ARTEMIS MISSION - SCI & TECH
News: NASA
to reveal crew for 2024 flight around the Moon
What's in the news?
● NASA
is to reveal the names of the astronauts - 3 Americans and a Canadian - who
will fly around the Moon next year, a prelude to returning humans to the lunar
surface for the first time in a half-century.
Key takeaways:
● The
mission, Artemis II, is scheduled to take place in November 2024 with the
four-person crew circling the Moon but not landing on it.
Artemis Mission:
Aim:
● To land humans on the
moon by 2024, and it also plans to land the first woman and first person of
color on the moon.
● To
contribute to scientific discovery and economic benefits and inspire a new
generation of explorers.
Named after:
● The
twin sister of Apollo from Greek mythology.
● Artemis
is also the goddess of the moon.
About the mission:
● Artemis
I is the first of NASA’s deep space exploration systems.
● It
is touted as the next generation of lunar exploration.
● It
is an uncrewed space mission where the spacecraft will launch on SLS, the most
powerful rocket in the world.
● It
will travel 2,80,000 miles from the earth for over four to six weeks during the
course of the mission.
Launch dates:
● Artemis
1: Summer 2022 (TBC)
● Artemis
2: 2022-2023 (TBC)
● Artemis
3: 2024
Spacecraft:
● The
Orion spacecraft is going to remain
in space without docking to a space station, longer than any ship for
astronauts has ever done before.
SLS Rocket:
● The
SLS rocket has been designed for space missions beyond low-earth orbit.
● It
can carry crew or cargo to the moon and beyond.
Artemis Base Camp:
● Base camp will be
established on the surface and a gateway in lunar orbit to aid exploration by
robots and astronauts.
● It
will give astronauts a place to live and work on the moon.
● It
includes a modern lunar cabin, a rover, and a mobile home.
Space agencies involved:
● The
Canadian Space Agency has committed
to providing advanced robotics for the gateway.
● The
European Space Agency will provide
the International Habitat and the ESPRIT module, which will deliver additional
communications capabilities among other things.
● The
Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency
plans to contribute habitation components and logistics resupply.