The latest moon mission from NASA is set to take its first astronauts to the lunar south pole. The four-billion-dollar mission will also include the launch of a solar sail and the deployment of two small satellites that will study the ice on the moon. The mission will also test technology and examine the potential uses of the moon’s resources, including water.
While NASA is working on a solution for the radiation problem, one of the main issues is that the current radiation threshold is unfair to women. This is why the agency is working towards a new standard that would be less discriminatory. A change in this standard will be essential in allowing women to be more involved in lunar exploration.
The Artemis programme is the first step towards this goal. Named after the twin sister of Apollo in Greek mythology, the mission is the modern-day equivalent of the Apollo programme, which sent the first humans to the Moon in 1969. A follow-up mission, the Artemis 2 mission, will send astronauts on a mission around the Moon in 2024. The third mission, Artemis 3, will land near the south pole, where it will take the first female astronauts to walk on the Moon.
In addition to the Artemis I mission, NASA has committed to sending the first woman and person of color to the moon. The mission has already launched a series of mannequins and is now awaiting the launch of the Artemis I spacecraft. Despite the difficulties experienced during the first launch attempt, the mission is still on track for a September launch. The spacecraft is still on schedule for a second two-hour window.
Artemis, named after the Greek goddess of the moon, aims to establish a human base camp and a mineral mining operation. This mission will also lay the groundwork for a new lunar economy. In addition to its primary goal of enabling scientific discovery, Artemis will also inspire a new generation of scientists, technologists, and leaders to explore the moon.
The SLS rocket, which is the largest rocket ever built, was supposed to launch on Monday but had problems with fueling. NASA’s Mission Management Team will review the launch attempt today and make a final decision on whether the booster will be able to fly before the current lunar launch window closes. If it cannot fly, the booster will be hauled back to the Vehicle Assembly Building for servicing and post-scrub repairs. A roll back would likely delay the mission until mid-October.
The Orion capsule will also perform experiments to examine the impact of radiation on living organisms. The probe will send back data from Earth on how DNA reacts to deep-space radiation. As the Orion capsule travels past the Moon, scientists will be able to study the effects of the radiation on the DNA of yeast.