(ORDO NEWS) — The Artemis program is NASA‘s plan to return humans to the moon, which will be one of the milestones on the path to the exploration of Mars.
Twelve men walked on the moon between 1969 and 1972, and one of Artemis’ goals is to bring the first woman and human of another race to the lunar surface.
The first test flight of the Artemis unmanned rocket was scheduled for Monday.
The name Artemis was chosen to echo the name of the Apollo program.
Artemis in Greek mythology was the twin sister of Apollo and a goddess associated with the moon.
The following is a brief overview of the Artemis program:
Artemis 1: Test Flight
Artemis 1 is a test flight of the 322-foot (98-meter) Space Launch System rocket and the Orion crew capsule that sits on top.
Launch was scheduled for 8:33 am (1233 GMT) on Monday from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
In flight, crew members will be replaced by dummies equipped with sensors that record vibration, acceleration and radiation levels.
Orion will fly around the moon and then land in the Pacific Ocean.
Artemis 2: First crew
Scheduled for 2024, Artemis 2 will be a manned launch. It will orbit the moon, but will not land on the surface, as in the case of Apollo 8.
Four future crew members will be named before the end of the year. It is expected that among them will be a Canadian.
Artemis 3: Landing on the Moon
The third Artemis mission will be the first since Apollo 17 to land astronauts on the moon.
NASA will land a manned spacecraft for the first time on the moon’s south pole, where frozen water has been found.
Previous moon landings have taken place near the equator.
The launch of Artemis 3 is scheduled for 2025, but according to an independent audit of the program, it may not take place until 2026.
Following the success of Artemis 3, NASA plans to launch manned missions about once a year. SpaceX Lunar Lander NASA has selected Elon Musk‘s SpaceX to build the Artemis 3 lunar lander.
SpaceX ‘s Starship will serve as a shuttle to and from the Moon’s surface for the crew of the Orion capsule, but it is still under development.
Gateway Space Station
The Artemis program also includes the construction of a Gateway space station that will orbit the Moon.
The launch of the first two elements – the habitation module and the power and propulsion system – is planned no earlier than the end of 2024 using the SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket.
The Orion crews will be responsible for assembling the Gateway.
Astronauts will spend 30 to 60 days on the Gateway and eventually gain access to a lander that will allow them to travel to and from the moon.
The Gateway will also serve as a waypoint for any future trip to Mars.
Destination Mars
The ultimate goal of NASA’s Artemis program, human exploration of Mars, is “humanity’s next giant leap.”
NASA will use the knowledge gained from the Artemis program to prepare for a mission to Mars, such as next-generation space suits, vehicles, engines, resupply, and other areas.
The goal is to learn how to keep a person in deep space for an extended period of time.
Establishing a “base of operations” on the Moon is part of a plan for astronauts to stay on the Moon’s surface for up to two months.
If a flight to the Moon takes only a few days, then a flight to Mars will take at least a few months.
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