NASA will begin their first uncrewed test flight of their Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft this week; Honeywell provides systems that make these missions safe and secure.
The SLS and Orion will take us back to the moon, while also opening up deep space exploration – with technological improvements significantly decreasing the risk of catastrophic failure.
What is Artemis?
The Artemis program’s aim is to bring astronauts back to the Moon and Mars using Orion spacecraft and Space Launch System rockets – named for Apollo’s twin sister in Greek mythology who was known for her archery skills and hunting prowess. From there they will travel via Gateway space station into lunar orbit where they will perform essential science missions such as traveling back or forwards between lunar orbit and Mars or performing science research missions on either world.
Artemis will send its inaugural mission to the moon’s south pole, where there may be abundant amounts of water ice that could provide human hydration, rocket fuel or cooling for equipment during lunar landing. Artemis will utilize new-generation spacesuits that are lighter and more comfortable than previous models.
NASA plans on staying much longer on the Moon than did Apollo in 1969, providing scientists with a better opportunity to study its history and evolution as well as giving astronauts more time to explore its surface. This change will provide scientists with more data for study while giving astronauts greater freedom of exploration of lunar surface features.
Apollo astronauts’ historic landing of the Moon was an event that brought people from every country, religion, and language together in unison to watch it unfold on television or radio. No one knows if Artemis missions will generate such excitement among audiences worldwide – they surely provide humans with an unparalleled opportunity to expand our understanding of our universe!
Artemis will be more ambitious and costly than previous lunar missions due to its powerful SLS rocket, used for Apollo missions. When combined with Orion and other vehicle components, each launch in Artemis will cost over $4 billion compared with $500 million per launch for Apollo.
What is Apollo?
Apollo was one of the key characters in Greek mythology. Represented as an attractive young man with moral virtue combined with physical beauty, Apollo is often depicted as one of Zeus and Leto’s sons and Artemis’ twin brother; one of their Olympian gods with many roles to fulfill throughout his lifetime.
Apollo was both a healer and music god. As one of Zeus’ faithful sons, he never attempted to usurp his position on Mount Olympus. A skilled archer and hunter, Apollo enjoyed many love affairs – particularly with Daphne but she turned into a laurel tree to escape him! Apollo became so infatuated with this tree that he even touched it gropingly!
Apollo used his divine powers to kill Cyclopes, one-eyed giants responsible for crafting Zeus’ thunderbolts, in revenge for an healing spell performed by Asclepius that revived a dead body murdered by Cyclopes. Apollo was known for protecting both animals and humans alike with his divine powers allowing them to cure diseases while protecting ships at sea.
Apollo was famed for his expertise as an archer. His silver bow and arrows symbolize this ability while his kithara, a stringed instrument similar to a lyre which represents his musical talent, is worn on his neck to represent his omphalos (navel stone) under a laurel wreath as further proof.
On Wednesday, NASA is set to make history when they launch the inaugural Space Launch System rocket with their Orion spacecraft attached – this mission is known as Apollo 1 as part of Artemis program, named for Apollo’s twin sister Artemis from Greek mythology. Apollo 1 will test Orion and SLS’ ability to reach lunar orbit while following higher safety standards than Apollo ever did during Apollo missions.
What is the difference between the two?
While the Artemis program appears similar to Apollo in terms of its goal of landing people on the Moon, there are some key differences. First off, their hardware differs significantly: Apollo used Saturn V rocket power; Artemis will use Space Launch System or SLS which has an enormous rocket capable of transporting both Orion capsule and service module.
This video showcases the rocket that will carry Artemis to the Moon: it generates enormous thrust at launch – in fact, it is over one and one million pounds more powerful than the Saturn V used during Apollo missions!
The SLS rocket not only has the capabilities to transport Orion capsule and service module, but can also carry cargo of up to 27 tonnes; by comparison, Saturn V could only handle 12 tonnes. In addition, Orion capsule’s size far surpasses that of Apollo command module and now allows four crewmembers instead of three; helping NASA meet its goals of sending humans back to Moon and beyond.
Artemis 1’s initial mission carried a number of science experiments designed to deepen lunar knowledge, advance technological developments, and highlight risks associated with deep space travel such as radiation. Furthermore, three ‘Moonikins’- mannequins wearing the Orion spacesuit which real astronauts will wear on future missions- were installed aboard Artemis 1. Each Moonikin contained sensors which provided important data about what it will feel like for astronauts flying while performing tasks required by each mission.
Once in lunar orbit, Orion will dock with either Lunar Gateway or Artemis’ future lunar lander, taking between 2-4 astronauts directly onto its surface before returning back to NRHO.
Simply put, this means the journey will be significantly faster than for Apollo. Additionally, both lunar modules and the lander will be fully reusable – saving millions in terms of astronaut time spent exploring lunar surfaces.
What is the future of space exploration?
Long ago, space travel was impractical and dangerous. Furthermore, it cost a considerable amount – for example a Soyuz trip could easily cost $20 million, with much of this expense going toward paying for payload. Over recent decades however, satellite proliferation has drastically decreased launch costs 10-fold while simultaneously opening up opportunities for more applications to be placed into orbit – this “Space Industrial Revolution” is continuing apace!
The next stage in human space travel will be exploration of other planets. Mars and the Moon offer immense promise both scientifically and economically, while asteroids present opportunities for mining and fueling outposts. All of this may take many decades before taking effect – if we succeed, however, it could change everything for mankind!
This will require both physical and telescopic exploration. Robotic crafts will map planets, their moons and asteroids alike using flotillas of tiny robotic craft operating like birds flocking together. Giant robotic fabricators capable of constructing structures from materials mined on asteroids rather than hauled from Earth will open the door for even greater discoveries about our Solar System and beyond. Meanwhile, successors to Hubble telescope will expand our vision of stars and galaxies alike.
As we learn to live in space, too, we must adjust to life outside our planet’s gravity well. While this will present its own set of challenges, it’s worth keeping in mind that early astronauts faced similar trials on reaching the Moon – their courage and perseverance building bridges across nations around the globe; let’s build upon their legacy for future missions!
Key to this goal will be creating spaceships that are easily refuelable and less costly than Apollo and Artemis. Longer term, we must find alternative forms of propulsion such as nuclear or fusion power that generate more energy per kilogram than it takes to put chemical fuel into orbit – this may involve exploring these technologies further as possible solutions.