17.01.2023
Artemis III will be humanity's return to the lunar surface and NASA will make history by sending the first humans to the lunar South Pole region.
Humans have always been drawn to explore, discover, and learn as much as we can about the world-and worlds-around us. This isn't always easy, but it's in our nature. For the benefit of all humanity, NASA and its partners will land the first woman and first person of color on the surface of the Moon with Artemis.
Following two Artemis test missions, Artemis III, currently planned for 2025, will mark humanity's first return to the lunar surface in more than 50 years. NASA will make history by sending the first humans to explore the region near the lunar South Pole.
On the way
NASA's Orion spacecraft will be the crew's ride to and from Earth and into and out of lunar orbit. Orion is the only spacecraft capable of returning crews to Earth at lunar reentry velocities. On the successful Artemis I mission, Orion's uniquely designed heat shield was recently tested under these extreme reentry conditions. Four astronauts will depart from Launch Pad 39B at Kennedy Space Center in Florida atop the Space Launch System (SLS), the only rocket powerful enough to send Orion, its crew, and their supplies to the Moon in a single launch. The crew will be selected from among the most diverse astronaut corps in history, each equipped with unique skills and intensively trained.
First the crew will launch to Earth orbit where they will perform systems checks and solar panel adjustments on Orion. Then, a powerful push from SLS's interim cryogenic propulsion stage will help Orion perform a translunar injection maneuver, setting its course to the Moon.
For several days, the crew will travel toward the Moon and perform corrective engine burns to intercept the Moon's gravitational field. At the right time and location, Orion will perform a series of two engine burns to place the spacecraft in a lunar Near-Rectilinear Halo Orbit (NRHO).
From hundreds of potential orbits, NASA selected NRHO to achieve long-term Artemis goals. NRHO will provide near-constant communications with Earth and access to sites all over the Moon. Because it is gravitationally balanced between Earth and the Moon, this orbit will maximize fuel efficiency. On future missions, NASA and its partners will assemble the Gateway lunar space station in NRHO to serve as a hub for Artemis missions.
NASA has selected SpaceX to provide the human landing system that will transport Artemis III astronauts from Orion in lunar orbit to the surface of the Moon and back again. SpaceX plans to use a unique concept of operations to increase the overall efficiency of their lander.
After a series of tests, SpaceX will fly at least one uncrewed demo mission that lands Starship on the lunar surface. When Starship has met all of NASA's requirements and high standards for crew safety, it will be ready for its first Artemis mission.
Before the crew launch, SpaceX will launch a storage depot to Earth orbit. A series of reusable tankers will carry propellant to the storage depot to fuel the human landing system. The uncrewed Starship human landing system will then launch to Earth orbit and rendezvous with the storage depot to fill its tanks before executing a translunar injection engine burn and traveling approximately six days to NRHO where it will await the Artemis III crew.
When both spacecraft have arrived in NRHO, Orion will dock with the Starship human landing system in preparation for the first lunar surface expedition of the 21st century. Once the crew and their supplies are ready, two astronauts will board Starship and two will remain in Orion.
Orion will undock and back away from Starship to remain in NRHO for roughly one orbit around the Moon, lasting about 6.5 days. This will match the length of the surface expedition, so as Orion completes its orbit, the two person surface crew will finish their work on the surface in time to launch back up to meet the spacecraft.
NASA has its sights set on locations around the South Pole for the Artemis era of human lunar exploration. Extreme, contrasting conditions make it a challenging location for Earthlings to land, live, and work, but the region's unique characteristics hold promise for unprecedented deep space scientific discoveries. Using advanced technology including autonomous systems, the crew inside of Starship will land at a carefully selected site within a 100-meter radius.
On the Moon
After touchdown, the surface crew's first task will be to ensure all systems are ready for their lunar surface stay. Then they will rest, eat, and recharge for the first full day of the expedition.
During their time on the Moon, the astronauts will do scientific work inside Starship and conduct a series of moonwalks, exiting Starship to explore the surface. The astronauts will don advanced spacesuits, exit through an airlock, and descend on Starship's elevator. NASA has selected Axiom Space to provide the Artemis III surface suits and spacewalk systems. These suits will give the astronauts increased range of motion and flexibility to explore more of the landscape than on previous lunar missions.
During their moonwalks, the astronauts will take pictures and video, survey geology, retrieve samples, and collect other data to meet specific scientific objectives. The view from the lunar South Pole region will look very different from the photos taken on Apollo missions in the Moon's equatorial region.
The Sun will hover just above the horizon, casting long, dark shadows across the terrain, which the crew will explore using headlamps and navigational tools. The information and materials collected by Artemis III astronauts will increase our understanding of the mysterious South Pole region, the Moon, and our solar system.
Mission control teams on the ground will be in contact with the crew as they relay what they see, hear, and feel. Through mission coverage and the ability to send high quality images and video to the ground with advanced communication technology, they will be sharing a unique new human experience with the world.
On the journey home
When their surface expedition is complete, the two astronauts will lift off the surface of the Moon and head back to NRHO in Starship to reunite with their crewmates in Orion. After docking, the crew will spend up to five days in orbit, transferring samples between the vehicles and preparing for the journey back to Earth.
When they reach the optimal NRHO departure point, with all four astronauts back in Orion, they will undock and ignite Orion's engines, slinging the spacecraft past the Moon, and allowing it to coast toward Earth. The crew will travel about 24,855 miles (about 40,000 kilometers) per hour during reentry into Earth's atmosphere. Assisted by 11 parachutes, the spacecraft will splash down in the Pacific Ocean where it and the crew will be retrieved with support from the U.S. Coast Guard and U.S. Navy.
Artemis III will be one of the most complex undertakings of engineering and human ingenuity in the history of deep space exploration to date. The astronauts' observations, samples, and data collected will expand our understanding of our solar system and home planet, while inspiring the next generation.
This mission will usher in a future in which humans consistently access the Moon, and human planetary exploration missions are within reach. Each Artemis mission will increase our knowledge, refine our operations, and prove our technology as we prepare for the first human mission to Mars.
Quelle: SD
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Update: 1.07.2023
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Moonquake-hunting 'SPIDER' probes could detect lunar temblors on NASA Artemis missions
The early-stage mission hooks into NASA's Artemis program.
A rendering of Fleet Space's SPIDER, a three-component seismic station set to be deployed at the moon's south pole. (Image credit: Fleet Space Technologies)
A spider web-like network of earthquake stations is aiming for the moon.
Australian company Fleet Space received funding to develop its Seismic Payload for Interplanetary Discovery, Exploration and Research, or SPIDER, to detect seismic quakes on the moon in the future. The early-stage $4 million AUS ($2.65 million USD) contract is not for an imminent landing mission, but for technology development. The eventual goal is to bring a trio of seismic monitors to the moon for one lunar "day" (14 days on Earth) to help locate valuable resources below the lunar surface.
SPIDER aims to record moonquakes continuously for up to 14 days and will launch "aboard a commercial lander" that has not been selected yet. The test of compact geophysical equipment will be useful not only for the moon, but also for remote environments on Earth or Mars "We are explorers with a mission to revolutionize mineral exploration from Earth to the moon and Mars," the company wrote in a statement.
Fleet Space CEO Matthew Pearson stated that the Australian Space Agency funding will be key to helping his country support the NASA-led Artemis Accordsmoon program.
"We are poised to be the first Australian technology to touch down on the surface of the moon, supporting humanity's efforts towards [lunar exploration] and aligning with NASA's Artemis program, with a future vision of Martian exploration supporting the hunt for life beyond our planet," Pearson said in a statement.
Australia was one of the first signatories of the Artemis Accords, a NASA framework for moon exploration as well as an effort to establish international peaceful norms for space exploration. (The addition of India and Ecuador in recent weeks brought the number of participating nations to 27.)
NASA aims to bring humans to the moon's south pole in 2025 or 2026 with the Artemis 3 mission, and has funded numerous robotic payloads under its Commercial Lunar Payload Services program that may see its first mission touch down as soon as this year. The moon-circling Artemis 2 has a crew in training, and a launch date of November 2024.
Fleet is funded under the Australian government's $40 million AUS ($26.45 million USD) "moon to Mars initiative" aiming to help countries get ready for moon exploration. It's similar to NASA's CLPS or Canada's Lunar Exploration Accelerator Program (LEAP), to name a couple of Artemis signatories.
Other recent news by Fleet includes raising $50 million AUS ($33 million USD) in a Series C fundraising round, building out an ExoSphere set of satellites to scan for minerals in Earth orbit, and signing with Australia's Defense Space Command for a demonstrator satellite communications system.
The first lunar seismometers were deployed by the Apollo programastronauts between 1969 and 1972 during several of the program's six successful landing missions. All remaining functional seismometers were turned off in 1977 to save money, despite having a modest yearly cost of $1 million ($5 million in 2023 dollars), according to the New York Times.
Quelle: SC
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Update: 28.08.2023
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NASA selects geology team for the first crewed Artemis landing
NASA has selected the geology team that will develop the surface science plan for the first crewed lunar landing mission in more than 50 years. NASA's Artemis III mission will land astronauts, including the first woman to land on the Moon, near the lunar South Pole to advance scientific discovery and pave the way for long-term lunar exploration.
"Science is one of the pillars of Artemis," said Dr. Nicky Fox, NASA Science Associate Administrator. "This team will be responsible for leading the geology planning for humanity's first return to the lunar surface in more than 50 years, ensuring that we maximize the science return of Artemis and grow in our understanding of our nearest celestial neighbor."
The Artemis III Geology Team, led by principal investigator Dr. Brett Denevi of the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Maryland, will work with the agency to determine the mission's geological science objectives and design the geology surface campaign that the Artemis astronauts will carry out on the Moon during this historic mission. These objectives will be defined in accordance with the established Artemis science priorities.
"Selecting this team marks an important step in our efforts to optimize the science return of Artemis III. This team of well-respected lunar scientists has demonstrated experience with science operations, sample analysis, and operational flexibility, all of which is critical for the successful incorporation of science during Artemis III," said Dr. Joel Kearns, deputy associate administrator for exploration in NASA's Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington.
"With the establishment of the Artemis III Geology Team, we are ensuring that NASA will build a strong lunar science program."
The other co-investigators on the Artemis III Geology Team are:
Dr. Lauren Edgar (deputy principal investigator), U.S. Geological Survey in Reston, Virginia
Dr. Bradley Jolliff, Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri
Dr. Caleb Fassett, Johns Hopkins University
Dr. Dana Hurley, Johns Hopkins University
Dr. Gordon Osinski, University of Western Ontario in London
Dr. Jennifer Heldmann, NASA's Ames Research Center in Silicon Valley, California
Dr. Jose Hurtado, University of Texas at El Paso
Dr. Juliane Gross, Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey
Dr. Katherine Joy, University of Manchester in the United Kingdom
Dr. Mark Robinson, Arizona State University in Tempe
Dr. Yang Liu, NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California
The Geology Team's focus will be to plan the Artemis III astronauts' science activities during their moonwalks, which will include field geology traverses, observations, and the collection of lunar samples, imagery, and scientific measurements. The team will also support the real-time documentation and initial assessment of scientific data during astronaut lunar operations. Members will then evaluate the data returned by the mission, including preliminary examination and cataloguing of the first lunar samples collected by NASA since 1972.
"The Artemis III Geology Team will have the unique opportunity to analyze the first-ever samples from the lunar south pole region, helping us not only to unlock new information about the formation of our Solar System, but also with planning for future Artemis missions and establishing a long-term lunar presence," said Jim Free, Associate Administrator for NASA's Exploration Systems Mission Directorate.
The collection of samples and data from this region, which contains some of the oldest parts of the Moon, estimated to be at least 3.85 billion years old, will help scientists better understand fundamental planetary processes that operate across the solar system and beyond.
The resulting analysis from the geology team's activities could also help yield important information about the depth, distribution, and composition of ice at the Moon's South Pole. This information is valuable from both a scientific and a resource perspective because oxygen and hydrogen can be extracted from lunar ice to be used for life support systems and fuel.
The team, which was chosen through a dual-anonymous peer review process, will have a budget of $5.1 million to lead the geology for Artemis III.
The members of this geology team are part of the broader Artemis Science Team and will work in coordination with Artemis III Project Scientist, Dr. Noah Petro, and the NASA Artemis Internal Science Team, as well as participating scientists, and deployed payload teams that will be selected from future or ongoing competitive solicitations.
Through Artemis, NASA will land the first woman and first person of color on the Moon, establishing a long-term, sustainable lunar presence to explore more of the lunar surface than ever before and prepare for future astronaut missions to Mars.
Quelle: SD
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Update: 3.09.2023
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Ontario professor part of NASA’s geology team for Artemis III moon mission
CSA astronaut David Saint-Jacques, left, and Dr. Gordon Osinski are shown on a field training expedition at West Clearwater Lake in northern Quebec in this 2014 handout photo. In a milestone moment for Canadian space science, planetary geologist Gordon “Oz” Osinski is hoping to "make Canada proud" after his appointment to a NASA team that will train the first person to walk on the moon in over 50 years. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO - Gordon Osinski.
Quelle: Global News
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Update: 6.09.2023
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Australia launching moon rover on NASA Artemis mission as soon as 2026
And you can take a crack at naming the spacecraft — if you're an Australian resident.
Artist's illustration of Australia's first moon rover on the lunar surface. (Image credit: Australian Space Agency)
Australia will send a rover to the moon for the first time just a few short years from now, if all goes according to plan.
The nation will put a robotic rover on one of NASA's Artemis moon missions, with liftoff occurring as soon as 2026, according to the Australian Space Agency.
"Drawing on Australia's world-leading remote operations expertise, the rover will collect lunar soil, known as regolith," the agency wrote in a statement on Tuesday (Sept. 5). "NASA will attempt to extract oxygen from the sample. This is a key step towards a sustainable human presence on the moon."
The rover does not yet have a name, but the Australian Space Agency is working on that. The agency just launched a competition to hang a moniker on the pioneering robot, and you can participate — if you're an Australian resident.
You have until Oct. 20 to submit your entry. The Australian Space Agency will select its four favorites from the public offerings, then submit the shortlist to a public vote. The winner will be announced in early December.
NASA is working to establish a permanent, sustainable human presence on and around the moon by the end of the 2020s via the Artemis program. The skills and knowledge learned in doing so will enable humanity's next giant leap, a crewed mission to Mars, NASA officials say.
NASA has launched one Artemis mission to date — Artemis 1, which sent an uncrewed Orion spacecraft to lunar orbit and back late last year. The agency is gearing up to send four astronauts around the moon on Artemis 2, which is scheduled to lift off in late 2024.
The next mission after that, Artemis 3, will put boots down near the lunar south pole in late 2025 or 2026, if all goes according to plan.
NASA is leveraging a variety of commercial and international partnerships to achieve Artemis' ambitious goals, as the inclusion of the Australian rover on an upcoming mission shows. In addition, the European Space Agency provides Orion's service module, and SpaceX's next-generation Starship vehicle will be the program's first crewed lunar lander.
Quelle: SC
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Update: 6.12.2023
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NASA Continues Progress on Artemis III Rocket Adapter with Key Joint Installation
NASA/Sam Lott
Engineers and technicians at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, recently installed a key component called the frangible joint assembly onto the adapter that connects the core stage to the upper part of the NASA’s SLS (Space Launch System) rocket. The cone-shaped stage adapter, called the launch vehicle stage adapter, will be part of the SLS mega rocket that will power NASA’s Artemis III mission to the Moon. The frangible joint sits atop the adapter and operates as a separation mechanism. The frangible joint is designed to break apart upon command, allowing the upper part of the rocket, NASA’s Orion spacecraft, and the crew inside Orion to quickly separate from the SLS core stage and adapter. Frangible joint assemblies are widely used across the space industry in a variety of crewed and uncrewed spacecraft to efficiently separate fairings or stages during launch, during ascent, in orbit and during payload deployment. The stage adapter used for Artemis III is set to be the last of its kind as SLS evolves into a larger and more powerful configuration for future Artemis missions, beginning with Artemis IV. The adapter is fully assembled at Marshall by NASA and lead contractor Teledyne Brown, which is also based in Huntsville.
SLS is part of NASA’s backbone for deep space exploration, along with Orion and the Gateway in orbit around the Moon, and commercial human landing systems. SLS is the only rocket that can send Orion, astronauts, and supplies to the Moon in a single launch.
Quelle: NASA
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Update: 1.04.2024
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Space Lab® LEAF Experiment Selected for Artemis III Lunar Mission
LEAF β Payload Concept
Space Lab® announced that the company has been selected to develop LEAF, a plant science experiment for NASA’s Artemis III Lunar mission. Artemis III will bring humans to the surface of the moon for the first time in this century. The Artemis III Deployed Instruments (A3DI) call solicited instrument suites to conduct high-priority science investigations that can be uniquely accomplished by human deployment of payloads on the surface of the Moon. LEAF, which stands for Lunar Effects on Agricultural Flora, will study how the Lunar environment affects the germination and growth of plants that may be used to feed astronauts of the future. Human nutrition and life support (carbon dioxide removal, oxygen production, and water purification) provided by space agriculture will enable long-duration human exploration of the moon and beyond. Plant biology research on the Lunar surface is needed to understand the effects of partial gravity and space radiation on crop physiology and to demonstrate the potential for sustained, off-planet propagation.
