All of NASA’s Artemis II astronauts carry smartphones with them as they travel toward the moon. Here’s how to use the device:
If you’ve been following NASA’s Artemis II mission, you already know all the milestones the intrepid crew of four astronauts is set to accomplish.
The crew includes three pioneers of spaceflight. One is the first woman, the first black man, and the first Canadian to venture near the moon. And all four will travel the furthest distance from Earth in human history.
All worthy praise, no doubt.
But there’s another, less prestigious way astronauts can make a little history. They were among the first government astronauts to take iPhones and Androids into space.
Under a new NASA policy, astronauts participating in the space agency’s missions will now be allowed to carry the latest smartphones with them as they venture beyond Earth’s borders. The latest guidelines for what crew members can bring on space adventures went into effect ahead of the February launch of the SpaceX mission known as Crew-12.
This allowed the modified second Artemis II crew to take their personal cell phones into space. Here’s what you need to know:
NASA’s Artemis II astronauts brought smartphones into space for the first time
The Artemis II crew, including NASA astronauts Reed Wiseman, Christina Koch and Victor Glover, and Canadian Space Agency’s Jeremy Hansen, all carried smartphones during the 10-day flight around the moon, a NASA spokesperson confirmed to USA TODAY Network.
The news comes nearly two months after NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman announced on social media that NASA astronauts will soon be “flying with the latest smartphones.” The move was intended to challenge “longstanding processes” governing the types of hardware and technology considered safe for space travel.
A NASA spokesperson said in a statement that the guidance is intended to make it easier for astronauts to document the sky environment, “capture special moments for their families, and share inspiring images and videos with the world.”
The spokesperson added that the smartphones carried by the astronauts went through a certification process “to ensure they are safe for use during flight.”
SpaceX Crew-12 also brought iPhones and Androids to the space station
NASA has certified commercial astronauts in the past to use smartphones during missions, but before the change in policy, NASA astronauts did not have access to iPhones or Android devices.
The change meant that astronauts selected for the joint NASA-SpaceX mission known as Crew-12 would be the first to be allowed to take the latest iPhone and Android smartphones into space.
NASA astronauts Jessica Meir and Jack Hathaway, European Space Agency’s Sophie Adenot and Russian cosmonaut Andrei Fezyaev arrived on February 14 for a nine-month mission aboard the International Space Station.
What photography equipment has been previously approved?
NASA astronauts interested in astrophotography have long been able to capture stunning views of space in orbit and share them on social media. All of these images and videos were previously created using off-the-shelf technology, including DSLR cameras, digital video cameras, and tablets, NASA said.
“The addition of smartphones to NASA’s SpaceX Crew-12 mission gives crew members the flexibility to quickly capture informal, spontaneous moments to better share their mission story with the world,” NASA said in a statement to the USA TODAY Network.
What’s next for the Artemis II astronauts in Mubound?
After launching from Florida on April 1, the Artemis II astronauts expect to thoroughly document their journey around the moon, scheduled to arrive on Monday, April 6 for a historic flyby.
This next rendezvous will be the first time humans have returned near the moon since NASA’s Apollo era ended in 1972. Although the Artemis II astronauts will not land, their mission will be an important test flight before humans set foot on the moon again, as early as 2028.
In the process, the Artemis II astronauts will make history by flying further from Earth than any human before them, breaking the record set during the infamous Apollo 13 mission in 1970. This mission will make Glover the first black man to venture near the moon, Koch the first woman and Hansen the first Canadian.
The mission is scheduled to conclude with splashdown in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of San Diego, California, on Friday, April 10th.
Eric Lagatta is a Space Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Please contact elagatta@usatodayco.com.
