ARTEMIS
MISSION - SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
News: Watch | NASA launches Artemis I for the moon
What's
in the news?
● On November 16 at 1:47 am, NASA launched Artemis 1 from the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida.
Key
takeaways:
●
It is going on a crewless journey around the moon and back.
●
It is the first flight of the combined
Space Launch System rocket and the Orion capsule.
●
The journey includes a 25-day Orion flight that would bring
the capsule to within 97 km of the lunar surface.
●
Then, it would fly 64,400 km beyond the
moon before it loops back to Earth.
●
The capsule is expected to land at sea on
December 11.
● With the Artemis programme, NASA hopes to return humans to the moon as early as 2025.
Artemis
Mission:
Aim:
●
To land
humans on the moon by 2024, and it also plans to land the first woman and
first person of colour 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.
Gateway:
●
The gateway is a critical component of
NASA’s sustainable lunar operations and will serve as a multi-purpose outpost
orbiting the moon.
●
It is a spaceship in lunar orbit where
astronauts will transfer between Orion and the lander on regular Artemis
missions.
● Gateway will remain in orbit for more than a decade, providing a place to live and work, and supporting long-term science and human exploration on and around the Moon.
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.
Significance:
1.
More Knowledge: As more is known about the Moon compared
with 50 years ago (and technologies have greatly advanced), NASA claims that
this next series of missions will be able to retrieve samples more
strategically than during the Apollo era.
2. Finding Resources: The discovery of water on the Moon and potential deposits of rare minerals hold promise for both scientific and economic exploration and exploitation.
3.
Way to Mars: It will pave a way to mars explorations.
NASA sees Artemis as laying the foundation for both international space
agencies and private companies to build a lunar settlement and economy, and
from there eventually send humans to Mars.
4.
Lunar Economy: It will enable a growing lunar economy by
fueling new industries, supporting job growth, and furthering the demand for a
skilled workforce.