NASA's woopsie moment during Artemis II launch as a secret password is broadcast online

NASA live-streamed the Artemis II launch, a historic mission that is sending humans back to the Moon in 54 years. People flocked to the NASA platform to see the rocket take off with four astronauts on board. However, some people caught something bizarre happening live. A shot from the livestream showed scenes from inside the spacecraft, with astronauts strapped in and ready to go. This was around 20 minutes before the launch. Just then, Reid Wiseman, Artemis II commander, got on the capsule tablet and typed in the PIN as everyone online watched. You can make out the numbers pretty clearly, although we are not going to tell you what they could be. Netizens were shocked to see NASA make such an error in real-time, exposing the password to an Orion tablet to the world. Wiseman obviously did not know that he was being broadcast live at the time, and typed in the PIN, which we all saw.

People flocked to social media to share NASA's woopsie moment. A user wrote, "My guy just typed his iPad PIN directly into a 4K overhead shot… unlocking it for the entire planet. Command module getting opensourced, but it's ok because it's for the 'gram'," a user wrote. Another wrote, "'Woopsie, when you enter your tablet PIN on the NASA stream," pointing to the error. Meanwhile, one user slyly revealed the PIN (and it could be either of the two). "Hey NASA, I appreciate you wanting to get people interested in rocket science, but maybe don't broadcast that the PIN to unlock the tablet on the rocket is either 9393 or 3939," they wrote. The user told NASA it should tell Wiseman to probably change it before returning.

Also Read: Artemis II timeline, from launch to return: When will Orion reach the Moon?

Watch the viral moment from Artemis II launch

What are tablets used for in space?

Tablets are used for a wide variety of things in space. From communications, to operations, and keeping a tab on the astronaut's health, the device can perform several functions. They can also be used for entertainment inside a capsule where there is not much else to do. So they can also use it to read books and listen to music. The Artemis II mission successfully launched from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 6:35 pm ET (4:05 am) on April 1.

Also Read: Here's why NASA astronauts are carrying iPhones to the Moon on Artemis II

Artemis II astronauts and the mission

NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch, and Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen are travelling to the farthest point in space any human has ever been to. The Orion will do a flyby of the Moon, going 7,500 kilometres beyond the lunar surface. It will then slingshot back towards Earth using the Moon's gravity. The Orion is scheduled to reach the Moon on April 6, giving astronauts about three hours to make observations before they return home.