NASA Space Apps Toronto

With Joshua Kutryk – I just got recognized as one of their top fans! 🎉

Congratulations Joshua Kutryk!

Here we go again! You’ll soon be able to follow another CSA astronaut in space: Joshua Kutryk is about to fly to the International Space Station! 🚀🛰️

Launching no earlier than September 2026 aboard the SpaceX Dragon Freedom, Josh will join Crew-13 for a six-month mission aboard the ISS. While in orbit, he’ll dive into research on human health and food production in space, which will help make future missions safer and could improve our daily lives here on Earth. 🌍

Discover more about this mission: https://www.asc-csa.gc.ca/eng/missions/crew-13/

With Jeremy Hansen – we just made it onto their weekly engagement list by being one of their top engagers! 🎉

Today, April 10th, 2026, the Orion spacecraft will execute its final trajectory burns to ensure a precise splashdown in the Pacific Ocean near San Diego.

We are highlighting the historic nature of this flight, which marks the first human lunar flyby in over half a century. It also underscores the extensive recovery operations coordinated between NASA and the U.S. military to safely retrieve the four astronauts.

Ad astra!

NASA Artemis NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration Canadian Space Agency U.S. Navy Jeremy Hansen Catherine Hansen MD

The spacecraft is expected to splash down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of San Diego, Calif., tonight at 8:07 p.m. ET.

The return to Earth is harrowing. The spacecraft will reach speeds of nearly 40,000 km/h, with the capsule heating to 3,000 C.

Now imagine what that might feel like…

Almost back home 🌎

Today’s the day the Artemis II crew will splash down in the Pacific Ocean following their journey around the Moon. Here’s how you can watch starting at 6:30pm ET (2230 UTC): nasa.gov/ways-to-watch/

Today at 7:02 PM EST, Artemis 2 will be orbiting closer to the moon.

Please watch the live stream by NASA and other tv/streaming channels:

Ways to Watch - NASA Live and original programming is available on the agency’s free streaming platform, NASA+. Programming is also available on the NASA App, third-party streaming services, and social media platforms.

📡 Live Data — Day 5, April 5:
Velocity: ~1,940 mph (~3,120 km/h)
Distance from Earth: ~195,789 miles (~315,000 km)
Distance to Moon: ~85,781 miles (~138,000 km)
Time in flight: 3 days, 7 hours

🔬 The Physics of the Slowdown:
At the Trans-Lunar Injection burn on Day 2, Orion was traveling at over 22,000 mph.
Today it has slowed to 1,940 mph — near the gravitational balance point between two worlds.
Once past this boundary, the Moon's gravity takes over and Orion will accelerate again on its final approach.

🌕 THE MOON IS 85,000 MILES AWAY. TOMORROW, EVERYTHING CHANGES.

Day 5. April 5, 2026. Orion is closer to the Moon than it is to Earth, and decelerating to its slowest point of the entire journey.
Tonight, the crew enters the Moon's gravitational sphere of influence. From this moment, the Moon pulls harder than Earth.

📡 Live Data — Day 5, April 5:
Velocity: ~1,940 mph (~3,120 km/h)
Distance from Earth: ~195,789 miles (~315,000 km)
Distance to Moon: ~85,781 miles (~138,000 km)
Time in flight: 3 days, 7 hours

🔬 The Physics of the Slowdown:
At the Trans-Lunar Injection burn on Day 2, Orion was traveling at over 22,000 mph.
Today it has slowed to 1,940 mph — near the gravitational balance point between two worlds.
Once past this boundary, the Moon's gravity takes over and Orion will accelerate again on its final approach.

🗓️ TOMORROW — APRIL 6 — HERE IS EVERY MOMENT:
2:45 PM EDT — Flyby observation window opens, Moon fills the crew's windows
6:47 PM EDT — Communications blackout begins, Orion disappears behind the Moon
7:02 PM EDT — Closest approach, just 4,066 miles from the lunar surface
7:05 PM EDT — Maximum distance from Earth: 252,757 miles, breaking the Apollo 13 record by 4,102 miles

🌑 Something Nobody Expected:
During the flyby, the Moon will pass directly between Orion and the Sun.
For roughly one hour, the crew will watch a total solar eclipse from deep space, with the solar corona glowing around the Moon's dark edge.
No Apollo crew ever witnessed this. It has never been seen by human eyes.

📸 What the Crew Will Document:
The entire Moon disk from pole to pole, impossible from Apollo's 70-mile orbit
Ancient impact craters, vast lava plains, and mountain ranges
Meteor impact flashes on the surface in real time
Solar corona structure during the eclipse window

Are you setting an alarm for tomorrow's flyby at 7:02 PM EDT? This moment belongs to all of humanity. 🌍