NASA’s Artemis I mission is due to take off on Monday. This trip to the Moon is the first of several others that should eventually allow man to reach Mars. Without an astronaut on board, this first expedition led by the US space agency aims to prepare a manned flight and collect valuable scientific data.
Weather permitting, the Orion spacecraft will blast off for the Moon from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Monday starting at 8:33 a.m. local time (2:33 p.m. in Paris), with the NASA Space Launch System (SLS). ) rocket. The trip lasts 42 days, 3 hours and 20 minutes, with a return scheduled for October 10.
· What does this new mission consist of?
Artemis I is “the first in a series of increasingly complex missions”, explains NASA. For this first trip, therefore, it is not about landing on the Moon, but about placing the Orion spacecraft, which left without a crew, in orbit around our satellite.
“The spacecraft will perform a flyby of the Moon, using lunar gravity to gain speed and propel itself 70,000 km beyond the Moon, nearly half a million km from Earth, further than ‘no human has ever travelled’ , writes the European Space Agency, which is involved in the project and provided the service module.
· Why organize an unmanned mission?
The objective of this flight “is to test the rocket and its unmanned capsule to ensure that they will be able to transport a crew back to our satellite from 2024,” explains Stan Love, a NASA astronaut.
Therefore, this mission has test value for Orion. Mission objective number 1 is to test the capsule’s heat shield, the largest ever built (5 meters in diameter). When it returns to the Earth’s atmosphere, it will have to withstand a speed of 40,000 km/h and a temperature of 2,800°C. The spacecraft will be slowed to 480 km/h by the atmosphere, then to 32 km/h by a series of parachutes, until it lands in front of the Californian city of San Diego.
The capsule will carry with it a mannequin called Moonikin Campos, installed in the commander’s seat and dressed in NASA’s new suit. He will record the acceleration and vibrations experienced. Inside will also be two female mannequins, named Helga and Zohar. They are made of materials that mimic bones or even human organs.
One will be wearing a radiation jacket, the other will not. The sensors will make it possible to evaluate the levels of radiation received, particularly in deep space, where the radiation is much higher, and to assess the necessary protection for future passengers.
A large number of cameras on board will make it possible to follow the entire journey, for example, from the point of view of a passenger in the capsule.
· What scientific experiments will be carried out?
Orion will carry out several research projects. The rocket’s upper stage will deploy an array of ten CubeSats, shoebox-sized microsatellites. These “small spacecraft” “will each perform their own scientific mission,” explains Jacob Bleacher, head of NASA’s human exploration service.
Some have the mission of recovering information about the Moon: what is it made of? What kind of rock or ice is there? One of these boxes is even aiming to land on the moon. It will also involve understanding and analyzing the environment and weather, as well as testing propulsion systems.
Other experiments will try to collect information on space biology, to observe how terrestrial organisms react in space. In short, “how life reacts to the space environment”, says Jacob Bleacher. Seeds, fungi, yeasts, algae will be transported on board the ship and will be analyzed on its return, to measure the incidence of radiation on them, particularly beyond the Moon.
· When is the next mission?
After Artemis I, Artemis II must perform the same flight but with a crew. Therefore, these astronauts will travel “further into the solar system than humanity has traveled before”, and this mission “will allow the crew to practice operations essential to the success of Artemis III”, that is, the return mission. from man to the moon writes NASA.
“These test flights will demonstrate the capabilities we need to land the first woman and next man on the Moon by 2024 and enable sustainable missions for decades to come,” says Mike Sarafin, Artemis Mission Leader.
Then it will be about establishing “the first long-term presence on the Moon”, writes the US space agency. Above all, all these experiments serve a more distant goal, because “going back to the Moon means preparing for manned missions much further away, and of course we are thinking at the moment of the planet Mars”, Olivier Sanguy, editor-in-chief, explains to BFMTV. head of the Cité de l’espace website.
A clearly stated goal by NASA: “We will use what we learn on and around the Moon to take the next giant step, sending the first astronauts to Mars.”
Source: BFM TV
