When NASA officially announced the Artemis program, it revealed its plans to land the next human on the Moon in 2024.
NASA has now released the Artemis program, detailing how humanity will reach the moon.
NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstinesaid the agency "has consolidated more of its research plans in recent months and continued to refine its budget and architecture."
The service looks at the program's progress to date and identifies key missions, as well as the partnerships it has built to be able to land astronauts on the Moon. While you may already know some of the information it contains, the Artemis program will give you a pretty comprehensive look at what NASA has accomplished, such as the Orion and SLS tests it has conducted so far, and what needs to be accomplished in the years ahead.
The document [PDF] explains the types of scientific tests astronauts should conduct, and the samples they should collect, when they reach their destination. It also outlines the role the Lunar Gateway will play in establishing a permanent presence on the moon, such as providing basic life support needs for astronauts preparing for their journey to the lunar surface.
"Under the Artemis, humanity will explore areas of the Moon we have never visited before, uniting people around the unknown, the unseen, and the once impossible. We will return to the Moon robotically starting next year, send astronauts within four years, and build a long-term presence on the Moon by the end of the decade," Bridenstine said.
For those following the Artemis program closely, NASA also included additional details, including a new test it plans to conduct during the Artemis II mission. Artemis II will be the program's first flight and will carry astronauts on a lunar mission.
The new test will be a “proximity operations demonstration” to evaluate Orion’s manual handling capabilities and all of its associated hardware and software. It will provide NASA with the data it can’t get from on-site preparations but needs for the actual landing mission.
"I'm proud to share the Artemis program, how we'll go to the Moon again. And how we'll use the Moon as the stepping stone for our next big leap: human exploration of Mars."
