Photo credit: www.nasa.gov

NASA Advances Towards Artemis III Crewed Lunar Missions

NASA, alongside its commercial partners, is making significant strides in preparations for Artemis III and subsequent lunar landing missions under its Artemis initiative. Recently, SpaceX, tasked with developing the Human Landing System (HLS) for both Artemis III and IV, successfully conducted tests on a 1.2% scale model of its Super Heavy rocket. These tests were carried out in the transonic Unitary Plan Wind Tunnel located at NASA’s Ames Research Center in Silicon Valley, California.

During the wind tunnel experiments, engineers simulated the high-speed air conditions that the Super Heavy booster will encounter during actual flight. The model was tested under wind speeds ranging from Mach 0.7 (approximately 537 miles per hour) to Mach 1.4 (about 1,074 miles per hour). It is important to note that Mach 1, the speed of sound at sea level, is roughly 761 miles per hour.

The primary objective of these tests was to evaluate the model’s stability, aerodynamic performance, and response to the simulated conditions. Engineers collected valuable data from these evaluations, which will be instrumental in updating the flight software for the upcoming missions and refining the design of future booster iterations. The testing phase took place earlier in 2024 and extended over a period of about two weeks.

Once the Super Heavy successfully propels the Starship HLS towards the Moon, it is designed to return to the launch site, where it can be captured and reused. Meanwhile, the Starship will continue its journey to lunar orbit.

Astronauts participating in the Artemis missions will begin their journey aboard NASA’s Orion spacecraft, which is launched by the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket from Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Following their insertion into lunar orbit, Orion will either dock with the Starship HLS or the Gateway lunar outpost. After the docking procedure is complete, astronauts will transition from Orion or Gateway to the Starship HLS, which will then transport them to the lunar surface. Upon completing their activities on the Moon, the astronauts will use the Starship to return to either Orion or Gateway, before finally coming back to Earth aboard Orion.

With the Artemis initiative, NASA aims to explore more lunar territory than ever before, while also acquiring essential skills for living and working away from Earth. This endeavor serves as a foundation for future human expeditions to Mars and other destinations in deep space. NASA’s integrated suite of technologies, including the SLS, Orion spacecraft, human landing systems, next-gen spacesuits, the Gateway lunar station, and future rover designs, collectively represents the agency’s commitment to advancing human exploration of outer space.

For further details on the Artemis program, visit:

https://www.nasa.gov/artemis

Source
www.nasa.gov