NASA has outlined plans for a space program that will see the first woman go to the moon in 2024.
The program, called Artemis, will send a man to the moon – it will be the first moon landing since then NASA agency The Apollo 17 mission in 1972.
Astronauts will launch a rocket called the SLS and travel in a spacecraft called Orion, which is similar to the capsules used in previous Apollo missions.
The first phase, called Artemis-1, will involve an unmanned test flight around the moon in the fall of 2021, enabling all critical systems to be tested, including life support and communications capabilities.
Artemis-2 will repeat the same flight with a crew on board in 2023 as well as conduct a new test – display of convergence operations.
This test demonstration will include astronauts manually piloting Orion after its separation from the upper stage of the SLS rocket, known as the temporary cryogenic propulsion stage.
In preparation for Artemis, NASA will send new probes to the moon – with two probes planned annually from 2021.
In 2024, Artemis-3 will see astronauts land on the moon’s south pole.
They will possess Modern spacesuits This allows for more flexibility than those found in previous Apollo missions.
Astronauts will spend seven days on the moon’s surface collecting samples and performing various experiments before returning to Earth.
NASA said the concept for the program also includes building the infrastructure later in the decade.
This would help create a base camp that would allow long-range surface missions to the Moon with more crew participation.
NASA said the program will help build momentum toward Mars exploration
The Artemis program also hopes to extract resources, such as water ice, to create other usable resources such as oxygen and fuel.
The program is estimated to cost $ 28 billion and is currently based on the $ 3.2 billion approved by Congress.
“The budget request that we have in front of the House and Senate now includes $ 3.2 billion for 2021 for the Human Landing System. It’s very important that we get $ 3.2 billion,” said NASA Administrator P Jim Bridenstine.
He added, “We will return to the moon for scientific discoveries, economic benefits and inspiration for a new generation of explorers.
“As we build a sustainable presence, we are also building momentum toward those first human steps on the red planet.”
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