NASA’s massive moon rocket needed only minor repairs after Hurricane Nicole landed on the pad and is on track for its first test flight, a top official told The Associated Press on Friday. “Right now, there’s nothing stopping us” from attempting a launch on Wednesday, said NASA’s Jim Free, an associate administrator. Liftoff is scheduled for Wednesday at 1:04 AM. EST with a two-hour launch window. The launch will begin a series of lunar missions to return humans to the moon for the first time in more than 50 years. According to the Associated Press, the six-week flight will take the capsule around the moon in a long orbit and return to Earth with a splashdown in the Pacific. Without a crew, the spacecraft has been equipped with three dummies to measure vibrations and radiation during the journey. The 322-foot-long (98-meter) rocket, known as the SLS for Space Launch System, is the most powerful ever built by NASA. A crew capsule atop the rocket, with three test dummies, will shoot for the moon – the first such flight in 50 years, when Apollo astronauts last visited the moon. The mission, Artemis 1, is the first of many missions expected within the decade.
Why is it called Artemis?
After an updated budget request to Congress in 2019, NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine announced that the mission that would send astronauts back to the moon would be called Artemis. In Greek mythology, Artemis is the twin sister of the god Apollo. The mission’s name is a nod to NASA’s last program that sent astronauts to the Moon from 1968 to 1972, according to the New York Times.
What are the missions and how many are they?
NASA plans at least four Artemis missions and is expected to launch several support missions along the way. Artemis 1 – This mission will be an uncrewed mission to test NASA’s mega-rocket, the SLS, and the Orion capsule. The primary objective is to demonstrate Orion’s systems in space and ensure safe recovery before the first manned flight on Artemis 2. Artemis 2 – According to NASA, Artemis 2 will take four astronauts into an elliptical orbit around the moon, taking them farther into space than any human. Artemis 3 – This mission, which is much more complex than the previous two, will return humans to the moon for the first time since 1972. NASA says the mission will include the first woman and the first person of color to walk to the moon . SpaceX’s lunar Starship, the Human Landing System, is a critical piece of the mission. The Orion crew will board the HLS while in lunar orbit and use it to land on the surface. After the lunar walk, the crew will lift off with HLS and return to the Orion spacecraft for the journey home. Artemis 4 and beyond – NASA plans to launch several lunar support missions, including a small space station that will orbit the moon, creating habitats on the service and adding equipment to extract resources from the surface. The United States’ Apollo program was the only mission to send astronauts to the moon. During the program, 24 astronauts flew to the moon, 12 of whom walked on the surface. No humans have returned to the Moon since the Apollo 17 lunar module lifted off the surface on December 14, 1972. ©2022 Cox Media Group
