NASA is going back to the moon through a new space mission called Artemis. Dec. 19, 1972, was the last time an astronaut stepped foot on the moon during the Apollo 17 mission.
The series of missions NASA will be doing towards achieving this goal is called Artemis, named after the Greek god associated with the moon.
It is reported that NASA is exploring the moon again with the primary goal of being the first agency to establish a long-term presence on the moon.
Currently, NASA is preparing for the return of the astronauts, men and women, and even people of color towards the most awaited space flight to the moon.
NASA Going Back To The Moon Through Artemis 1
It is expected that NASA’s Artemis 1 moon mission will be the agency’s first significant step toward resuming human exploration of the lunar surface.
According to Space News, Exploration Mission 1 (EM-1) was renamed Artemis 1 in order to better reflect the fact that it will be the first test flight of NASA’s new Space Launch System megarocket and Orion crew capsule.
Artemis 1 is currently scheduled to launch from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida no earlier than March 20, 2022, from Launch Complex 39B. Keep checking back for real-time updates on the mission.
With the series of Mission of the Artemis program, NASA is collaborating with both commercial and international partners.
EarthSky Organization reported that the discovery of Artemis 1, 2, and 3 will be used by NASA on what it has learned on and around the moon to make the next giant leap: sending the first astronauts to the planet Mars.
Artemis 1 is a mission with no crew members on board. The mission’s goal is to conduct the first flight of NASA’s Space Launch System.
Artemis 2 Update
Technicians in NASA relocated the stage’s largest component, a 130-foot liquid hydrogen tank, to the vertical assembly area at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in California. At this point, it will be prepared to be integrated into the 66-foot forward assembly.
For the Artemis II core stage, technicians begin connecting two major components of the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket.
According to the report by NASA, known as the core stage, it is responsible for supporting the payload, upper stage, and Orion crew vehicle, as well as the thrust produced by its four RS-25 engines and two five-segment solid rocket boosters attached to the engine and intertank sections. The core stage is comprised of four RS-25 engines and two five-segment solid rocket boosters attached to the engine and intertank sections.
Woman on The Moon
As reported by Space News, NASA has targeted to aim for a 2024 moon landing for a long time now. The aeronautics and space agency also added that unlike the previous moon landing of the Apollo mission in 1972, a woman will walk on the lunar surface this time around.
Fortunately, avid space enthusiasts and the general public now have an idea of who that woman could be since nine of the 18 astronauts who have been chosen for the Artemis mission are female.
One of the five NASA astronauts who are currently living and working in space is among the astronauts who were announced to join the mission.
However, Artemis I is not crewed assignments, although Artemis II and Artemis II will be.
The need to begin training has been expressed for specific tasks as soon as possible rather than later in the flight planning process.
Space News reported that it is yet unclear who is the first woman to step foot on the moon.
In addition, it is also not yet announced which astronaut will board Artemis 2 and Artemis 3.
According to the list published by NASA, here are the nine female astronauts of The Artemis Team:
- Kayla Barron, 33
- Christina Koch, 41
- Nicole Mann, 43
- Anne McClain, 41
- Jessica Meir, 43
- Jasmin Moghbeli, 37
- Kate Rubins, 42
- Jessica Watkins, 32
- Stephanie Wilson, 54
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