Late on Friday, January 23, NASA announced that the Artemis 2 crew had started their “health stabilization program,” otherwise known as quarantine, a good sign that the mission was on track for an evening launch on Friday, Feb. 6.
Upcoming milestones and signs
To be sure, a lot of checklists have to be signed off before the GO for launch is given.
About 6 days before the first launch window opens on Feb. 6 at 9:41 p.m. EST the astronauts, who are now in Houston for quarantine, will head back to Florida and continue their quarantine from the crew quarters at the Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building. The move back to the Cape could happen as early as Jan. 31 or Feb. 1 and possibly even Feb. 2. If the move happens that will be a another sign that the mission is still on track.
Another key milestone is the scheduled wet dress rehearsal which is expected to start on Feb. 2. A delay could potentially push the launch window.
Another sign that things are on track is if the countdown clock starts the official countdown on Feb. 4 at 8:26 p.m. EST. If that happens then the Feb. 6 launch window is still a possibility.
What is quarantime?
NASA said in an update that “During quarantine, the crew can continue regular contact with friends, family, and colleagues who are able to observe quarantine guidelines, and will avoid public places, wear masks, and maintain distance from others they come into contact with as they continue their final training activities. Those training activities will continue in the days ahead with mission simulations and medical checkouts.”
The Canadian Space Agency (CSA) also provided an update about quarantine going into further detail.
The CSA said in a video, which you can watch below, that “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.”
Interestingly, the astronauts don’t necessarily have to stay in quarantine at the quarantine facility at the Johnson Space Center. Some opt to observe quarantine from their house while they’re in Houston. It wasn’t announced if any of the astronauts were observing quarantine at home for this mission.
Astronauts have become ill in the past during quarantine but according to the CSA these were due to respiratory viruses that weren’t severe and it didn’t affect the missions.
If the astronauts are in the Orion spacecraft and the launch is delayed and if it appears it will be a short couple of days delay, they simply go back into quarantine for those day.
