NASA has released updated and prioritized goals for the upcoming Artemis III mission – the third planned flight of the space agency’s Orion spacecraft and the second crewed mission. Artemis III will be the first crewed lunar landing– taking the first woman and the next man – since Apollo 17, 1972. It’s scheduled for launch in October 2024.
Kathy Lueders, the associate administrator for the space agency’s Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate, said:
Science will be integral to Artemis missions, and we look forward to planning missions of human and scientific discovery that draw on the thoughtful work of this team. The work NASA is already doing in science will help prepare for the Artemis III landing in 2024 and maximize the science value of having humans back on the lunar surface for the first time since 1972.
The priorities and set of activities outlined in NASA’s 188-page report include bringing back to Earth 85 kilos of lunar soil and the experiments it plans to conduct with the samples. NASA plans to put a Moon base on the Moon’s south pole by the end of the decade. The samples collected could contain clues to help with realizing that ambition. If water and other chemicals are found, scientists could develop plans for future missions into deeper space.
The Moon is considered the cornerstone of the solar system. Knowing all we can about it could lead to a better understanding of the fundamental planetary processes that occur across the solar system and beyond. Scientists at the Moonbase will conduct experiments to understand the sun’s origin and our astronomical environment.
Thomas Zurbuchen, the associate administrator for the space agency’s Science Mission Directorate, said:
The Moon holds vast scientific potential, and astronauts are going to help us enable that science. Even before Artemis III lands, our agency’s science and human exploration teams are working together as never before to ensure that we leverage each other’s strengths. This report helps outline a path forward toward the compelling science we can now contemplate doing on the lunar surface in conjunction with human explorers.
Every second of each astronaut’s time on the Moon will be meticulously planned. Specifics aside, the report’s main point is that human exploration on the Moon is crucial for NASA’s scientific and exploratory goals.
Team co-chair Renee Weber, the chief scientist at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center, who led the effort, said:
We wanted to bring together what was most compelling to the science community at the Moon with what astronauts can do on the lunar surface and how the two can mutually reinforce each other. The team’s hard work will ensure we’re able to take advantage of the potential of the Artemis III mission to help us learn from the Moon as a gateway to the rest of the solar system.
Several companies have been making plans to mine the Moon recently. They hope to harvest regolith – an ore that can produce the fuel needed for more distant missions. There’s also going to be a remote control car race on the moon very soon. The Artemis III mission can enable the space science community to make significant progress and help establish such other lunar plans’ logistics.
