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Smoke billows from the bottom of a massive rocket, illuminated by floodlights in the humid Florida night. A voice counts down: “3…2…1…and liftoff,” and the rocket takes to the sky, leaving Earth behind for a new frontier.
At 1:47 AM on November 16th, 2022, the Artemis I rocket system lifted off from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Over the next 25 days, it traveled toward and around the Moon before successfully splashing down off the coast of San Diego, CA. Artemis I is an unmanned mission, the first part of NASA’s larger Artemis program, designed to test the technology needed to support astronauts as they journey to the moon and beyond. Artemis is set to land humans on the Moon by 2024, the first time anyone has done so in over 50 years– marking the beginning of a new era of space exploration and discovery.
The mission
Artemis I is the first phase of NASA’s initiative to send manned missions to the Moon, Mars, and eventually deep space. They plan to conduct extensive research in each area, establishing a more permanent presence on the Moon and discovering more about what lies beyond it.
“We will launch the world’s only spacecraft designed to carry humans to deep space, atop the most powerful rocket, with our dedicated ground systems team and launch and mission control personnel. We’ll take what we learn from Artemis I and apply these lessons as we move further on the path of human exploration,” Jim Free, Associate Administrator of the Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate (ESDMD), stated.
In addition, one of NASA’s objectives for the Artemis program is to land the first woman and the first person of color on the Moon, a necessary step in this new era of space exploration.
The history
In 1969, Neil Armstrong (Apollo 11) made history when he became the first person to walk on the surface of the Moon. Only 11 others have done so since, with the last being Gene Cernan (Apollo 17) in 1972.
The Artemis Mission, named for the Greek goddess of the Moon and twin sister of Apollo, is a hopeful continuation of these first lunar landings.
‘There is so much exciting work ahead of us as we return to the moon, and it will take the entire astronaut corps to make that happen. Walking on the lunar surface would be a dream come true for any one of us, and any part we can play in making that happen is an honor,” Chief Astronaut Pat Forrester stated in a NASA news release.
The technology
Artemis I marks the inaugural flight of the Orion spacecraft, the shuttle system that will eventually carry astronauts into deep space. Orion is made up of four main parts: the crew module, which is pressurized and equipped with life support; the European Service Module, which provides mainly thrust and temperature control as well as some life support; and the Orion Stage Adapter, which connects Orion to the rocket during takeoff. The fourth part of the craft is the Launch Abort System, positioned on top of the shuttle, which can pull astronauts away from the rocket should anything go wrong during the flight’s early stages.
The rocket bringing Orion out of Earth’s atmosphere is the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket, capable of carrying astronauts and supplies over larger distances than ever before. The rocket– weighing a whopping 5.75 million pounds in Earth’s gravity– can reach speeds of over 17,000 mph during its initial stages of flight.
The crew
In 2020, NASA selected 18 people to represent the “Artemis Team”-- a group of highly trained, highly experienced astronauts eligible for trips to the Moon during the first stages of the Artemis program. Among them will be the first woman and the first person of color to land on the Moon.
For the Artemis I test flight, there was no crew– but the names of the almost 30,000 people who worked on the Artemis I mission still traveled to the Moon and back, engraved on microchips aboard the Orion spacecraft.
Artemis II, the first Moon landing of Artemis, will have four crew members– NASA will pull from the Artemis Team, and some international astronauts will join the team as necessary.
The future
If Artemis I is deemed successful by NASA, the next stage of the Artemis mission will begin: Artemis II, a manned spaceflight that will carry astronauts around 250,000 miles from Earth. Artemis III (planned for 2024) will land astronauts on the Moon, where they will conduct research and prepare for travel to Mars. With increasing traffic to and from the Moon in coming years, NASA hopes to develop an “Artemis Basecamp”, a place that allows astronauts to live on the lunar surface for extended periods of time. From there, they will be able to travel to Mars, and then to deep space– and beyond.
All information in this article courtesy of NASA. For updates on the status of the Artemis mission, please visit NASA.gov.
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PHOTO CREDIT: NASA
Above is an artist’s rendition of the “Artemis Basecamp”, a proposed Moon base that will allow astronauts to live and work on the Moon. When constructed, the base will be used to conduct research and a jumping-off point to Mars and beyond
PHOTO CREDIT: PBS
The SLS rocket sits on the platform at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, preparing to bring the Orion spacecraft around the Moon for the Artemis I test flight. The rocket is NASA’s most powerful to date, capable of bringing astronauts and equipment into deep space.
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