Relive NASA’s Artemis 1 incredible journey to the Moon!
May 25, 1961.
American president Kennedy makes an appeal: “I believe this nation should commit itself
to achieve the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning
him safely to Earth."
July 20, 1969.
The American astronauts Armstrong and Aldrin of the Apollo 11 mission become the first
humans ever to land on the moon, and six and a half hours later, Armstrong becomes the
first person to ever walk on the moon.
Everybody knows about this crucial piece of the history of humanity.
Books have been written about it, and films have been made.
Conspiracy theories have been created and romantic poems about the moon were inspired
by the event in the years to come.
Footage of that day is forever impressed in people’s minds.
Watching that on television, was magic.
It was just like watching the FIFA world cup, but there were no nations: the world forgot
the distinctions and, for a moment, we were one with the universe.
All over the years, manned missions were conducted to visit our natural satellite, and Apollo
17 became the final one, taking place in 1972.
But today, we finally have Artemis.
Come and join us to watch the incredible journey of Artemis, the first mission to go to the
moon in decades!
It will be an unforgettable experience and we hope you can take part in this special
moment in the history of humanity.
Don't miss out!
Artemis's mission aims to land the first woman and first person of color on the Moon, explore
the lunar surface, and lay the groundwork for sending astronauts to Mars.
Artemis is the Apollo of this generation!
Those who were not alive to witness the first person step foot on the Moon will soon have
their own opportunity to witness a live lunar landing.
Isn’t it amazing?
The project is composed of 3 missions: Artemis 1, conceived as an uncrewed test flight to
circle and fly past the Moon; Artemis 2, a crewed flight beyond the moon; and Artemis
3, which will land the astronauts.
This also involves spending a week performing scientific studies on the lunar surface.
Artemis 3 launch is expected to take place in 2025.
Of the three Artemis missions, only the first one has already been launched so far.
Artemis 1 experienced 4 canceled launch attempts due to engine issues and tropical storms,
but it was finally launched on November 2022 from the Kennedy Space Center, Florida.
Artemis 1 mission was actually successful, and the spacecraft, called Orion, arrived
back at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center on Dec. 30, 2022, as the capsule splashed down in
the Pacific Ocean on Dec. 11.
Now that everything is done, we might want to go back and take a look at the crazy journey
of this spacecraft.
As you can see in this picture shared by NASA,
(to the videomaker: show trajectory
)
https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/thumbnails/image/artemis_i_mission_map_nov.jpg
Artemis 1 lifted off and entered the so-called Low Earth Orbit (LEO), where it deployed the
solar arrays.
This happened 18 minutes after launch, to start charging the spacecraft’s batteries.
At point 3 in the orbit, 90 minutes after launch, there was the translunar injection,
a delicate operation that allowed the second stage to propel Orion to the Moon.
This was actually a massive boost that lasted just under 18 minutes of firing.
During the mission, the Artemis Real-Time Orbit Website (AROW) was active to track the
spacecraft’s flight as it was happening.
Using AROW, almost anyone with internet access can pinpoint where Orion was and track its
distance from the Earth, distance from the Moon, mission duration, and more.
AROW is available on
NASA’s website
and on the
@NASA_Orion
Twitter account.
(to the videomaker: show an image of the Twitter account
)
Space lovers could also look forward to a special event that was planned for the mission.
On board the spacecraft there were two CubeSats which were released and deployed in the lunar
orbit.
These CubeSats were programmed to transmit data and images back to Earth for amateur
radio enthusiasts to track and pick up.
One of the CubeSats, called Argomoon and built by the Italian space agency, is the first
Italian cubesat to ever travel in deep space and the first to orbit around the Moon.
The mission was part of a larger effort to study the lunar surface and learn more about
the Earth-Moon system.
to the videomaker: show argomoon picture
s
https://www.asi.it/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/1536-1024-1-640x427.jpeg
The Argomoon cubesats will continue to transmit data and images for some time, providing a
valuable resource for space enthusiasts and scientists all across the globe.
These are some of the amazing images provided by this tiny little cubesat!
(to the videomaker: show pictures
)
https://www.asi.it/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/IMG_AGM_id19_2022-11-22_13-34-37_plPL_1_fgs-01-640x853.jpeg
It's amazing to think about how far we've come, from the days of Kennedy's ambitious
speech to the first human spaceflight to the Moon and now, finally, to a cubesat traveling
in deep space.
The Argomoon cubesats have opened up a new era of exploration and research, where dreams
of space exploration are within reach.
We are excited to see what the future holds and just how far we can push the boundaries
of space exploration!
Having the cubesats deployed, the second stage finally separated and a chill four-day trip
to lunar orbit followed.
At this stage, corrections maneuvers were provided by the European Service Module.
Finally, the main engine fired 100 km above the lunar surface, at point 5 along the orbit.
After that, at point 7 in the orbit, Orion as far as 70 000 km from the Moon’s surface
– farther than any human-rated spacecraft has ever flown from Earth.
After a week orbiting the Moon it was time to return home.
On flight day 16 the European Service Module initiated the “distant retrograde orbit
departure”, kicking off a slingshot sequence of orbital mechanics to use the Moon’s gravitational
pull again and set Orion on a trip back to our planet.
The capsule then ended up in the Pacific Ocean.
The overall mission was successfully completed in 25 days, 10 hours, and 53 minutes, with
a huge distance of 1.4 million miles traveled!
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I hope you’re enjoying the video!
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Ready to have your mind blown?
The Artemis 1 mission is noteworthy for its unusual crew, consisting of zero gravity indicators
and weird passengers.
Zero gravity indicators are small items carried aboard spacecraft that provide a visual indicator
when a spacecraft has reached the weightlessness of microgravity.
NASA chose Snoopy as a zero gravity indicator on the Artemis 1 mission!
For more than 50 years, Snoopy has contributed to the excitement for NASA human spaceflight
missions, helping inspire generations to dream big.
NASA has shared an association with Charles M. Schulz and Snoopy since the Apollo missions
and continues under Artemis with new educational activities.
(to the videomaker: show pictures
)
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/UxzjLbnToqhihcwVtMJwyL-1200-80.jpg
Without astronauts aboard Orion, Snoopy, together with Shaun the Sheep, will help share the
journey with the world as he rides along in the cabin with a
manikin
and two other “
passengers
.”
(to the videomaker: show pictures
)
https://i.ytimg.com/vi/Guofxq1S8wM/mqdefault.jpg
The manikin flying on Artemis 1 occupied the commander’s seat, and it was wearing a first-generation
Orion Crew Survival System Suit, a spacesuit that astronauts will wear during launch, entry,
and other dynamic phases of their future missions.
Manikins are important because they are also equipped with accelerometers.
The collected data will be important to simulate and verify crew safety for future launches.
(to the videomaker: show commander manikin)
https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/210616111335-01-nasa-name-moonikin-challenge.jpg?q=w_2680,h_1468,x_0,y_0,c_fill
But the commander manikin was not alone: two identical phantom torsos named Helga and Zohar
were occupying the lower two seats.
What an amazing crew!
(to the videomaker: show Helga and Zohar
)
https://www.gedistatic.it/content/gnn/img/lastampa/2022/09/06/163000438-c975d9eb-fa3a-4bdb-a7cc-7ada82d478cf.jpg
The manikins sailing on the Orion spacecraft provide NASA and its associates with data
about astronauts' work environments and well-being.
This assists them in better preparing for and limiting the damage that could be caused
by extended missions away from Earth, which is more remote and lengthy than any that have
been attempted up to now.
Everything about the Artemis mission seems to be inspiring and beautiful.
But the one million dollar question is: why is NASA going back to the Moon?
NASA is going back to the moon for a variety of reasons.
One of the primary objectives is to collect data and samples that may help us better understand
our own planet Earth and its history.
Returning to the Moon will also allow us to take advantage of the resources available
there, such as water, minerals, and rare materials.
Additionally, the Moon is a proving ground for advanced technologies such as spacecraft
and habitats, which could potentially be used to explore deeper space in the future.
Furthermore, there are many scientific experiments that can be conducted on the moon, such as
studying the lunar environment or even testing our ability to live, explore and work on another
world.
Finally, the Moon serves as an inspiring destination, symbolizing a deeper exploration of our cosmos,
and as a potential staging point for future expeditions to Mars, asteroids, and beyond.
By returning to the moon, NASA aims to gain knowledge and resources that will help us
to better understand and explore our universe.
Now, with the success of Artemis 1 behind us, we can look forward to the next two parts
of the mission, Artemis 2 and Artemis 3.
These will be crewed flights beyond the moon and the actual landing of astronauts, respectively.
NASA hopes that these missions will help lay the groundwork for sending astronauts to Mars.
What do you think?
Is this dream destined to become a reality anytime soon?
We’re excited to see what the future holds!
This video ends here!
Thanks for watching!
What are your thoughts about the Artemis 1 journey?
Let us know in the comments below!
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