NASA and CSA Team Up to Select Artemis 2 Crew
NASA and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) have collaborated on the selection of the four individuals who will fly on the historic Artemis 2 mission, scheduled to launch around the moon in November 2024. This will be the first time that any human has come close to the moon in half a century.
The Artemis program aims to establish a sustainable presence on the moon by putting humans back on its surface. This renewed space exploration effort also includes more representation, with plans for the first woman and person of color on future moon missions.
Both NASA and CSA have suggested that Artemis 2 team will include Canadian astronauts. The CSA earned its seat on Artemis 2 by pledging a future Canadarm3 robotic arm to service NASA’s planned Gateway space station in lunar orbit.
Noah Petro Appointed Science Lead for Artemis III Mission
NASA has announced that Noah Petro, the project scientist for NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO), will take up the position of Science Lead for the Artemis III mission, which aims to return humans to the Moon. Petro’s experience with LRO observations has helped space agencies plan recent lunar touchdown attempts and will be critical for successfully executing the Artemis program.
The Artemis science structure includes an internal NASA Science Team, an external Geology Team, an Instruments Team, and Participating Scientists. Petro will coordinate between each of these teams during Artemis III’s mission operations. Scientists presented geological information for each of the 13 candidate landing zones during LPSC 2023 sessions, with more precise engineering constraints set to come from Lunar Starship still in development.
First Robotic Lunar Rover Under Construction
NASA engineers are busy assembling a new robotic rover called the Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover (VIPER) at Johnson Space Center. The 1,000-pound robot is designed to study the environment around the moon’s south pole, looking at the origin and distribution of lunar water and other potential resources.
VIPER will have avionics, power, telecommunications, mechanisms, and thermal and navigation systems. Scientists from multiple NASA Centers are developing specialized scientific instruments like a drill as well as VIPER’s brains. Stress tests measuring function, performance, and operation, as well as vibration, acoustic, and thermal-vacuum environmental trials will be carried out to ensure VIPER is mission-ready.
NASA plans to deliver VIPER to Pittsburgh-based Astrobotic in mid-2024 as part of the Commercial Lunar Payload Services initiative. Astrobotic will launch VIPER to the Moon’s South Pole late next year, where it will perform important resource exploration work.
Title: Artemis Program: New Horizons in Space Exploration
With new partnerships and exciting progress in technological development, NASA’s Artemis program is poised to take space exploration to the next level. The announcement of the astronauts for Artemis 2 soon approaching brings us closer than ever before to human presence on the moon’s surface.
Canada’s Canadarm3 also marks an invaluable contribution towards establishing a sustainable space economy through NASA’s Gateway program. Meanwhile, Noah Petro’s appointment as Science Lead for Artemis III highlights how vital scientific research is going to be in unlocking relevant data needed for successful missions.
Lastly, VIPER serves as a reminder that exciting times lie ahead for NASA scientists and engineers with ambitious projects lined up for future lunar missions. The combination of refined technological solutions designed by talented scientists and engineers working towards a common goal of expanding humanity into outer space promises to lead us into an exciting future.
Image Source: Wikimedia Commons
