preparing for a lunar journey set to turn a new page in American space exploration. The long-delayed NASA mission dubbed Artemis II is slated to lift-off from Florida and venture to Earth's natural satellite as early as April 1. They won't land but are instead on a mission to fly by, much as Apollo 8 did in 1968. Americans Reid Wiseman, Victor Glober and Christina Koch -- along with Canadian Jeremy Hansen -- will carry out the approximately 10-day trip. The odyssey will mark a series of firsts: the first time a woman, a person of color and a non-American will venture on a Moon mission. It's also the inaugural crewed flight of NASA's new lunar rocket, dubbed SLS. The mammoth orange-and-white rocket is designed to allow the United States to repeatedly return to the Moon in years to come, with the goal of establishing a permanent base that will offer a stepping stone for further exploration. "We're going back to the Moon because it's the next step in our journey to Mars," said Wiseman, the Artemis II commander, on a NASA podcast. (Bssnews)