The first stage of the Artemis mission has already begun, despite some failures in recent months, kicking off a few years of (hopefully) great discoveries by NASA.
More than 50 years after the Apollo moon landing, the POT prepares to return. The Artemis I mission has already begun its adventure (its fourth launch attempt) from the Kennedy Space Center, in the state of Florida, today, Wednesday, November 16, after delays due to engine problems, leaks and hurricanes.
NASA and all of its partners have made great strides since the Apollo program, as the success of the International Space Station demonstrates.
Humans have lived and worked continuously aboard the ISS for two decades. However, the ISS is only 402 kilometers above Earth. Land. The Moon, on the other hand, is 402,000 kilometers away.
If humans want to establish a long-term presence beyond low-Earth orbit (where the ISS is), Going back to the Moon is the next logical step, and Artemis I is just the first step in getting there.
As we continue to monitor Tropical Storm Nicole, we have decided to reschedule the launch of the mission. #Artemis I for Wednesday, November 16, pending safe conditions for employees to return to work. https://t.co/o48LCveRPI
— NASA in Spanish (@NASA_es) November 9, 2022
In November 2021, NASA’s Office of Inspector General (OIG) released an audit of the Artemis program, which found that NASA had already spent some $40 billion on the series of missions. The OIG said it expects the agency to spend about $93 billion by 2025.
As Space notes, the United States spent $28 billion on NASA’s Apollo program between 1960 and 1973, according to the nonprofit The Planetary Society. It’s It represents about 280,000 million dollars today.
What is the Artemis mission?
From 1969 to 1972, NASA’s Apollo program landed humans on the Moon. Artemis is the twin sister of Apollo and the goddess of the moon in Greek mythology, hence the name of this second round of quests.
Well, NASA has embarked on a mission called Artemis, which consists of a plan of several stages to send astronauts to the Moon and beyond as Buzz Lightyear would say. The Artemis mission will culminate in the landing of the first woman and person of color on the Moon, although exploration will begin later.
This mission will prepare humanity for the long journey to mars and seeks to establish a lunar economy. NASA is working with international and commercial partners to carry out the mission.
What is the main objective of this mission?
The main objectives of Artemis are facilitate scientific discoveries and create new economic possibilities. NASA wants to explore the Moon once more in order to locate water and other resources for long-term space travel.
In order to find resources for long-term space travel, NASA hopes to discover more about the Moon, Earth, and the universe along the way. Basically, the experience and operational confidence necessary to reach Mars after establishing a foothold on the Moon.
“Our job at NASA is to do the things that are hard, and to do the things that are right, and to motivate our base, which is our youth.”said Reid Wiseman, NASA’s chief astronaut. “We want every kid in America to look at our poster and say, ‘Oh, I see myself in that… I can do that one day.'”
As for Artemis I, the mission has three main objectives:
- Demonstrate that the Orion spacecraft’s heat shield can withstand the intense heat and high speed of lunar reentry
- show how the rocket and the spacecraft, along with all facilities, operate and fly in all phases of the mission
- Rescue Orion once he has landed. Recovery of the crew module after ditching will provide data that can be used to plan future flights
Launch of the Artemis 1 mission canceled in August and
Despite the fact that everything has now gone correctly, the mission did not start off on the right foot. Liftoff from NASA Kennedy Space Center Launch Pad 39B in Florida was scheduled for 2:33 p.m. Spanish peninsular time on Monday, August 29, but was ultimately cancelled.
The rocket had problems and was delayed due to a failure in motor 3 and a possible crack in the thermal protection system. Note that NASA already reported that it was not a failure in the tank structure, but only in the insulating foam, but apparently everything was reason enough to stop takeoff.
The launch of #Artemis I is no longer happening today as teams work through an issue with an engine bleed. Teams will continue to gather data, and we will keep you posted on the timing of the next launch attempt. https://t.co/tQ0lp6Ruhv pic.twitter.com/u6Uiim2mom
—NASA (@NASA) August 29, 2022
Everything does not end here, since a second attempt was planned for September 3, but there was no success. It seems that the team detected A leak after some tests and, after the third time, the engineers recommended that the launch not take place, shortly after confirmed by NASA to the surprise of the media and fans.
On the other hand, NASA intended to launch Artemis I on September 27, but because the tropical storm Ian was intensifying, and potentially even becoming a hypothetical hurricane, they didn’t want to take chances.
Artemis I Update: We have ruled out a launch for Tuesday 9/27 and are preparing for the possibility of a return to the Vehicle Assembly Facility, while continuing to monitor the forecast associated with Tropical Storm Ian. https://t.co/KOzKCs9lFu
— NASA in Spanish (@NASA_es) September 24, 2022
What is the objective of the Artemis II mission? And Artemis III?
The Artemis II mission will send four astronauts on a flight around the Moon. In just over 10 days, they will travel 7,400 kilometers beyond the far side of the Moon. The flight will take astronauts farther into the solar system than anyone has traveled before.
The objective of this mission is to confirm that NASA spacecraft systems are ready to carry a crew to the space deep.
- Artemis I 2022: first launch of SLS and Orion
- Artemis II 2024: first manned flight. It will be a mission similar to that of Apollo 8. It will take men on a test flight to the Moon. NASA has not yet decided which astronauts will travel to the Moon. He states that he hopes to choose the astronauts which will fly aboard the Artemis II later this year.
- Artemis III 2025: manned moon landing. It will transport the first woman and the first person of color to the lunar surface
- Artemis IV 2026: Gataway mission
The Artemis III mission will take astronauts to the lunar south pole, an area of the Moon where humans have not yet set foot. Scientists expect it to be rich in resources, including water. Astronauts will search for these resources and explore opportunities to take advantage of them.
The crew will also build an Artemis Base Camp on the Moon and work on the Gateway Expansion, an outpost that will orbit the Moon to provide support for long-term missions to the Moon as well as deep space exploration. Of course, Still a long way to go.
