NASA rolls SLS rocket to the launch pad.

[smp]

From the Ars Technica weekly Rocket Report:

The Space Launch System rocket has reached its pad at Kennedy Space Center and remains on track to attempt a liftoff no earlier than August 29 at 8:33 am ET (12:33 UTC). The rocket's rollout follows completion of a flight termination system test over the weekend. This was the final major test of the launch system and spacecraft prior to rollout and marks the completion of all major pre-launch activities, Ars reports.
https://link.arstechnica.com/click/2877 ... 5B09f275ac
NASA continues to target three dates to attempt the Artemis I launch: August 29, September 2, and September 5.

Orion to fly a long time ... Each of the three upcoming launch opportunities would allow for a "long-class" mission for the Orion spacecraft, which will be uncrewed and fly into lunar orbit for several weeks before returning to Earth and splashing down in the Pacific Ocean. The missions would range in length from 39 to 42 days. The Artemis I mission represents a significant step forward for NASA and its ambitions for a deep space human exploration program. The rocket's next launch will carry four astronauts around the Moon, and its third launch is scheduled to enable a human landing there, possibly in the mid-2020s.

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[Makuser]

Hi Stephen. A very nice article and NASA is getting close now with the Artemis1 Orion spacecraft. This is great news as we haven't accomplished anything like this for a long time now. Thanks for finding and sharing this link with us on here Stephen and thanks for keeping the space exploration news reports coming.

[Ylem]

I can't wait

[Ylem]

Here's some more info:

[seigell]

On the topic of the Artemis 1 Lunar Orbit, the profile is called "Distant Retrograde Orbit" - Distant because the eccentric orbit will take the ship 38000km "past" the Moon (actually oriented perpendicular to the Earth - Lunar Axis); Retrograde because the Insertion will go behind the Moon in the opposite direction of the Lunar Orbit around the Earth (since the Moon is Tidally-Locked it has no innate Rotation vector to dictate "Prograde" or "Retrograde") thus giving the Lunar Module a "Free Return Profile". NASA has also set the Lunar Orbit Profile specifically to give them a choice of "short" 1/2 Orbit at 6 days (if issues are found?) or a "prolonged" 1.5 Orbit at 19 days (longest manned Lunar Orbit was Apollo 17 at 6.4 days).

[seigell]

If one wishes a detailed pictorial contrasting the rockets of Apollo 11 to Artemis 1:
Then and Now