Artemis Mission: Going to the Moon

Artemis Mission; We are going to the moon. NASA’s journey to the moon started on July 20, 1969. The moon mission did not stop in 1969 but progressed differently. NASA is planning to utilize and colonize the lunar surface for research and operating space programs from there. Let’s find out more about the Artemis mission- 

Artemis Mission and Naming

NASA is planning to mark the moon with human footsteps once again. 50 years after Apollo 17 mission, NASA is planning big. This entire enterprise has been kept under the Artemis mission, which will be discussed below. And to know a little more about the naming, Artemis is the goddess of the Moon and the twin sister of Apollo.   

Overview

Leaving mythology aside, Sending astronauts to the moon is a costly and time-consuming project. Not to mention, this is very challenging. However, NASA is taking all these things on their shoulder and planning for the Artemis mission as there is more than one reason NASA believes to be worthy. With the $20-30 billion plan, the Artemis mission will the done in the next 5-6 years. Let’s see why NASA has planned the Artemis mission: 

1) Fuel shortage 

You see, all these fuel issues nowadays? Scientists concluded that we will run out of fuel soon. However, Moon has an element called Helium-3, which is not found on Earth. Helium-3 can work as an alternative to the current fuel that we are using now.   

2) Space station 

We have a space station that is moving 400 km above the earth’s surface. But that is not enough as our needs are dynamic. NASA wants to build another space station above the moon’s surface orbiting the moon, which will give us much more control over the earth and the moon.  

3) Mission beyond 

You see, with all these excitements around the mission mars and the James Webb telescope, NASA wants to explore more. Thus they need a place to refuel the spaceships and one or more monitor centers for long-distance missions. Moon can be a great place to take a break while you are on a journey to space. How about living on the lunar surface after retirement?  

4) Landing of female astronauts on the moon 

Women’s contributions to science and technology are enormous. All the astronauts who landed on the moon in the previous missions were men. Through the Artemis mission, NASA wants to open doors for young and enthusiastic women to step on the moon. 

The missions of the Artemis mission

The entire Artemis mission has been divided into four small missions. Traveling through the space and working there is very risky. NASA is considering the safety of the astronauts and prioritizing precise success with small goals initially. 

Artemis-1

The Artemis-1 mission will be conducted keeping in mind the mechanical testing of the spacecraft and the safety of the astronauts. The Artemis-1 will be an experimental mission.  In this mission, a spacecraft will be sent to the moon without any astronauts in it. Nothing is interesting in this part of the Artemis mission. At this point, we will monitor the lunar surface and environment. The mission is scheduled to be completed in 2022.

Artemis-2

This mission is quite different from Artemis-1.  In this mission, spacecraft with astronauts will be sent to the moon. But this spacecraft will not have a lander to land on the moon. The astronauts of this spacecraft will travel very close to the moon. The main objective of this mission is to observe the moon closely and plan to land in the upcoming days. In this mission, NASA will prepare a space station, which will be orbiting the moon. The entire space station setup will take 6 steps, i.e 6 rockets with the parts of the space station will be launched for this. The Artemis-2 mission is scheduled to be completed in 2024.

Artemis-3

 Finally, astronauts will step onto the moon. Astronauts will reach the lunar orbit in an Orion capsule. The Orion capsule will dock on a space station that will be orbiting the moon. The astronauts will take a lander from that space station to land on the moon and will use the same lander to come back to the space station afterward. NASA says that there will be at least one female astronaut in this mission who will land on the moon with the team as well. Artemis-3 is scheduled to be completed in 2025.  

Artemis-4

The Artemis-4 mission will allow us to start working on the moon. In this mission, astronauts will work to build facilities and infrastructures. There will be research teams for research. Eventually, the moon will be under the rule of humans. As soon as facilities are prepared, astronauts and scientists will start to live in the moon and carry forward their research. The facilities will grow eventually to accommodate more experts there. NASA is planning to make a lunar colony by 2028.  

Wrapping up

The Artemis mission is a dream that we all have. Access to the lunar surface and building facilities there will help us to move one step forward to distant space missions. Science and technology are dynamic. Humans are curious. The Artemis mission will let us learn about the moon and space more precisely. Share your thoughts with us and stay tuned for more about the Artemis mission.