First of NASA's Artemis moon missions in 2024 to feature two astronauts, lunar rover

With every passing week, it seems NASA has one more complication or reason to defer its targeted 2024 deadline for the upcoming human mission to the moon, Artemis.

The most recent blow (unconfirmed by NASA) was that Congress might decide not to fund the mission for the planned deadline. NASA's enormous rocket-in-development, the Space Launch System (SLS), has fallen well behind schedule. History has been unkind to deep-space exploration programs since Apollo, which means that a lot rides on NASA's Artemis mission marking the start of a "moon rush" of sorts.

Scientists John Connolly and Niki Werkheiser from NASA shared new details on the Artemis mission at the Lunar Exploration Analysis Group, an annual interdisciplinary forum in Washington, held on 30 October. Artemis seems far, far more complex than the agency's earlier missions to the moon under the Apollo program, according to Ars Technica.

Artist's illustration of astronauts on the surface, installing a geophone. Image: NASA

Artist's illustration of astronauts on the surface, installing a geophone. Image: NASA

Crew of two and a week of sampling

Connolly reportedly told attendees that the first mission under Artemis to the Moon's surface will consist of two crew members, who will study the surface of the moon for 6.5 days — double the longest time any of the Apollo astronauts spent on the surface. The pair of astronauts will carry out four space(moon)walks in total to make various science observations of the surface. Importantly, this will also include the first attempt to gather a sample of water-ice from lunar craters.

The Artemis mission will also feature an unpressurized rover for astronauts to move around faster in. While this moon-mobile will come in very handy during spacewalks, NASA also intends for the rover to have remote control capability for astronauts to call on it without having to walk over to it each time.

Illustration of Phase 1 of NASA Artemis mission_NASA

While the first mission will deliver the rover, a second Artemis mission scheduled in 2026 is to ferry a pressurized rover to the Moon's surface. Pressurized rovers have far better mileage and could get the astronauts a lot further from the landing site than the first, unpressurized lunar rover.

By 2030, NASA says it could expand the Artemis crew to include four astronauts for 14-day missions to the moon. This will allow the agency to build new facilities — for mining, building, collecting water-ice, and producing oxygen. The companies that were awarded contracts to supply lunar landers for the Artemis mission have been mandated to provide NASA with 35 kg of capacity per lander to ferry back moon rocks, which is also extremely interesting to astrobiologists and astrophysicists alike.

For NASA, the goal, according to Connolly, is to go to the Moon to stay, while also building up capabilities for eventual human missions to Mars.

Also read:  NASA unveils new, bunny-hop proof, astronaut spacesuits for its Artemis mission

Also read:  NASA may opt for inflatable habitats to house future missions to the moon, Mars and beyond



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