The Artemis Program - NASA manned mission to the Moon and Mars

[Kokolums]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artemis_program
https://www.firstpost.com/tech/scien...0-6694501.html

The Artemis program was given its name in May 2019. Its a planned manned moon mission by 2024 and eventually a manned Mars mission. There will be a space station in lunar orbit by 2024. It is the successor to the Apollo program. In Greek mythology, Artemis was Apollo's twin sister.

It might be best to understand the program with a timeline:

1. Summer 2019 - a launch test of the capsule that will contain the astronauts
2. 2020 - Artemis 1 launches, which will be an unmanned mission around the moon.
3. 2022 - Artemis 2 launches, which will be a manned orbit of the moon (with no lunar landing).
4. 2024 - Artemis 3 launches, which will be a manned lunar landing in the south pole region of the moon.
5. 2025 - Artemis 4 launches, manned lunar landing.
6. 2026 - Artemis 5 launches, manned lunar landing.
7. 2027 - Artemis 6 launches, manned lunar landing.
8. 2028 - Artemis 7 launches, manned lunar landing.
9. 2028 - Artemis 8 launches, manned lunar landing and delivery of Lunar Surface Asset, a moon base.
10. 2030s - Manned mission to Mars using the moon base as a springboard.

In addition to the Artemis launches, NASA will hire private companies to perform 5 additional lunar launches between now and 2024 to ship the building blocks of a lunar space station that will serve as a "gateway" to the moon. This space station will be parked in lunar orbit. Artemis will dock with the space station. The space station will have its own lander that will shuttle astronauts between the space station and the moon.

NASA's boasts it can accomplish all of this in 5 years due to the bidding nature of the project. Instead of NASA listing precise mission requirements and trying to get contractors to match them, NASA is simply "buying the service" from contractors and letting them work out the details instead of "owning the hardware".

The beast behind the mission is the new SLS rocket system. It is the biggest rocket of all time and it will power the Artemis program.

[d00mGuArD]

When Artemis 4 lands on the moon in 6 years, I want the person that steps on the moon to say

"That's another small step for man... "

[Aeula]

Why would anyone name anything after that bitch???

Just about all the Greek Gods were assholes, so why not? Their names are cool and recognisable.

[Serenais]

I believe the name may have been chosen because Artemis is a sister to Apollo.
And I believe we all know what Apollo program was about.
And to nitpick, as for SLS being the largest rocket ever, I think BFR (and possibly New Armstrong) might get a say in that race.
It definitelly is still going to be a beast, though.

[Corvus]

I was beginning to despair that I'd live long enough to see any progress in space given how it seemed to have stalled over the last couple of decades, but all it took was a bit of private industry getting involved to see it happen. Going back to the moon is a great first step and it would make an ideal location for heavy industry for further space exploration, or even just to get it off Earth, but that may be a little bit more long term.

And, yeah, the greek gods were pretty much all dicks. Ironically, it is one of the least dickish of the lot, Hades, who gets all the bad rep nowdays. Hades and Hephaestus were really about the only ones you'd want to be around.

[Serenais]

Hey so is Hermes, god of travel

True, true.
But Apollo and Artemis were twins x) (don't ask me how, greek gods were... weird, to put it mildly)
I get your point, though. Personally, I think that Hermes could be a name for a larger program direct to interplanetary transport infrastructure (for example, constructing a gateway station at Earth/Moon, another at Mars, and several spacecraft capable of delivering cargo and crew either way), if there ever is one (although I suspect there will have to be, once asteroid mining becomes a thing; there isn't that many earth-grazing asteroids that we could mine, so we might have to build an infrastructure to go to the "source").

[Aeula]

Oh they were all assholes but Artemis was a special kind of asshole. Just search for the story of Orion and how he ended up a constellation.

Didn’t that story end with Apollo tricking her into killing him?

[Kuntantee]

I wish NASA good luck. Wish this is what we were planning here in Turkey too.

[Captain N]

Oh they were all assholes but Artemis was a special kind of asshole. Just search for the story of Orion and how he ended up a constellation.

Maybe I'm missing something here or there's another variation of the story? In this it shows Orion as the arrogant asshole who was going to kill every creature on the planet. Artemis was the one who demanded Orion be placed in the sky a long side Scorpius.

There is a great Greek myth to explain why these constellations are separated in the night sky. According to the myth, Orion was a great hunter and became quite boastful about his skills, claiming there to be no animal he could not kill. When Orion boasted to the Goddess Artemis, daughter of Zeus, that he would kill every animal on earth, Gaia, the Goddess of the Earth, sent Scorpius to kill Orion.

A great battle ensued which saw the demise of Orion. The contest was however such a lively one that it caught the attention of Zeus, the god of the sky and ruler of all Olympian gods, who then honoured Scorpius by raising it to the heavens. The Goddess Artemis, who was Orion’s admirer, requested that Orion be honored in the same way. Zeus obliged, placing them on opposite ends of the night sky; Scorpio can still be seen today, endlessly chasing Orion across the night sky. This myth serves as a reminder to mortal men to avoid arrogance and boastfulness and to care for all creatures, large and small.

https://blog.londolozi.com/2017/05/2...ius-and-orion/

[Fantomen]

Summer 2019 - a launch test of the capsule that will contain the astronauts

Why not just call it a unmanned test?

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I believe the name may have been chosen because Artemis is a sister to Apollo.

Did not think about that, always did feel it was a bit strange to name the program Artemis, then she was the person who killed Orion.

[Skroe]

Hey this is my turf!

Seriously though, none of this is going to happen. At least on this schedule.

First "Artemis". That's just a rename of the existing SLS+Orion program which has long been a vehicle without a clear destination or purpose (which is fine). They chose "Artemis" because they decided to focus on the Moon first.

The Moon in 2024. Never going to happen. I wish it were. But not with the SLS. The first flight of the SLS Block I was supposed to occur in 2017. It when got pushed back to 2018. Then to 2020. Now the GAO predicts summer 2021.

Manufacture of an SLS takes 4 years per rocket. The first SLS Block I is nearing completion. The second has some assemblies made. The third and forth have nothing made yet. For SLS to make it to the moon on Artemis 3 by 2024, they'd need to buy the SLS Block I about now. They aren't.

This is why NASA says they are in need of $30 billion in additional funding by 2024 (that's an additional $6 billion per year). They won't get it. They'll get maybe, an additional billion.

The problem is the SLS is a deeply troubled program that, at this point, will probably fly once before cancellation. I say this as a former SLS booster. Fact is, Falcon Heavy's greater than expected performance largely makes it obsolete, and Falcon Heavy is flying now.

The SLS was always ever a jobs program mostly for NASA Huntsville in Alabama, and additionally contractors in Louisiana, Florida, Mississippi and Texas. It is meant to keep billions of dollars flowing to southern states in the post-shuttle era and keep those jobs in place. But as a vehicle, it's turned out to be largely an overpriced, overly late turd.

[Kokolums]

Hey this is my turf!

Seriously though, none of this is going to happen. At least on this schedule.

First "Artemis". That's just a rename of the existing SLS+Orion program which has long been a vehicle without a clear destination or purpose (which is fine). They chose "Artemis" because they decided to focus on the Moon first.

The Moon in 2024. Never going to happen. I wish it were. But not with the SLS. The first flight of the SLS Block I was supposed to occur in 2017. It when got pushed back to 2018. Then to 2020. Now the GAO predicts summer 2021.

Manufacture of an SLS takes 4 years per rocket. The first SLS Block I is nearing completion. The second has some assemblies made. The third and forth have nothing made yet. For SLS to make it to the moon on Artemis 3 by 2024, they'd need to buy the SLS Block I about now. They aren't.

This is why NASA says they are in need of $30 billion in additional funding by 2024 (that's an additional $6 billion per year). They won't get it. They'll get maybe, an additional billion.

The problem is the SLS is a deeply troubled program that, at this point, will probably fly once before cancellation. I say this as a former SLS booster. Fact is, Falcon Heavy's greater than expected performance largely makes it obsolete, and Falcon Heavy is flying now.

The SLS was always ever a jobs program mostly for NASA Huntsville in Alabama, and additionally contractors in Louisiana, Florida, Mississippi and Texas. It is meant to keep billions of dollars flowing to southern states in the post-shuttle era and keep those jobs in place. But as a vehicle, it's turned out to be largely an overpriced, overly late turd.

Not exactly true.

President Obama effectively killed the NASA space program in 2009 and redirected NASA towards working on global warming issues and a jobs program. Trump came along in December 2017 and basically re-established NASA and gave it a directive to work with private partners towards a manned mission across the solar system. Its basically been a year and a half with the new directive and it was just christened the Artemis program in May 2019. They just accelerated the timetable to 2024 back in March as the new program is getting geared up.

While there were a lot of problems with the SLS, all of it was under the Obama administration which really wasn't interested in space.

[Serenais]

Not exactly true.

President Obama effectively killed the NASA space program in 2009 and redirected NASA towards working on global warming issues and a jobs program. Trump came along in December 2017 and basically re-established NASA and gave it a directive to work with private partners towards a manned mission across the solar system. Its basically been a year and a half with the new directive and it was just christened the Artemis program in May 2019. They just accelerated the timetable to 2024 back in March as the new program is getting geared up.

While there were a lot of problems with the SLS, all of it was under the Obama administration which really wasn't interested in space.

I would have to agree with the time scope not being realistic, and SLS being overly expensive for its job. Now, don't get me wrong, I REALLY want to see it fly, and I want human presence on the Moon yesterday. However, Falcon Heavy and Falcon 9 can perfectly well suit a lunar mission already. Sure, Falcon 9 can only bring a capsule to Earth orbit, and while Falcon Heavy could probably send a capsule (but not a landing module as well) to lunar orbit, it's not manrated. However, Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy are MASSIVELY cheaper than a single launch of SLS will be. Overall, Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy can lift a modular spacecraft into orbit in three to four launches, including the crew, for far less money than a single launch of SLS, and they can do that today.
The other thing is that, for a Moon->Mars project like Artemis, NASA is criminally underfunded. If Starlink goes live as planned, it will make SpaceX far better funded than NASA is or is going to be.

Also, I wouldn't put all the brunt of criticism on Obama's administration; sure, he cancelled Constellation and had NASA sort-of-work on SLS instead, however, Constellation was way overbudget and very much behind schedule. The launch vehicle(s) it would have produced would have been conceptually obsolete (although possibly more technologically advanced than SLS). The worst problem was that Ares V, the workhorse of the whole program, wouldn't be finished (per Augustine Comission) "until late 2020s". In this term, SLS is actually going to fly sooner (while being similarly powerful), unless something very unexpected happens - and the commercial crew program can fill in for Ares I. SLS spent most of its developement under Obama administration. I agree, however, that Obama administration should've funded NASA far better. Trump's administration actually didn't increase NASA funding much, they just reallocated a lot of the funds from planetary science (projects like Cassini and New Horizons); overall, I would say that NASA should be funded far more, in all aspects, not in what is more appealing to the current administration. Neither Obama nor Trump administration's way is "correct". Earth needs both human spaceflight and Earth observation regarding climate change.

I personally see the biggest problem of SLS to be that it also is conceptually obsolete, which will make it fly less and more costly. While I think that Musk's plan to fly first BFR in 2020 is overly optimistic, it doesn't change that BFR will be able to do what SLS is expected to do, while being fully reusable (although I have my doubts about full reusability of Starship), thus costing far less money per launch and allowing for shorter time between launches - and it will fly in around the same time, especially if SLS slips behind schedule, while being relatively immune to sudden cancellations due to political shifts. I personally don't think that SLS would get cancelled after the first flight, even if Trump doesn't get re-elected - there's far too much money sunk in the program for it to just be thrown off the table. I personally expect, however, that BFR and/or New Armstrong (provided it is a BFR-like project), or something similar, will phase it out over time, and NASA will concentrate onto deep space programs (like the lunar base, Mars mission and beyond), while leaving the lifting to orbit part to commercial launch vehicles.

[Galactis]

From 2026 to 30 is nothing confirmed as manned at all. There's missions that SLS will be flying that are not manned. Europa Clipper for example.

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Except SLS will be in full heavy mode lift more than any rocket.

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Hey this is my turf!

Seriously though, none of this is going to happen. At least on this schedule.

First "Artemis". That's just a rename of the existing SLS+Orion program which has long been a vehicle without a clear destination or purpose (which is fine). They chose "Artemis" because they decided to focus on the Moon first.

The Moon in 2024. Never going to happen. I wish it were. But not with the SLS. The first flight of the SLS Block I was supposed to occur in 2017. It when got pushed back to 2018. Then to 2020. Now the GAO predicts summer 2021.

Manufacture of an SLS takes 4 years per rocket. The first SLS Block I is nearing completion. The second has some assemblies made. The third and forth have nothing made yet. For SLS to make it to the moon on Artemis 3 by 2024, they'd need to buy the SLS Block I about now. They aren't.

This is why NASA says they are in need of $30 billion in additional funding by 2024 (that's an additional $6 billion per year). They won't get it. They'll get maybe, an additional billion.

The problem is the SLS is a deeply troubled program that, at this point, will probably fly once before cancellation. I say this as a former SLS booster. Fact is, Falcon Heavy's greater than expected performance largely makes it obsolete, and Falcon Heavy is flying now.

The SLS was always ever a jobs program mostly for NASA Huntsville in Alabama, and additionally contractors in Louisiana, Florida, Mississippi and Texas. It is meant to keep billions of dollars flowing to southern states in the post-shuttle era and keep those jobs in place. But as a vehicle, it's turned out to be largely an overpriced, overly late turd.

SLS will continue to fly. Falcon Heavy can't fly any of the upcoming NASA missions. And, Orion can't fly on a Falcon rocket.

[Beazy]

Why doesnt NASA and SpaceX just team up and speed this shit up. I want to see space faring humans before I die. . . is that so much to ask?

[Kokolums]

Why doesnt NASA and SpaceX just team up and speed this shit up. I want to see space faring humans before I die. . . is that so much to ask?

Actually that is EXACTLY what is happening. The entire POINT of the Trump directive is to do exactly what you just said. Trump gave a directive for NASA to work with private companies to speed up the process of going to the Moon and Mars. That's why a lot of this is getting farmed out to private companies. That's why they were able to accelerate the manned lunar mission to 2024.

You should read the links and see who has been awarded contracts so far.

[Flarelaine]

Oh they were all assholes but Artemis was a special kind of asshole. Just search for the story of Orion and how he ended up a constellation.

Also that guy who accidentally found her while taking a bath.

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Hephaestus was awesome, though totally a cuck.

Except when he caught the guy cockolding him in a steel mesh trap. That was wicked.

[Flarelaine]

Probably the best was Callisto though. Girl was raped and because being raped meant that she violated her oaths of chastity to Artemis, she transformed her into a bear and tried to have her son (product of her rape) to kill her. That's . . . twisted. Like, Handmaid's Tale levels of misogyny

That, too.

All them Greek myths are really telling... about us humans. Still, there are nice bits such as Phylemon and Baucis. And poignant bits, usually around some prophecy and collision with fate. Antigone is a favourite heroine of mine.

[Galactis]

There are a lot of missions coming in the next 4-5 years. And NASA will be in 2026 ready to cut the ISS out of funding completely. Hence, the goal of getting commercial and private enterprise into the vacuum behind NASA. NASA belongs at the FRONT, the BLEEDING edge of discovery and boundaries where things are hard, expensive, and long. LAwlz! Private industry always follows they will take up the slack of shuttling astronauts or whoever to LEO and and doing the small missions that NASA doesn't really have the business of doing anymore. NASA needs to be pushing the frontier and blazing the path, then the private companies come in and pick up the contracts, make things cheap and available.

Boeing and SpaceX extremely good at what they do so far, will have the job of getting people to LEO with their own NASA certified capsules and so on. Which frees up NASA's budget to put forward to Mars missions. Once NASA starts construction on Gateway with SLS and maybe the help of other rockets, "which is so far yet to be rated or certified". NASA will then drop off some more old stuff in prep for consistent 1 year stays at the high lunar orbits. These high lunar orbits will be able to ferry down the next LONG list of people ready to study, research further, dig, build, discover things on the moon. Yeah we did it in the 60's, "Well technically we only sent 1 scientist to the moon"(Geologist). Should we not want to send people from other fields to study the applications for building, mining, research, habitation, so on?

Setting up a platform of Consistent research, building, etc on the moon. Why can't we do this? Why can't we do this, and do all the things that people are complaining about, "down here on Earth". Sorry but, the things in space have significantly affected everything here on Earth since we've began going to space. Because, Space has near limitless potential of resources, and research. Everyone should not limit their focus but broaden the horizon yet hone in on specific elements to build a space EMPIRE!

I though am curious to see how Bigelow Aerospace plays a roll in design, function, maintenance, of future inflatable modules for surface bases or orbiting stations. I find that bases on a surface probably better suited to be rigid and tough. We need to start building up companies to fabricate diggers, movers, cranes, and storage.

Sorry I jump around a lot but, I see grand massive views of space assets and the infinite potentiality of it all.

Steps:

1. Power generation, storage, and ISRU(In Situ Resource Utilization). This is a package deal in my eyes, utilizing the setup, creation, building, maintaining, and further creation of extended solar power generation fields on the lunar surface. We're talking something at least the size of what is in Nevada's desserts outside Tesla's Gigafactory. Inplementaion of underground storage tanks, devices, and buildings to help shield against radiation exposure and solar wind. Take advantage of the thermal differences in temperature to create a sort of thermal heating cycle, which then can be used to help provide power, and water from the condensation collection of the trace amounts of water. That condensation of water would be generated by some structure massive in scale that takes advantage of the rapid changes in temperature and the moisture content on the surface or sub-surface lunar crust.

2. Definitely need to create some sort of partially underground food "bio-dome". In the bio dome it needs to have a roof filter made of water, and the combining gases in our atmosphere to filter out the solar x-rays, and things that are pretty harmful to us. Also, this dome can be partially underground and above ground for obvious reasons like sunlight and sub-roof moisture collection as well. This has to be a consistent thing so that at least 1 year full supply of food can be held at all times until self sufficiency.

3. Habitation and Rigid Modular Construction: I think that having buildings with room for 4 persons comfortably sealed from the outside with airlocks and whatnot. Must have all connecting tunnels, other buildings, exercise facilities, mess hall, research, maintenance, etc. All connected to cut the amount of outside exposure to harmful space weather. All the facilities must have the same shielding ideas that are used in Steps 1 and 2. With all this building must come maintenance and construction "IS". Need to come up with designs, mapping, locations far enough away for research gathering, storage, building, and manufacturing of parts, and pieces.

4. Research: This has to be the last step and in this order because, the needs roles above. The goal to the entire program as lite in detail as I tried to be without writing a book, should be to create a potential self sufficient ecosystem for habitation and functional stabilized human exploration. Research is CRITICAL to learning about how to better utilize our space assets and future space missions. How can we make better spacesuits, how do we become faster at mounting expeditions, how to rapidly create emergency planning and so on. Is it safe to reproduce in space or on another celestial body? What are the consequences or long term benefits, detriments, and effects. Can animals ever function properly in low G environments, altered digestion, brain function, visual stimulus and side affects. What kinds of planning is taken to better life on Earth and beyond. Can we grow, reproduce, and live effectively longer than 1-80 years or indefinitely in space. What are the long term evolutionary changes, traits, pluses, minuses. Extend to creating missions as long as 5 years. Push into laser communication for extremely long distance messages. When it takes 8 hours for messages by Radio Waves to get from the outer solar system to earth, that's too long. Managing time is important to humans, and mission success or failure.

After all of the long term build up, and habitation, and so on at the moon. Then at that point we can go to Mars to live. Except on Mars, it has VASTLY more resources akin to Earth than does the Moon to Earth. Mars will be a vastly easier challenge to live on than the moon.

I say lets do it.... Lets get moving peeps because, at the rate we're going. Earth is bleeding at this point, not dying but, it's wounded a little by humans. Plus it only makes sense to NOT have all one's eggs(Humans) in one basket. I'd rather be a species of interplanetary, interstellar, or intergalactic means than still getting our energy from dead things. I mean come on.... It's the only way.

I could go on in extreme point by point by idea detail but, this would literally take me years.

We can do this if we really speedily wanted to.

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Sorry, I am really excited about all the space missions going on in the last 3 years. I'm ready, lets do it.

[Kokolums]

https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-50140572

Jeff Bezos has announced the formation of a "national team" that will aim to build the lander that will take astronauts back to the Moon in 2024.

Bezos' space company Blue Origin has teamed up with aerospace giants Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman and Draper to bid for the landing system.

The White House has set the ambitious goal of sending a man and a woman to the lunar South Pole within five years.

Bezos outlined the plan at a meeting in Washington DC.



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https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-50070615

NASA unveils new space suit for moon landing.



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https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-49759627

NASAs Moon Rocket Takes Shape