CURRENT AFFAIRS

Detailed explanation-1: -Artemis 2, the first crewed mission of the program, will launch four astronauts in 2024 on a free-return flyby of the Moon at a distance of 8,520 kilometers (4,600 nautical miles).

Detailed explanation-2: -shuttle Atlantis on the STS-135 mission from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The final space shuttle mission, STS-135, the last flight of the orbiter Atlantis, lifted off from Launch Pad 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida on July 8, 2011.

Detailed explanation-3: -Expedition 1 was the first long-duration stay on the International Space Station (ISS). The three-person crew stayed aboard the station for 136 days, from November 2000 to March 2001. It was the beginning of an uninterrupted human presence on the station which continues as of December 2023.

Detailed explanation-4: -Seven crewed missions were launched into orbit during 2011, carrying a total of 28 astronauts to the International Space Station. Additionally, the Zenit-3F and Long March 2F/G carrier rockets made their maiden flights in 2011, while the Delta II Heavy made its last.

Detailed explanation-5: -Apr 24, 2013 - Transition and retirement phase of the program concludes; remaining shuttle assets being dispositioned or dismantled.