The countdown has begun... NASA is preparing for its first manned mission to the moon since 1972.

 

NASA 

The countdown has begun... NASA is preparing for its first manned mission to the moon since 1972.

On Saturday, NASA began a two-day test countdown ahead of the fueling of its new lunar rocket, a crucial test that will determine when four astronauts will launch on a mission to orbit the moon.

Commander Reid Wiseman and his crew, who are already in quarantine to avoid germs, will be the first people to launch to the moon since 1972.

The 322-foot (98-meter) Space Launch System rocket was moved to the launch pad two weeks ago. If tomorrow's fueling test goes well, NASA could attempt a launch within a week. Teams will fill the rocket's tank with more than 700,000 gallons of supercooled fuel.

A severe cold wave delayed the refueling and launch by two days. February 8th is now the earliest possible launch date.

American and Canadian astronauts will launch aboard the Orion capsule atop the rocket, travel around the moon, and then return directly to the Pacific Ocean without stopping. The mission will last approximately 10 days.

NASA sent 24 astronauts to the moon during the Apollo program, from 1968 to 1972, with 12 of them walking on its surface.