NASA Aces Artemis I, but the journey has only just begun
When NASA's Orion capsule crashed into the Pacific Ocean yesterday afternoon, it marked the end of a journey that began decades ago. The Orion capsule's origins date back to a Lockheed Martin proposal from the early 2000s, and development of the massive Space Launch System rocket that sent it on its historic journey around the Moon began in 2011 - although few at the time could have imagined that is what it would end up being used for. The planned mission for the incredibly powerful shuttle-derived rocket changed so many times over the years that for a time it was called the "rocket to nowhere" because it seemed the agency couldn't decide. exactly where she wanted to send her flagship exploration vehicle.
But today, for perhaps the first time, the future of SLS and Orion looks bright. The Artemis I mission was not only a technical success for just about every metric you'd want to use, it was also a public relations boon like the one NASA has rarely seen outside of the spectacular landings of their rovers. martians. Tens of millions watched as the unmanned mission soared to the Moon, a prelude to the global excitement that will surround the crewed follow-on flight currently scheduled for 2024.
As NASA commentators reminded viewers during livestreamed segments of the nearly 26-day mission around the Moon, the test flight officially ushered in what the space agency calls the Artemis Generation, a new era of lunar exploration that picks up where the Apollo left off. Rather than occasional hasty visits to its beautiful desolation, Artemis aims to lay the groundwork for a permanent human presence on our natural satellite.
With the successful conclusion of Artemis I, NASA has now effectively demonstrated two-thirds of the hardware and techniques needed to return humans to the surface of the Moon: SLS has proven it has the power to send heavy payloads beyond low Earth orbit, and the long-duration flight Orion made around our nearest celestial neighbor ensured that it was more than enough to carry human explorers on a shorter and more direct route.
But of course, it would be unreasonable to expect the first flight of such a complex vehicle to go smoothly. While the primary mission goals were all met and the architecture generally met or exceeded pre-launch expectations, there is still a lot of work to be done before NASA is ready for Artemis II. Taming the SLS
The idea behind the SLS was to use space shuttle flight-proven hardware, namely the RS-25 engines and solid rocket boosters (SRBs), to save time and reduce costs . Unfortunately, much like the dreams of quickly reusing the shuttle itself, the reality of the situation turned out to be considerably more complicated. While the SLS engines and boosters began life as parts of the Shuttle, their final shape was different enough that it took years of testing and research to be sure that the many modifications to the legacy hardware would work as expected.
These delays extended into the launch itself, which was repeatedly delayed due to technical issues. Of particular note were the difficulties encountered loading the propellants onto the vehicle, which ranged from numerous leaks to stuck valves. These delays have become increasingly worrisome as some co...
When NASA's Orion capsule crashed into the Pacific Ocean yesterday afternoon, it marked the end of a journey that began decades ago. The Orion capsule's origins date back to a Lockheed Martin proposal from the early 2000s, and development of the massive Space Launch System rocket that sent it on its historic journey around the Moon began in 2011 - although few at the time could have imagined that is what it would end up being used for. The planned mission for the incredibly powerful shuttle-derived rocket changed so many times over the years that for a time it was called the "rocket to nowhere" because it seemed the agency couldn't decide. exactly where she wanted to send her flagship exploration vehicle.
But today, for perhaps the first time, the future of SLS and Orion looks bright. The Artemis I mission was not only a technical success for just about every metric you'd want to use, it was also a public relations boon like the one NASA has rarely seen outside of the spectacular landings of their rovers. martians. Tens of millions watched as the unmanned mission soared to the Moon, a prelude to the global excitement that will surround the crewed follow-on flight currently scheduled for 2024.
As NASA commentators reminded viewers during livestreamed segments of the nearly 26-day mission around the Moon, the test flight officially ushered in what the space agency calls the Artemis Generation, a new era of lunar exploration that picks up where the Apollo left off. Rather than occasional hasty visits to its beautiful desolation, Artemis aims to lay the groundwork for a permanent human presence on our natural satellite.
With the successful conclusion of Artemis I, NASA has now effectively demonstrated two-thirds of the hardware and techniques needed to return humans to the surface of the Moon: SLS has proven it has the power to send heavy payloads beyond low Earth orbit, and the long-duration flight Orion made around our nearest celestial neighbor ensured that it was more than enough to carry human explorers on a shorter and more direct route.
But of course, it would be unreasonable to expect the first flight of such a complex vehicle to go smoothly. While the primary mission goals were all met and the architecture generally met or exceeded pre-launch expectations, there is still a lot of work to be done before NASA is ready for Artemis II. Taming the SLS
The idea behind the SLS was to use space shuttle flight-proven hardware, namely the RS-25 engines and solid rocket boosters (SRBs), to save time and reduce costs . Unfortunately, much like the dreams of quickly reusing the shuttle itself, the reality of the situation turned out to be considerably more complicated. While the SLS engines and boosters began life as parts of the Shuttle, their final shape was different enough that it took years of testing and research to be sure that the many modifications to the legacy hardware would work as expected.
These delays extended into the launch itself, which was repeatedly delayed due to technical issues. Of particular note were the difficulties encountered loading the propellants onto the vehicle, which ranged from numerous leaks to stuck valves. These delays have become increasingly worrisome as some co...
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