Why won't Artemis 2 land on the Moon?
The Artemis 2 mission will be the first time NASA has sent astronauts to the Moon in more
than 50 years, but...
Why, with more technology than back then and better spacecraft than those
of the Apollo program, will astronauts not land on
the Moon?
Let's find out!
Previously we did a trilogy in which we explained in detail each of the Artemis Project stages.
We invite you to see it.
However, since that series of videos suggested some questions, today we will focus on the
details of the Artemis 2 mission that is planned to launch in 2024.
Why won't it land?
Perhaps the most critical question, and everyone asks, is why the Artemis 2 mission will not
land on the Moon.
If today the technology of spacecraft and telecommunications, as well as space suits,
are much more advanced than in the days of the Apollo missions, why is this mission not
going to land on the Moon?
What's stopping we?
To understand this, it must be remembered that the Apollo program followed a very similar
path.
Do you remember the number of the Apollo mission that put the first humans on the Moon?
Exact!
It was Apollo 11.
This means that before Apollo 11, ten other missions did not land on the Moon.
What happened to the other 10?
The Apollo 1 mission, AS-204, was planned as the first crewed mission of NASA's Apollo
Program.
However, the mission never got off the ground due to a fire in the craft's cabin during
a ground test launch on January 27, 1967.
Astronauts Gus Grissom, Edward White, and Roger Chaffee were tragically killed in the
incident.
A combination of design and technical problems in the spacecraft and a high-pressure oxygen
atmosphere in the cabin caused the fire.
As a result of the tragedy, NASA conducted a comprehensive review of its procedures and
technology, and significant improvements were made to human spaceflight safety.
However, the trauma of that tragic accident made the security measures taken by the space
agency much stricter to ensure that something like this would not happen again.
Due to this, the following Apollo 2, 3, 4, and 5 missions were tested without a crew.
During these years, they would focus mainly on guaranteeing that all the takeoff systems
of the Saturn V rocket functioned correctly and analyzing how vital systems in space.
Later on April 4, 1968, the Apollo 6 ship took off.
However, the mission was unsuccessful since various technical and mechanical problems
arose during the flight.
The vibration of the spacecraft was much higher than expected, and one of the Saturn V rocket
motors failed during the ascent phase, leading to a suboptimal trajectory.
Despite these problems, the Apollo 6 mission provided valuable information for subsequent
missions in the Apollo program, including improvements in technology and safety procedures.
NASA also learned important lessons about the need for rigorous testing before the human
flight.
From this mission, NASA decided that the rockets and ships were already safe enough and could
relaunch human-crewed missions without risking the astronauts' lives.
In this way, Apollo 7 would take off on October 11, 1968, with astronauts Walter Schirra,
Don Eisele, and Walter Cunningham, who would carry out tests on the performance of the
Saturn V rocket and its interaction with the crew; It was also the first time that the
Apollo suits were used and the first live broadcasts from space to Earth were made with
the technology of this spaceships.
Then the Apollo 8 and 9 missions would reach lunar orbit with crew on board.
Also, the Apollo 10 mission would be an important milestone since it would carry out a complete
survey of the Moon, including an approach to its surface and a safe return to Earth.
The Apollo 10 crew, consisting of Commander Thomas Stafford, Lunar Module Pilot Eugene
Cernan, and Command Module Pilot John Young, approached the lunar surface to a record-breaking
distance of just 15.6 km.
The spacecraft also carried out necessary tests, such as the test of descent maneuvers
and docking with the lunar module in lunar orbit.
One of the most curious moments of the Apollo 10 mission was the crew's report of strange
"music" that seemed to come from space.
The sound puzzled the astronauts, but it was later found to be due to interference in the
internal radios of the Lunar Module.
Ultimately, the Apollo 10 mission was a success and paved the way for Apollo 11 to finally
land on the lunar surface on July 16, 1969.
After Apollo 11, missions 12, 4, 15, 16, and 17 would also land on the Moon, the Apollo
13 mission failed to land as an explosion occurred in one of the Service Module's oxygen
tanks that forced the crew to abort what would be the third moon landing and return to Earth
using the lunar module as a rescue capsule.
As you can see, the road to the Moon was not easy; there were many missions before Apollo
11, and some lives were lost in the process.
NASA understands the risks associated with space travel, which is why the Artemis project
is going through something similar.
Artemis 2 will not be the first mission to land on the Moon, but it is necessary and
vitally important to the success of Artemis 3 that it will land on the Moon.
Why do you have to start over?
Many have wondered about the need to re-explore what we already know.
Why does NASA need to re-study the behavior of spacecraft and landing zones if the Apollo
program already did it 50 years ago?
The answer is that as much as the Apollo program collected a lot of data years ago, that data
was explicitly for the Apollo spacecraft and didn't work with the Artemis project spacecraft.
He reckons the Artemis project will use different capsules, space suits, and communications
technology than what was used more than 50 years ago.
It is logical that the data that the astronauts collected about the behavior of the devices
they used more than 50 years ago are not helpful for the devices that will be on board the
ships of the Artemis project.
It is necessary and mandatory to test new technologies in space, carry out moon landing
simulations, and test all the systems to work as they should.
Although we have already gone to the moon, these will always have to be done when new
technologies are used; we cannot guess how these systems will behave if we do not test
them in the space environment.
In short, the answer to Why does it seem like we have to start over? is that NASA is testing
a wide range of new technologies, systems, and procedures that had never been tried before.
The Artemis 1 mission was an uncrewed flight to lunar orbit launched last November.
Many devices that had never been tested in a natural space flight environment were tested,
similar to what the first missions did in the Apollo program.
These were not intended to land on the moon since they first had to be tested in space
to study their behavior and verify that there were no failures or errors during future landings.
That is why for Artemis 2, NASA considered that a lunar flyby was the best and safest
option for the first human-crewed flight of the Artemis project.
What will Artemis 2 be like?
Artemis 2 will be similar to Artemis 1 because it will be another test cruise for the Space
Rocket Launch System (SLS) and the Orion spacecraft.
However, this time it will go with a crew on board.
The Artemis 2 flight will help test the human-centric systems inside the Orion capsule and life
support, communications, and flight controls.
Orion capsule's critical life support systems are ready to sustain astronauts on more extended
duration missions.
In addition, they will allow the crew to practice operations essential to the successful Artemis
3 moon landing.
Radiation is also an important issue, the Orion capsule has only been tested once in
an environment close to the Moon, and although on that occasion, the necessary information
was collected to know what radiation levels the capsule can withstand, we must remember
that the radiation levels of the deep space environment around the Moon are much more
intense than those found in low Earth orbit where the International Space Station resides.
Therefore, the Artemis 2 mission has as one of its main objectives to collect data on
Orion's ability to keep astronauts safe and healthy throughout the mission, especially
during extended periods exposed to radion from deep space.
Following this procedure, Orion will use its Airbus-built European Service Module (ESM)
to execute a translunar injection burn (TLI).
This propulsion maneuver will set it on a path to the Moon.
With this maneuver, the Orion capsule and its crew will circle about 6,400 miles (10,300
kilometers) around the Moon's far side before embarking on a four-day return trip to Earth.
While Artemis 1 did see Orion fly into lunar orbit and back, it did so without a human
crew.
Artemis 2 will carry humans to the Moon because many of the hardware and software systems,
maneuvers, and procedures involved with NASA's planned future lunar missions have not been
tested before by a human crew.
The new generation of astronauts NASA and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) have
announced the four astronauts who will embark on the journey around the Moon aboard Artemis
II.
The crew designations are as follows: Commander Reid Wiseman, Victor Pilot Glover, Mission
Specialist 1 Christina Hammock Koch, and Mission Specialist 2 Jeremy Hansen.
They will work as a team to execute an ambitious set of demonstrations during this flight test.
Orion spacecraft's life support systems validate the capabilities and techniques necessary
for humans to live and work in deep space.
For the first time in more than 50 years, the crew of Artemis II will be the first humans
to fly around the Moon.
The crew includes the first woman, the first person of color, and the first Canadian on
a lunar mission.
The four astronauts will represent the best of humanity as they explore space for the
benefit of all.