If Artemis II tried to fly directly to the moon, Earth's gravity would keep dragging it back down. To get past this, the rocket would require extremely powerful engines with huge amounts of fuel, which would be far too expensive. So instead, the rocket launches upward first, then begins to turn horizontally. Earth's gravity pulls it inward, guiding the rocket into a curved path. And as it builds speed, it rises higher and higher, circling Earth until it can escape its pull. Then, with one final