[NASA] Artemis

With Artemis missions, NASA will land the first woman and first person of color on the Moon, using innovative technologies to explore more of the lunar surface than ever before. We will collaborate with commercial and international partners and establish the first long-term presence on the Moon. Then, we will use what we learn on and around the Moon to take the next giant leap: sending the first astronauts to Mars.

WHY WE ARE GOING TO THE MOON?
We’re going back to the Moon for scientific discovery, economic benefits, and inspiration for a new generation of explorers: the Artemis Generation. While maintaining American leadership in exploration, we will build a global alliance and explore deep space for the benefit of all.

We will build an Artemis Base Camp on the surface and the Gateway in lunar orbit. These elements will allow our robots and astronauts to explore more and conduct more science than ever before.

When Will We Get There?
Starting in 2022, and throughout the decade, we will send a suite of science instruments and technology demonstrations to the lunar surface through commercial lunar payload deliveries. 

Prior to a lunar surface landing, we will fly two missions around the Moon to test our deep space exploration systems. We’re working toward launching Artemis I, an uncrewed flight to test the SLS and Orion spacecraft together, followed by the Artemis II mission, the first SLS and Orion flight test with crew.

What Will We Do There?

Artist's concept of Gateway in lunar orbit.
Credits: NASA

While Mars remains our horizon goal, we have set our sights first on exploring the surface of the Moon with human and robotic explorers. We will send astronauts to new locations, starting with the lunar South Pole. At the Moon, we will: 

• Find and use water and other critical resources needed for long-term exploration
  
• Investigate the Moon’s mysteries and learn more about our home planet and the universe Learn how to live and operate on the surface of another celestial body where astronauts are just three days from home Prove the technologies we need before sending astronauts on missions to Mars, which can take up to three years roundtrip
   
  

Going back to the Moon will be the shining moment of our generation. This moment will belong to all of us: the Artemis Generation. Are you ready? 

• Explore education and STEM engagement resources 
  

Where Did The Name Artemis Come From?
Artemis is the twin sister of Apollo and goddess of the Moon in Greek mythology. Now, she personifies our path to the Moon as the name of NASA's efforts to return astronauts and a new wave of science payloads and technology demonstrations to the lunar surface. When they land, American astronauts will step foot where no human has ever been before: the Moon’s South Pole.

Learn more at: https://www.nasa.gov/specials/artemis/

"The Orion spacecraft is now on its seventh day into the Artemis I mission, a flight test around the Moon, paving the way for astronauts to fly on future missions. At 12:02 a.m. CST, Orion completed the fifth outbound trajectory correction by firing the European service module’s auxiliary engines for 5.9 seconds, which changed Orion’s velocity by 3.2 feet per second.

The R-4D-11 auxiliary engines are a variant of the flight proven R-4D engine, which was originally developed for the Apollo program and was employed on every mission to the Moon. The engines are positioned at the bottom of the service module in four sets of two, and each provide about 100 pounds of thrust. In total, Orion’s highly capable service module has 33 engines of various sizes and serves as the powerhouse for the spacecraft, providing propulsion capabilities that enable Orion to go around the Moon and back on its exploration missions.

The team in the White Flight Control Room at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston continued testing the spacecraft’s star trackers to determine their sensitivity to thermal variations as part of planned testing, and engineers used the optical navigation system to gather additional imagery of the Moon. The star trackers and optical navigation system are part of Orion’s advanced guidance, navigation, and control system, responsible for always knowing where the spacecraft is located in space, which way it’s pointed, and where it’s going. It even controls the propulsion system to keep the spacecraft on the correct path. The optical navigation can serve later in this mission and in future missions as a backup, ensuring a safe trip home should the spacecraft lose communications."

Read more at: https://blogs.nasa.gov/artemis/2022/11/22/artemis-i-flight-day-seven-orion-to-test-search-acquire-and-track-mode-exit-lunar-sphere-of-influence/

Spoiler:

On day 11 of the Artemis I mission, Orion continues its journey beyond the Moon after entering a distant retrograde orbit Friday, Nov. 25, at 3:52 p.m. CST. Orion will remain in this orbit for six days before exiting lunar orbit to put the spacecraft on a trajectory back to Earth and f a Sunday, Dec. 11, splashdown in the Pacific Ocean.

Orion surpassed the distance record for a mission with a spacecraft designed to carry humans to deep space and back to Earth, at 7:42 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 26. The record was set during the Apollo 13 mission at 248,655 miles from our home planet. At its maximum distance from the Moon, Orion will be more than 270,000 miles from Earth Monday, Nov. 28.

read more at: https://blogs.nasa.gov/artemis/2022/11/26/artemis-i-flight-day-11-orion-surpasses-apollo-13-record-distance-from-earth/

Spoiler:

Orion has left its distant lunar orbit and is on its return journey home. The spacecraft successfully completed the distant retrograde departure burn at 3:53 p.m. CST, firing its main engine for 1 minute 45 seconds to set the spacecraft on course for a close lunar flyby before its return home.

The burn changed Orion’s velocity by about 454 feet per second and was performed using the Orion main engine on the European Service Module. The engine is an orbital maneuvering system engine modified for use on Orion and built by Aerojet Rocketdyne. The engine has the ability to provide 6,000 pounds of thrust. The proven engine flying on Artemis I flew on 19 space shuttle flights, beginning with STS-41G in October 1984 and ending with STS-112 in October 2002.

The burn is one of two maneuvers required ahead of Orion’s splashdown in the Pacific Ocean on Dec. 11. The second will occur on Monday, Dec. 5, when the spacecraft will fly 79.2 miles above the lunar surface and perform the return powered flyby burn, which will commit Orion on its course toward Earth.

Read more at: https://blogs.nasa.gov/artemis/

Images are available on NASA’s Johnson Space Center Flickr account and Image and Video Library (https://images.nasa.gov/search-results?q=artemis resource).
When bandwidth allows, views of the mission are available in real-time.

Artemis I Flight Day 22 – Orion Continues on its Journey Back to Earth



(Dec. 5, 2022): Cameras mounted on the crew module of the Orion spacecraft captured these views of the Moon’s surface. On flight day 20 of the Artemis I mission, the spacecraft made its second and final close approach to the Moon before its returned powered flyby burn.

Orion continues its journey back to Earth on day 22 (12/7/22) of the 25.5-day Artemis I mission with flight controllers and engineers continuing to test the spacecraft and its systems in preparation for future flights with humans aboard.

Orion will travel at around 25,000 mph while reentering Earth’s atmosphere, testing the world’s largest ablative heat shield by reaching temperatures up to 5,000 degrees Fahrenheit – approximately half the heat of the sun.

On Thursday, Dec. 8 at 5 p.m. EST, NASA will host a briefing to preview Orion’s return scheduled for Sunday, Dec. 11 and to discuss how the recovery teams are preparing for entry and splashdown. The briefing will be live on NASA TV, the agency’s website, and the NASA app.
Watch the latest episode of Artemis All Access for a look back at recent mission accomplishments and a preview of splashdown, including parachute information.

Ref: https://blogs.nasa.gov/artemis/

Spoiler:

Artemis I Update: Orion Secured Inside USS Portland Ahead of Return to Shore  



"NASA's Orion spacecraft splashed down in the Pacific Orion at 12:40 p.m. EST Dec. 11, 2022.
At 12:40 p.m. EST, Dec. 11, 2022, NASA’s Orion spacecraft for the Artemis I mission splashed down in the Pacific Ocean after a 25.5 day mission to the Moon. Orion will be recovered by NASA’s Landing and Recovery team, U.S. Navy and Department of Defense partners aboard the USS Portland.

Upon Orion’s successful splashdown in the Pacific Ocean west of Baja California at 9:40 PST/12:40 EST Dec. 11, flight controllers in mission control at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston spent about two hours performing tests in open water to gather additional data about the spacecraft, including on its thermal properties after enduring the searing heat of re-entry through Earth’s atmosphere. Recovery personnel also spent time collecting detailed imagery of the spacecraft before beginning to pull the capsule into the USS Portland’s well deck."

Photo Credit: NASA/James M. Blair
Reference: https://blogs.nasa.gov/artemis/author/ajarami1/

With Artemis, NASA looks to accomplish something unprecedented – exploration of the lunar South Pole. When astronauts reach their destination and establish a long-term presence, a unique challenge awaits.

Unlike Apollo missions, which were equatorial and had abundant sunlight, Artemis missions will operate in inhospitable conditions, including the lunar night cycle and permanently shadowed craters. They also will traverse between areas of blinding sunlight and complete darkness. To accomplish the ambitious science and exploration objectives of Artemis, our astronauts, spacecraft, rovers, and other surface hardware will need reliable power – power to see, to work, to live.

NASA's Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, where the agency’s power expertise resides, recently hosted two workshops to bring together groups of experts to discuss powering Artemis and future missions beyond. 

Read more at: https://www.nasa.gov/feature/glenn/2022/lets-workshop-this-exploration-power-for-the-moon-mars-and-beyond