Artemis 3 the new challenge for NASA, create a space base on the moon.
The Artemis project is a NASA space program divided into three stages.
Its primary mission is to bring the next generation of humans to our natural satellite and start
the new space age with a lunar base in which humans will inhabit from maner to recurring
and the construction of spacecraft that will take humans beyond the Moon.
Are you ready for the big trip?
Let's get started!
The Artemis project is divided into the following three stages:
Artemis 1: It will consist of an uncrewed flight test of the Space Launch System (SLS)
and the Orion spacecraft around the Moon.
Artemis 2: It will be the first flight test with four astronauts who will take off from
Earth using the SLS Space Launch System and orbit the Moon inside the Orion spacecraft.
And Artemis 3: The most important mission that will carry the Human Landing System (HLS)
will place the next generation of astronauts on the lunar surface, including the first
woman.
We talked about the first two stages of the Artemis 1 and Artemis 2 projects in previous
videos.
In today's video, we will focus on the third stage of the project, Artemis 3.
If you have not yet seen the previous videos about Artemis 1 and 2, we remind you to do
so this way, and you will understand much better what Artemis 3 will consist of.
BACKGROUND With the Artemis 1 and Artemis 2 stages, all
preparations will be made for astronauts' arrival on the lunar surface; once the necessary
supplies for the extended stay of humans on the Moon have been completed, the date of
takeoff of Artemis 3 will be established.
It is currently estimated that if everything goes according to plan, it could be expected
that Artemis 3 will take place before the yearor2030.
ARTEMIS 3 Like the previous two stages, Artemis 3 will
be carried out with NASA's SLS rocket which will take off from Launch Complex 39B at NASA's
modernized spaceport at Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
It will carry the Cryogenic Propulsion Stage (ICPS) and the Orion space capsule, where
the crew of 4 astronauts, two men, and two women, will meet.
The ICPS will be in charge of propelling the spacecraft to the Moon in a journey that will
last4 days.
Once in lunar orbit, the astronauts will dock directly to the GATEWAY, which will consist
of an advanced space base in orbit around the Moon with an architecture similar to the
International Space Station (ISS).
At the GATEWAY, the astronauts will make all the preparations for the moon landing.
Some of the tasks will be to prepare the suits for the moonwalks and review the navigation
equipment and the tools used to extract samples of dust and lunar rocks.
Once all the steps have been verified, the team of astronauts will be divided into pairs,
two of them will stay at the GATEWAY to carry out studies of the Moon and maintain communications
with the Earth, and the other two will have to enter the Human Landing System (HLS) to
begin their descent to the lunar surface.
HUMAN LANDING SYSTEM (HLS) For the landings of the new generation of
astronauts, the same Eagle descent modules that were used in the Apollo program will
no longer be used; this time, the HLS will be used, a system that consists of two parts,
the descent module, and the ascent module.
This system will be somewhat similar to the Eagle module in appearance, but it will be
different in functions.
To begin with, it will be larger and will provide astronauts with a supply capacity
to stay on the lunar surface for up to 2 weeks.
However, the missions are planned to last only four days.
For now, it has been planned that the HLS modules will have an initial capacity to accommodate
two astronauts comfortably.
Still, as the systems are updated and the equipment is improved, it is expected to have
a sufficient ability to accommodate four astronauts.
The HLS will land the next two astronauts who will make history, a man and a woman.
They will be the ones who start the new space-age.
(1) EXTRAVEHICULAR MISSIONS (EVA)
During their stay on the lunar surface, the two astronauts who are selected to descend
will have four extravehicular missions (EVA):
1.
Collect at least 35 kg of lunar samples to be studied on Earth
2.
Install ground monitoring and survey systems for better analysis of the Moon's soil.
3.
Search for deposits of water or ice in lunar craters.
4.
Carry out expeditions to define an area in which to establish a lunar base.
For their part, the two astronauts who stay at the GATEWAY will also have work to do,
mainly everything related to the study of the surface to determine the area in which
the next mission will land and maintain contact with NASA, and forming at all times the progress
of the mission.
(2) Exploratory Extravehicular Mobility Unit (xEMU)
Astronauts descending to the Moon will use the new spacesuit called the Extravehicular
Exploration Mobility Unit (xEMU), different from those used during the Apollo program.
The main advantage that this new suit will provide, in addition to the elegant design,
is mobility, one of the main problems manifested by the first astronauts who went to the Moon
was their dissatisfaction with the mobility provided by the spacesuits since these were
too rigid, they could barely move their limbs freely, and it was so difficult for them to
take steps that it was easier to jump than to walk on the lunar surface.
However, that was also due to the low gravity of the Moon.
The new xEMU suit provides greater freedom to move limbs, as well as a transparent housing
that gives greater visibility of the environment, and it is expected that these new suits will
allow astronauts to perform more complex tasks and install several types of equipment that
will be of vital importance to place a future base on the Moon.
These suits are still in the testing phase, although they were already officially presented
by NASA as the suits that will be used in spacewalks. (3)
THE ASCENT Three days after the descent of the astronauts
on the lunar surface, it is expected that they have fulfilled the 4 EVAs.
On the fourth day, the astronauts will put on the xEMU suits for the last time to carry
out cleaning activities.
They will consist of fastening well to the ground all the equipment they have installed,
as well as taking with them those tools that they will need or that do not need to stay
on the lunar surface.
The objective is that when the ascent module takes off, it does not throw objects that
could be dangerous for future missions into the air.
On the Moon, gravity is only a third of the gravity of the Earth, and there is no air,
so when throwing anything, it can travel a much greater distance than the distance it
would travel on Earth.
If the following missions have to land in an area close to theirs, they shouldn't have
to run into some misplaced instrument or objects that could hinder the descent of the ships.
After the cleanup, the astronauts will board the ascent module to reconnect with the GATEWAY
and reunite with their other two companions in the orbit of the Moon.
SAFE RETURN TO EARTH In the GATEWAY, the four astronauts will make
all the preparations, enter the Orion spacecraft, and undock to start their journey back to
Earth.
The Orion spacecraft will be propelled by the Cryogenic Propulsion Stage(ICPS) with
an initial impulse that will pull them out of the gravitational influence of the Moon
and take them straight to Earth in a flight that will last four days.
Once they reach the orbit of the Earth, the ICPS will decouple from the Orion spacecraft
so that it enters safely into the Earth's atmosphere; during the descent to Earth, the
Orion spacecraft will deploy a series of parachutes that will reduce the speed from more than
20,000 km / h to only 3 km / h, finally with retro-thrusters the spacecraft will reduce
its rate to zero and fall on the Earth's surface with the four astronauts safe and sound.
THE NEW SPACE AGE Undoubtedly, the next generation of astronauts
will mark a new step in the history of humanity, unlike the first time humans arrived on the
Moon to prove that the nation possessed the most advanced technology, now it is about
unifying the ambitions and efforts of the whole world to explore the unknown and make
way for the future.
The Artemis Project will uss start the new space age for humanity, and the arrival of
the next humans on the Moon is not the end of this but rather the beginning.
Artemis 3 is planning a regular cadence of trip missions on the Moon and its surroundings,
and the first stage is to carry humans safely.
At first, it will be once or twice a year, but as soon as the ships are perfected, a
cadence of launches is expected monthly.
This new generation of astronauts will be in charge of laying the foundations of the
next lunar base, which will house the human race permanently on our natural satellite,
just as the International Space Station currently does in Earth's orbit.
(4) THE LUNAR BASE
To build the lunar base, international collaboration will be necessary with other space agencies
and commercial partners that will provide equipment and resources for the search for
elements that are vital for the permanence of humans on the Moon.
The first of these is water.
There can be no life without water, and humans know it; we need to take advantage of the
reserves of frozen water found in the craters of the south pole of the Moon.
The first missions will take care of that, and if they manage to extract and take advantage
of that water for their needs, it will be a massive leap for future human settlements
on the Moon.
The next element necessary for the lunar base will be oxygen.
However, it is possible to extract oxygen from the water through an electrochemical
process known as electrolysis, this process requires overwhelming amounts of electricity,
which will not be available at first, so it is possible to extract oxygen directly from
the minerals deposited on the lunar surface it will be much easier.
Finally, heavy metals will be the basis on which the lunar economy moves.
Creating a base on the Moon seeks to revitalize humanity's spirit of exploration and make
us with reserves of materials that are scarce on Earth and abundant on the Moon.
At some point in the future, these materials will be so low on the planet that perhaps
it will be cheaper to look for them on the Moon than to extract them from the Earth's
subfloor.
Under this scenario, large private companies will be in charge of providing the equipment
and resources to start space mining; this will lay the foundations for the next step
of the Artemis project.
(5) MARS
Mars is not the closest planet to Earth.
That title belongs to Venus; however, Venus is a lake of fire where no living organism
can exist, while Mars is much less severe for life.
The red planet will be the next target in the ambition of human exploration; currently,
we already have it in our sights, and we can not wait to go and visit it, but first, we
must make all the preparations.
Mars is much farther away than Earth, too far away.
Even with the ships that will be used to go to the Moon, the average trip will last half
a year, half a year in deep space is a long time, astronauts who go will need training
and experience; likewise, the ships will have to be equipped with all the equipment and
supplies necessary to sustain humans for so long.
It is being planned that the GATEWAY that will be used in missions to the Moon will
also be used as a space shuttle in which astronauts heading to Mars can refuel food, food, and
everything necessary to undertake their journey to where no human has been before.
The lunar base, gateway, and all missions to the Moon with the Artemis project will
be critical to the success of future missions to mars, laying all the groundwork for perfecting
spacecraft and training astronauts to withstand longer stays in deep space.
(6)
The red planet awaits us, everything is ready, and underway, the next space age of humanity
is about to begin.