The United States is about to successfully complete its mission of returning people to the moon’s surface as NASA’s latest rocket began its inaugural voyage with three test dummies aboard. The capsule is expected to be pushed into a gigantic orbit surrounding the moon and then come back to Earth with a Pacific splashdown in December provided everything runs smoothly during the three-week journey.
The Space Launch System rocket roared towards the sky following extended delays and significant cost overruns, soaring on millions of pounds of thrust and accelerating to a hundred miles per hour within a few seconds. On top was the Colorado-built Orion capsule. Within 120 minutes of flight, it separated from Earth’s orbit and headed in the moon’s direction.
Liftoff
Managers approved the launch despite significant damage brought on by the wind. To watch NASA’s much-anticipated follow-up to Project Apollo, tens of thousands of spectators crammed into the site to experience the launching of Artemis 1, with many more watching from the areas beyond the gates.
A half-moon shone with amazing brightness and structures shook as the rocket sped toward orbit while being followed by cheers. With greater thrust than either the space shuttle or the powerful Saturn V that launched men to the moon, the 322-foot SLS is the most potent rocket NASA has ever developed.
Orion is more than 230,000 miles away from Earth and should arrive at the moon in four days. The spacecraft will pass through a distant orbit that extends for nearly 40,000 miles after approaching 80 miles from the moon. Early on in the flight, a few small difficulties did arise, but initial reports indicated that the boosters and engines ran well.
Moonbase
By 2017, the rocket was anticipated to have completed its dry run. By 2025, NASA’s total expenditure could amount to $93 billion on the mission. By the late 2030s or early 2040s, NASA aims to build a moonbase and deploy astronauts to Mars. However, there are quite many obstacles for NASA to overcome. Only the lunar orbit, not the surface, will be accessible to astronauts through the Orion spacecraft.
A modern equivalent of Apollo’s lunar lander, Starship, is being developed by NASA in partnership with Elon Musk’s SpaceX. At least on the initial journey in 2025, Starship will move astronauts from the Orion to the moon’s surface. In order to be ready for deployment whenever new Orion crews arrive, the plan calls for stationing Starship and ultimately other businesses’ landers in orbit around the moon.
Before revealing the astronauts slated to work on the upcoming test mission and those who will succeed Apollo 11’s Armstrong and Aldrin, NASA is waiting till this test flight is finished. Next month marks the 50th anniversary of Apollo 17’s Cernan and Schmitt ending the era. At that time, the majority of NASA’s corps of 42 current astronauts and 10 trainees had not even been born.
