Bringing Lunar Exploration Back into the Limelight  

NASA’s Space Launch System rocket with the Orion spacecraft for Artemis I at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida Nov. 4

In the public eye, the Artemis program is a recent development. However, researchers began the legwork for Artemis over 10 years ago after NASA made the decision to administer a second lunar mission. As public attention is focused on the success of these missions, many overlook the work that produces the televised launches. Dr. Daniel Moriarty is an Assistant Research Scientist who works for the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. He conducts research at the Center for Research and Exploration in Space Science & Technology II at University of Maryland, College Park. He has been working on the Artemis mission for as long as it’s been in progress. 

When asked about taking the first steps on this historic mission, he said, “The first thing researchers and scientists have to do is understand what is available and analyze how to conduct the mission safely.” Moriarty explained that most data comes from satellites, and although researchers utilized any available data from the Apollo missions, it was necessary to begin conceptualizing a new and improved lunar satellite. In the early 2000s, researchers and engineers began proposing lunar orbiters, and in 2009, NASA launched the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO), a robotic spacecraft that currently orbits the Moon in an eccentric polar mapping orbit. Using the LRO, researchers characterized the lunar surface through satellite imagery and numerous data filters. Dr. Moriarty shared that “[researchers] are not done and are still mining available data” to further advance the Artemis mission. 

As exciting as the Artemis research process sounds, it’s rather complicated for the mission’s teams. Dr. Moriarty revealed more about some of NASA’s communication, confirmation, and approval processes. Many were unaware of NASA’s plan to land on the Moon. This is because America isn’t the only nation racing to the lunar surface. Russia, India, China, and the European Space Agency are all launching missions to the Moon this year. Moriarty said that he and his team “had to consider the competitive aspect. Other nations are planning their lunar missions and [researchers] had to keep their information to a small audience to prevent revealing anything to competition.”

NASA has an internal stream in which teams working on different aspects of the mission communicate data with each other. There are engineering teams that focus on the functions of rovers and other devices, and there are numerous teams within the research department that focus on geospatial analysis, landing sites, micrometeorites, and much more. There is even a management team that ensures that all groups communicate safely and efficiently. Each team is dependent on one another, therefore mission employees spend a significant amount of time in meetings with other team members to exchange data and results, as well as determine necessary future steps. Moriarty said that there is a “system of official documents that information gets recorded in. There’s also a NASA approval project that then gets released to the science community or other governments that are running their own space programs.”

Although NASA keeps their findings confidential, it’s just as crucial for NASA to communicate their results with other international space agencies to prevent conflicts and physical collisions between planetary devices. This is why most of NASA’s information is Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI), information that requires safeguarding and is consistent with government-wide policies but isn’t classified. 

International competition isn’t the only concern for NASA. The American space agency is funded by the U.S. public and must follow strict governmental regulations when approving the release of results. All collected information is submitted to NASA’s Scientific and Technical Information (STI) program, a repository of a world-class collection of scientific and technical information (papers, abstracts, journal articles, presentations, etc.). All submissions are standardized, reviewed, and approved by an additional program called STRIVES, the Scientific, Technical and Research Information discoVEry System. This program also aligns procedures and mission goals with U.S. laws and NASA organizational requirements in terms of the public release of information.  

Now is a busy time for NASA workers. As more information about the Artemis missions is being revealed to the public, the pressure is on to continue a constant flow of research and communication within the agency while also protecting that information from competition. NASA plans to launch Artemis II, the crewed Orion spacecraft, into a lunar flyby in November of 2024.