MATTER: The Artemis Program
In 1972, Gene Cernan of NASA’s Apollo 17 mission became the last Apollo astronaut to set foot on the moon. Almost 47 years later, he remains the last human to land on the nearest object to our planet despite countless technological advancements. “If it wasn’t for the political risk, we would be on the moon right now. In fact, we would probably be on Mars,” explained NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine in an interview with Business Insider. “It was the political risks that prevented it from happening. The program took too long and it costs too much money.” This summer, however, in a triumphant announcement video, NASA told the world that “we are going to the moon, to stay, by 2024”.The program will be called Artemis, a reference to the Greek goddess of the moon and twin sister of Apollo. It promises huge, unforseen scientific innovation that will be achieved in just five years. The program was spurred by President Trump, who allotted the nearly $30 million dollars to the project out of the 2019 federal budget. The first major hurdle is the rocket itself. Called the Space Launch System (SLS), NASA boasted that it will be the most powerful rocket ever constructed. Currently, the Saturn V, the first rocket used to take us to the moon, holds that title. The Saturn V has a max carrying capacity of 310,000 lbs and a thrust of 33.8 million Newtons. The SLS, by comparison, is slated to have a max capacity of 286,000 lbs and a thrust of 40.9 million N. It will carry the Orion Capsule, which is said to be a larger and modernized version of the original Apollo Capsule. NASA describes the craft on their website, saying that “the spacecraft will carry up to four crew members and is designed to support astronauts traveling hundreds of thousands of miles from home, where getting back to Earth takes hours rather than days.”Once we arrive on the moon, the plan is to install an International Space Station-style orbiter named the Gateway, which will act as a hub for a reusable, manned lunar lander. Once all the infrastructure is in place, NASA plans to mine water from the moon both for drinking as well as breaking down into oxygen for breathable air and hydrogen for fuel. They will also begin a lengthy exploration of the surface of the Moon, starting with its south pole. The Gateway will also be used by other space agencies. For example, HERACLES, a joint Canadian, Japanese and European project, aims to robotically collect samples from the surface of the moon and return them to earth.How does this affect space exploration after Artemis? Artemis is actually part of a larger program dubbed “Moon to Mars.” In the opening speech for the project, Bridenstine said that we would “go with innovative new technologies and systems to explore more locations across the surface [of the Moon] than was ever thought possible. This time, when we go to the Moon, we will stay. And then we will use what we learn on the Moon to take the next giant leap—sending astronauts to Mars.” The Moon is a much closer—and competitively safer—place to test technologies that will later be implemented on manned missions to other planets. The SLS, along with SpaceX’s BFR, are said to be the first rockets ever to be capable of a manned mission to Mars; it is also exponentially easier to launch mission to Mars and beyond from the moon rather than Earth.The Artemis Program is forging the cutting edge of our space exploration. Its bold promise to bring us to the moon in five years will certainly have lasting impacts on missions to Mars and beyond. As NASA concludes their announcement video, “We turn towards the Moon now, not as a conclusion, but as preparation—as a checkpoint toward all that lies beyond. Our greatest adventures remain ahead of us.”