Around the Moon, with people aboard

A home for four, far from Earth

Commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, and mission specialists Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen traveled in the Orion spacecraft named Integrity. Wiseman, Glover and Koch represented NASA. Hansen, from the Canadian Space Agency, became the first Canadian to fly around the Moon.

The crew needed somewhere to breathe, drink, eat, sleep and work. They also needed to steer, communicate and get home. For the rest of the journey, Orion had to support familiar routines in an unfamiliar place.

The rocket starts the journey

The Space Launch System, or SLS, launched Orion. The spacecraft then continued with two main parts: the crew module, where the astronauts lived, and the European Service Module, which supplied power, water, air supplies, temperature control and propulsion.

The European Space Agency provided the service module. Four solar-array wings collected sunlight to make electricity. Engines adjusted Orion’s path and orientation. Tanks supplied drinking water, oxygen and nitrogen to the crew module.

Follow one breath

Breathing in uses oxygen; breathing out adds carbon dioxide to the cabin. Supplying fresh oxygen is only half the problem. Orion’s cabin systems also remove carbon dioxide and circulate the air.

People and equipment give off heat, and breathing adds moisture. Managing temperature and humidity matters alongside keeping the right air pressure. A drink of water and a comfortable breath depend on systems working together throughout the journey.

Try it for yourself

Is the cabin ready?

In this imagined cabin check, oxygen is at its normal level but carbon dioxide is rising. What would you need to check before calling the cabin ready?

Living aboard was part of the test

On April 2, 2026, NASA reported that the Artemis II crew had begun their first exercise sessions inside Orion. Their compact flywheel resisted a pulled cable, supporting movements such as rowing and squats. Even on a journey around the Moon, the day included making time to stay healthy.

During the workouts, ground teams watched the cabin-air system and checked how the astronauts’ movements affected Orion. Exercise tested more than the crew’s muscles: it helped teams learn how their small spacecraft worked with people living inside.

Engineers, flight controllers, medical teams, trainers and recovery crews supported the journey. Teams on Earth monitored the spacecraft and helped the crew throughout the flight.

Only the crew module comes home

Before entering Earth’s atmosphere, Orion’s crew module separated from the service module. The crew module’s heat shield protected the cabin as the atmosphere slowed the spacecraft. Later, parachutes reduced its speed for splashdown.

The final panel shows the capsule beneath its three main parachutes. The rocket and service module are no longer attached. Returning safely required a sequence of systems, with recovery teams waiting at the end.

The journey returns to the team

On September 1, 2026, the four astronauts visited NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center. NASA’s September 9 account described them sharing their experiences with people who had supported Artemis II.

A lunar journey is easy to picture as four people in a capsule. That visit brings the larger group into view: the people who built, tested and supported the systems those astronauts lived with.