Artemis II Explained for Families: What Your Kids Need to Know

On April 1, 2026, at 6:35pm EDT, NASA's Artemis II mission lifted off from Kennedy Space Center in Florida and kept going. Past the International Space Station. Past low Earth orbit. Out into deep space, farther than any human has traveled since 1972.

Four astronauts are now on their way around the Moon.

If your kids were watching, they witnessed something that hasn't happened in their lifetimes, or in most of their parents' lifetimes either. The last time humans traveled beyond low Earth orbit was December 1972, when Gene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt climbed off the Moon's surface and headed home on Apollo 17. For the next 54 years, no one followed.

Until Wednesday.

What is Artemis II?

Artemis II is a ten-day NASA mission carrying four astronauts on a free-return trajectory around the Moon and back. They won't land. This is a test flight, proving that the Orion spacecraft and Space Launch System rocket can safely carry humans into deep space.

Think of it as the dress rehearsal for one of the biggest moments in a generation. The Moon landing comes later, with Artemis IV, planned for 2028.

The crew lifted off on April 1 and completed their translunar injection burn on April 2, a six-minute engine firing that pushed them out of Earth's orbit and onto course for the Moon.

They are expected to splash down in the Pacific Ocean off San Diego on April 10. You can follow the full mission timeline on NASA's Artemis II page.

On their current trajectory, the crew will travel approximately 252,000 miles from Earth, breaking the record for the farthest humans have ever traveled, set by the Apollo 13 crew in 1970.

Meet the Artemis II Crew

The four astronauts are already making history before they reach the Moon.

Victor Glover is the first person of color to travel beyond low Earth orbit. Christina Koch is the first woman. Jeremy Hansen, from Canada, is the first non-American. Commander Reid Wiseman, who is raising two daughters on his own after losing his wife to cancer in 2020, stepped down as NASA's chief astronaut specifically to return to active flight. When they offered him the mission, he said he couldn't say no.

None of them were alive during the Apollo program.

You can read full bios for all four crew members on NASA's Artemis II crew page.

Why this matters for families

The kids in your house are living through a moment that will be in history books. They'll tell this story for the rest of their lives. That's not an exaggeration. This is the first time in 54 years that humans have left the neighborhood of Earth, and the mission is on track to set a new record for the farthest any human has ever traveled from our planet.

You don't need to wait for a museum exhibit to make this real for your kids.

It's happening right now.

Follow the mission live

NASA is broadcasting the mission continuously at nasa.gov/live and on NASA's YouTube channel. The crew is expected to fly around the far side of the Moon, including areas that have never been seen by human eyes, before returning to Earth for splashdown on April 10.

Six space museums worth visiting with kids while the mission is live

The questions your kids have right now deserve somewhere worthy of them. These six museums connect the Artemis II story to places families can actually visit.

Kennedy Space Center, Cape Canaveral, Florida

The rocket launched from here. An immersive Artemis II exhibition is open now on the bottom floor of Space Shuttle Atlantis, with authentic mission hardware, the crew's personal items, and a 14-foot moon model. The bus tour included with admission takes families past Launch Pad 39B, the same pad that sent Apollo missions to the Moon.

The Saturn V rocket on display in the Apollo/Saturn V Center is 363 feet long. Seeing it in person is a different thing entirely from seeing a photo of it. Plan a full day.

Adult tickets from $75, children from $65. Check kennedyspacecenter.com for current hours, ticket prices, and tour availability.

Space Center Houston, Houston, Texas

Mission Control for Artemis II is in this building. The people tracking the crew right now work here. The Apollo 17 command module, the last capsule to return from the Moon's surface before this mission, is on display. So is a full Saturn V rocket, lying on its side in a hangar built around it.

The tram tour takes families through the real Johnson Space Center, with a stop overlooking the actual Mission Control room while it's operating.

Adult tickets from $35, children from $30. Check spacecenter.org for current hours, ticket prices, and tour schedules.

National Air and Space Museum, Washington DC

Free, on the National Mall, and the largest collection of aviation and space artifacts in the world. Near the entrance, there's a piece of moon rock you can touch with your bare hands. Kids are always a little surprised they're allowed to. John Glenn's Mercury capsule, Friendship 7, the one that made him the first American to orbit the Earth, is here too.

Seven more galleries open July 1, 2026, for the museum's 50th anniversary. If a summer DC trip is in the works, that's worth timing.

Free admission, but timed-entry passes are required. Book passes in advance at airandspace.si.edu. Open daily 10am to 5:30pm. Check the website for the latest exhibition information before your visit.

US Space and Rocket Center, Huntsville, Alabama

Most families haven't heard of this one. NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville designed the propulsion systems for the Saturn V and builds components for the Space Launch System that carried Artemis II into space.

The museum tells that story hands-on.

Outside, a full Saturn V stands upright in a park. Inside, simulators, a moon rock, and exhibits that give kids something to do beyond looking at things behind glass. Space Camp has run here since 1982.

Open daily 9am to 5pm. Adult tickets from $30, children from $25. Check rocketcenter.com for current hours, ticket prices, and Space Camp dates.

Cité de l'Espace, Toulouse, France

Most families outside France have never heard of this place.

Toulouse is where Airbus builds its planes and where the European Space Agency does much of its work. The museum reflects that. You walk under a full-size Ariane 5 rocket at the entrance. Inside, you can walk through the actual Mir space station, sit in a Soyuz capsule, and stand next to an Orion crew module the same size as the one currently flying around the Moon.

There are astronaut selection tests based on the real ESA process. A dedicated area for children aged 4 to 8 lets them assemble rockets and pilot their own spacecraft. Budget a full day.

Open daily from 10am. Adult tickets €24.50, children (5-18) €18, under 5 free. Fifteen minutes from Toulouse city centre by metro and bus. Check cite-espace.com for current hours and seasonal programming.

Canada Aviation and Space Museum, Ottawa, Canada

Jeremy Hansen is the first Canadian to travel beyond low Earth orbit. For Canadian families watching this mission, Ottawa's national aviation and space museum is a good place to bring that feeling somewhere tangible.

The museum holds the Canadarm that flew on Space Shuttle Endeavour, Canada's single most important contribution to human spaceflight. In the Life in Orbit exhibition, kids can try on a space helmet, climb through a hatchway, and stand inside a replica of the ISS cupola. There are flight simulators, a real cockpit to sit in, and for younger kids, wooden ride-on planes.

Located at historic Rockcliffe Airport, 5km from downtown Ottawa. Free admission daily between 4pm and 5pm. Check ingenium.ca for current hours and full admission pricing.

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