NASA’s Artemis II mission to carry mementos into space, honoring America’s independence

Besides the four astronauts on board, the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket of the Artemis II mission will carry a collection of mementos. According to NASA, these items in its official flight kit will “reflect the nation’s long tradition of exploration, innovation, and leadership.” This is to commemorate America’s 250th anniversary of declaring independence, which falls on July 4. The mementos will carry forward a proud tradition from Artemis I and previous human spaceflight missions.

“This mission will bring together pieces of our earliest achievements in aviation, defining moments from human spaceflight, and symbols of where we’re headed next,” said NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman. “During America’s 250th anniversary, Orion will carry astronauts around the Moon while also carrying our history forward into the next chapter beyond Earth.” The objects highlight the freedom and innovation that influenced the Golden Age of human space exploration, which might inspire the future generation of explorers.

A 13-by-8-inch American flag that flew with the first shuttle mission, STS-1, the final STS-135, and NASA’s first crewed test flight of the SpaceX Demo-2 Crew Dragon spacecraft will fly aboard Artemis II. Moreover, a swatch of 1-inch by 1-inch muslin fabric from the original Wright Flyer was lent by the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum. This is what the Wright Brothers used to create the first powered flight in 1903. This is the fabric’s second flight into space, and upon return, it will be reunited with two other 1903 Wright Flyer swatches at the museum.

Making its premiere flight with Orion is a flag that was scheduled to fly on NASA’s Apollo 18 mission. A copy of a 4-by-5-inch negative of a photo from the Ranger 7 mission, the first U.S. mission to make contact with the lunar surface, will also be on Orion. The mission will carry soil samples from the base of Artemis I Moon Trees planted at NASA’s 10 centers. These trees are from seeds that flew on Artemis I and represent launch, flight, growth, and return to space again.

The CSA (Canadian Space Agency) will fly many tree seeds in the kit to distribute them after the mission. The CSA will also send stickers and patches, while the ESA (European Space Agency) will send a flag, which will be distributed after the mission. These reflect NASA’s international collaboration. In fact, Orion’s European Service Module is also provided by the ESA. The kit will also contain an SD card with millions of names of those who participated in the “Send Your Name to Space” campaign. Several flags, patches, and pins will also be distributed to employees and stakeholders who contribute to the flight after the mission.

A tradition since the 1960s, NASA’s Artemis missions are continuing a legacy of honoring the journey that brought about this new age of exploration. Artemis I had carried artifacts from Apollo missions, STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) items, digitized student essays and teacher pledges, and more. The official flight kit for Artemis II contains a total of around 10 pounds of mementos, which adds to the significant scientific research elements aboard Orion.

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