NASA's Artemis Program
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has officially announced a US$35 billion plan to land the first woman on the moon and the man again after 48 years (after 1972).
This human spaceflight program has been named the 'Artemis program.' The project aims to land the first woman and the next human on the moon. For the first time since 1972, the next man and the first woman will step on the moon's surface by 2024.
However, the timely completion of the Artemis program depends on funding provided by the United States Congress to develop the landing system. NASA asked for US$1.6 billion in further funding for the Artemis project for the financial year 2020, while the Senate Appropriations Committee asked NASA for a 5 budget profile that is required for evaluation and consent by U.S. Congress. The United States House of Representatives has already approved a 600 million bill. But more money will be needed to build a complete system, including space capsules and rockets.
"I want to make it very clear that we are very grateful to the U.S. House of Representatives for agreeing on the importance of a human landing on the moon," Bridenstine said. 600 million testifies to that. However, it is also true that we are requesting more.
How They Travel To The Moon?
According to the program, the astronauts will travel in a capsule called Orion, which will be sent into space by a powerful heavy-lift rocket called the space launch system.
Orion MPCV - Orion Spacecraft
NASA's Orion spacecraft will take the team to lunar orbit, where they will transfer the Gateway or to a human landing system. The team will use the spacecraft to return safely home to earth, which has been made to hold out against the intense heat experienced upon re-entry into the climate.
Orion Ascent Abort-2 (AA-2) Test
Ascent Abort-2 was a test of the Launch Abort System of NASA's Orion spacecraft. Engineers of NASA successfully experimented with Orion's launch abort system under the high-stress states of ascent on 2nd July 2019. This test is known as Ascent Abort-2 or AA-2.
Artemis 1/Artemis I - Exploration Mission-1 (EM-1)
A new document outlines the project's first phase, which includes a test flight to the moon without humans. Named Armies 1 (Formerly known as Exploration Mission-1, EM-1). It is supposed to launch in November 2021. Kathy Lueders, head of NASA's manned spaceflight, says Armits 1 will stay there for a month to thoroughly check the system.
"With the help of test flights, we can reduce the threat to Artemis 2, a flight to the moon, including humans," she said. Thus, the journey of Artemis 2 will be the second journey of a plane with humans.
Another new test has now been added to the mission. This test is 'Proximity Operations Demonstration.'
As soon as the Orion SLS separates from the rocket, the astronauts onboard will control it manually.
The SLS rocket is getting ready for its first flight next year. In addition to Orion's ability to handle difficult situations, it will test the spacecraft's hardware and software.
48 years after Apollo 17 landed on the moon, NASA's Artemis Program will now be the first mission to take humans to the moon. And would be the first mission to take women to the moon.
NASA has given 967 million to various companies to work on the design of the machine needed for landing.
In the future, NASA is trying to build an Artemis base camp for further research on the moon where humans can work.
Scientists want water and ice samples from the moon's south pole. They want it to fuel the rocket to the moon in the future because taking fuel off the earth is expensive.
Tags: Artemis Program, Artemis 1, Artemis I, Exploration Mission-1, EM-1, Orion Ascent Abort-2, Women On Moon's Land
