Inside the Orion Simulator Where Artemis II Trained Going to the Moon

At NASA Johnson Space Center’s Mission Training Center, I stepped inside the Orion

simulator used by the Artemis II crew.

Yes- that simulator!

The same one where Christina Koch, Victor Glover, Reid Wiseman, and Jeremy Hansen

spent years preparing for their lunar flyby mission.

This full-scale simulator recreates the Orion spacecraft in remarkable detail, from the

display panels and control systems to the crew seats and camera views astronauts rely

on during flight. It’s designed to train astronauts, engineers, and mission teams for the

most dynamic phases of the mission, including scenarios where everything doesn’t go

according to plan.

One of those moments? Translunar Injection (TLI), which is the burn that commits you

to leaving Earth orbit and heading for the Moon.

During my time in the simulator, I was introduced to the manual piloting exercises

astronauts use to maintain the Moon within Orion’s narrow field of view during a lunar

flyby. It sounds simple until you try it. Small joystick inputs can quickly turn into

overcorrections, and at one point I managed to lose the Moon from the window entirely

(which, understandably, is not the goal).

With guidance from the team, I worked through the precise adjustments needed to

recover the trajectory, gaining a firsthand appreciation for the meaning behind a simple

phrase like “good burn.” Each maneuver requires careful control, spatial awareness,

and an understanding of how every input translates into motion.

For years, the Artemis II crew trained in this simulator two to three times per week,

running through nominal operations, off-nominal scenarios, and every curveball mission

control could design. That repetition built the confidence and instinct needed for a

mission where precision is everything.

Before Artemis II flew around the Moon, it had already flown here, again and again, in

simulation.

And, for the record, I showed up in sparkly boots and an Apollo 11 Buzz Aldrin outfit…

which raises an important question: have sparkly boots ever been inside the Orion

simulator before?

Watch the Video

Watch the full video below and come with me inside the simulator where humanity practiced going to the Moon. 🚀🌙✨