NASA is hard at work preparing for Artemis 2, its first crewed mission to the Moon in over half a century, which is scheduled to launch in just four months.

The twist? Due to the ongoing government shutdown, a NASA official confirmed to Futurism, agency staff are currently working without pay to make the launch happen — including even the astronauts who are putting their lives on the line for the historic mission, who are currently preparing for it without receiving paychecks.

Even with no pay, the official said that workers are willing to continue preparing the mission, highlighting an extraordinary degree of commitment and passion among the space agency’s ranks.

Contractors working on the Artemis 2 mission are currently still getting paid, though that funding is slated to run out soon

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