The Artemis Missions
The Artemis Missions
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Mankind is returning to the moon in a series of historic missions
From Earth to the moon and beyond: a critically calculated trip first brought mankind to the lunar surface in 1969, when the famous astronaut Neil Armstrong took the first steps on the moon. Since then, 12 men in total have visited the moon from the flights of Apollo 11 (1969) - Apollo 17 (1972). However, since Apollo 17 touched back down on Earth’s soil, no humans have been back. This is all going to change with the upcoming Artemis mission.
Artemis is NASA’s plan to return humanity to the moon- and eventually beyond. And this time, that small step won't just be for man; NASA will be landing the first woman on the moon in this historic mission. Not only will the mission represent a historic moment, but it will also increase humanity's knowledge of the moon and our solar system as a whole.
A NASA representation of the Artemis astronauts on the moon; Courtesy of NASA
There is a mountain of goals set for NASA to accomplish, starting with the ability to launch heavier payloads beyond Earth’s gravity. That’s where the SLS (Space Launch System) comes into play. The SLS is set to be the most powerful rocket ever developed, and just might carry out plenty of deep-space missions. But after the SLS gets the astronauts beyond Earth's gravity, they still need a safe ride to the moon and back. To fill this role, the Orion was built. With this space capsule, Artemis is taking an entirely new approach to land on the dangerous lunar surface. NASA workers want lunar landers that are reusable and can land anywhere on the rocky area. To accomplish this goal, a plan for an orbiting platform that will hold deep space experiments has been created. This platform, called Gateway, will be able to balance on both the Earth’s and the moon’s gravity, leaving it in a more ideal position for launching further deep space missions. The moon is a perfect point to guide us to Mars, which is what the Artemis mission is all about. NASA is also upgrading all of the launch facilities at Kennedy Space Center to support Artemis missions to the moon and beyond.
But there is still plenty more to do. Like all other trips to space, two suits are required: one for launch/return, and one for spacewalks. And because no humans have ever been in deep space or beyond the moon like the four astronauts that will be going, NASA can’t just use the spacesuits that are normally used in Earth’s orbit. Custom suits referred to as the Orion Crew Survival System (OCSS) suits have been created for these missions and will be used for launch and return. Each suit has a custom fit for each astronaut and is equipped with room for mobility and everything else needed for a comfortable and safe take-off. The second suit, Exploration Extravehicular Mobility Unit (xEMU), is a red, white, and blue suit that is designed for astronauts to wear during their “moon-walks.”
November 2021 will be the start of the mission, and Artemis I will be launching without a crew in order to test the success of the SLS and the Orion spacecraft together. During this first flight, Orion will be launching on “the most powerful rocket in the world,” and will fly farther than any other spacecraft has before. 280,000 miles will be traveled from Earth over the course of what should be a three-week mission.
Artemis ll will be the first crewed flight test of the spacecraft, and is targeted for a launch in 2022. The four astronauts that will be on this mission will be ensuring the all works as planned during deep space orbit. Following these two test flights, the crew of four will be propelled into space and to the moon in 2024.
But that’s not all- after making it to the moon, NASA plans to take it even further and fly to Mars sometime in the 2030’s. These three missions will make history, and once they have been completed, NASA plans to launch a crewed mission at least once per year. A lot of these future missions will be used to build the Gateway in orbit around the moon.
The Orion space capsule; Courtesy of NASA
The group of lucky astronauts that will be on these trips have not been chosen yet, but will most likely be announced mid-2021. Everyone is waiting in anticipation to hear who will get to step onto the rocky surface of the moon and Mars and, eventually, lead humanity deeper into space than we've ever been before.
This is Landon’s second year at Edgewood and first year writing for the magazine. She enjoys spending her time reading, playing volleyball, or listening to music. As a staff writer this year, she is hoping to see and better understand the way the a magazine is made.
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