A new report from NASA shares the agency’s plans to return to the Moon 50 years after the first lunar crewed Apollo mission. NASA has expressed its intention to return multiple times already. This time, however, the agency’s objective is to understand how to make use of lunar resources for building extraterrestrial colonies in the future. Dubbed the Artemis program, it is slated to occur around October 2024 and will see the first woman and the next man on the lunar surface. The Artemis III Science Definition Team Report was released to the public early this month and detailed the key science activities NASA is hoping to conduct.
The following are the Artemis program’s primary objectives:
● Understanding planetary processes
● Understanding the character and origin of lunar polar volatiles
● Interpreting the impact history of the Earth-Moon system
● Revealing the record of the ancient sun and our astronomical environment
● Observing the universe and the local space environment from a unique location
● Conducting experimental science in the lunar environment
● Investigating and mitigating exploration risks
Artemis III is the main mission that involves sending astronauts to the Moon. NASA expects that having humans directly on the surface can allow for experiments to be carried out more efficiently, and it is also an opportunity to integrate data collection instruments for long-term study. According to the report, the Artemis III mission would be “an opportunity lost” should it fail to deploy the “first of a series of geophysical and environment network nodes.” The Apollo instruments first managed to detect seismic activity on the Moon but were eventually shut down in 1977. The Artemis mission will install new seismometers to provide an understanding of the moonquakes occurring on the surface.
NASA is also hoping to study water on the Moon. The Artemis crew will be drilling into the ground to determine whether water ice can be harvested. They will also be measuring and observing rock formations on the Moon’s surface to help understand how the craters on the surface were formed ages ago, as well as gain some insight into the history of the solar system and the sun as it evolved. NASA is planning to conduct lunar gravity experiments as well to understand the physics and fluid dynamics of the environment, in particular, how lunar gravity will affect certain chemical reactions.
Another advantage of returning to the Moon is the capability to make higher resolution observations of Earth. According to NASA, this could put the agency in even closer proximity compared to most satellites positioned around the Earth’s orbit. This could contribute significant information in the realm of climate science and investigation. NASA will also be collecting geological samples from various locations on the Moon to bring back to Earth for further study.
While recent missions have focused mostly on getting to Mars directly, the report has also expressed how utilizing lunar missions might benefit the race to Mars. According to NASA, the Artemis mission will allow the agency to test out architecture and technologies that are relevant to the Mars missions.
Read the full report here: https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/atoms/files/artemis-iii-science-definition-report-12042020c.pdf
For more news and stories, check out how NASA and Nokia brought 4G technology to the Moon here.