team with them keeps to themselves to stay healthy for the mission. During this time, we even train with the group or remotely with others at NASA.
"Today it was waking up on a remote beach after camping. Tomorrow it’s back to a simulation of launches and re-entries in Orion!"