News: NASA published the outline for its Artemis program.
Facts:
- ARTEMIS stands for Acceleration, Reconnection, Turbulence and Electrodynamics of the Moon’s Interaction with the Sun.
- Objectives:
- Establishing of lunar outpost
- Investigating the Moon’s resources and how they might be exploited
- Using Moon as a base to explore Mars and further into deep space
- Broaden commercial and international partnerships
- Inspire a new generation and encourage careers in STEM.
- Parts of the Program:
- Artemis I: to be launched in 2021 and involves an uncrewed flight to test the SLS and Orion spacecraft.
- Artemis II will be the first crewed flight test and is targeted for 2023.
- Artemis III will land astronauts on the Moon’s South Pole in 2024.
Additional Information:
Previous Moon Missions:
- In 1959, the Soviet Union’s uncrewed Luna 1 and 2 became the first rover to visit the Moon.
- In 1969, Neil Armstrong became the first human to step on the Moon as part of NASA’s Apollo 11 mission.
- In 2008, India’s first lunar program Chandrayaan 1 was launched.
- In 2009, USA began a new series of robotic lunar missions with the launch of the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) and the Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS).
