The last time human visited the moon was in
December 1972, during NASA's Apollo 17 mission.
Over the decades, NASA has planned to send
people back to the moon. Through Artemis program,
NASA envisions sending astronauts to the lunar
south pole by 2024 and eventually establishing
a permanent presence on the Moon.
What is Artemis Program?
Artemis is NASA’s new lunar exploration
program, which includes sending the first
woman and the next man on the Moon, specifically
at the lunar south pole region by 2024. NASA
sees Artemis as the next step towards the
long-term goal of establishing a sustainable
presence on the Moon, laying the foundation
to prepare for human missions to Mars.
Why the program is called Artemis?
The program was named after the Greek goddess
of the moon and twin sister to Apollo. If
you remember, the first missions to take astronauts
to the Moon was called the Apollo Program
in year 1961 and with the help of this program
first man on the Moon landed on July 20, 1969.
When Artemis land, Artemis astronauts will
stand where no human has ever stood, the Moon’s
South Pole.
What Spacecraft Will Be Used for the Artemis
Program?
NASA’s new rocket is the Space Launch System
(SLS). It is the most powerful rocket ever
in the world. SLS will carry the Orion spacecraft
with up to four astronauts riding aboard to
lunar orbit. Then, astronauts will dock Orion
at a small spaceship called the Gateway. This
is where astronauts will prepare for missions
to the Moon and beyond. The crew will take
trips from the Gateway to the lunar surface
in a new human landing system, and then return
to the Gateway. When their work is finished,
the crew will return to Earth aboard Orion.
When Will We Get There?
NASA will fly two missions around the Moon
to test its deep space exploration systems. NASA
is 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 test flight with crew.
NASA will land astronauts on the Moon by 2024
on the Artemis III mission.
What Will Artemis Astronauts Do on the Moon?
The Artemis crew will visit the Moon's South
Pole. No one has ever been there. Astronauts
will:
1.Search for the Moon's water and use it.
2.Study the Moon to discover its mysteries.
3.Learn how to live and work on the surface
of another celestial body where astronauts
are just three days from home.
4.Test the technologies we need before sending
astronauts on missions to Mars, which can
take up to three years round trip.
Why Is the Artemis Program Important?
When astronauts will study new places on the
lunar surface, NASA will learn more about
the Moon, Earth and even the Sun. The Moon
is a "test bed" for Mars, to prove that a
technology or idea will work. The Moon is
a place to demonstrate that astronauts will
one day be able to work away from Earth on
Mars for long periods of time.
