TLI was successful!! We're now off to the Moon! 244,000 miles to go. 
A
astropartigirl@threads.net
@astropartigirl@threads.net
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The trajectory of Artemis II isn't a straight path to the Moon! -
The trajectory of Artemis II isn't a straight path to the Moon!The trajectory of Artemis II isn't a straight path to the Moon! Orion first enters a parking orbit around Earth (which you see as the loop around Earth once it launches in the video), then performs Trans-Lunar Injection (TLI), the burn that sends the spacecraft onto its translunar trajectory. In other words, this is when Orion hops onto its free-return trajectory to the Moon, which looks like a figure-8 in this video from NASA!
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The trajectory of Artemis II isn't a straight path to the Moon!This burn is carefully designed to place Orion on its free-return trajectory so that the Moon's gravity will naturally swing it back toward Earth without requiring a major burn. It's both a safety feature and a fuel-saving maneuver!
The TLI burn is scheduled for 4:49 pm PDT today. It'll last 5 minutes and 49 seconds and increase the spacecraft's velocity by about 1,274 ft/s (≈388 m/s).
TLI happens in about 10 minutes!!