An Artemis launch, seen from the yard of Freshwater Reporter’s Florida correspondent Matt Rumpfeldt.
By Brooke Edwards
Pay attention to NASA TV and the internet on Aug. 29 (2002) when a historic event is scheduled to take place.
NASA recently announced a launch window for Artemis 1, the test flight of the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket which will carry the uncrewed Orion capsule to the moon and beyond. All rocket launches depend on a “go” for systems check and weather conditions. Possible launch dates, referred to by NASA as “interim,” are Aug. 29, Sept. 2 and Sept. 5.
If testing goes as planned, Artemis 1 will be transferred from the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) on Aug. 18 to launch pad 39B at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The moon rocket’s last appearance on the launch pad was June 20, for its latest “wet dress rehearsal.”
For months, NASA’s SLS has undergone multiple rehearsals, testing engines and systems of the rocket and spacecraft. SLS consists of a powerful launch rocket system and the Orion crew capsule. This is the ride that will return astronauts to the moon for the first time since 1972. When the crew of Apollo 17 left the lunar surface that year, little did they know it would take humans more than 50 years to make a return journey. With lack of funding, diminishing public interest and a focus on research in Earth orbit, decades slipped away.
Since Artemis 1 is a test flight, it will not ferry astronauts. This honor is reserved for Artemis 2, which does not have a launch date but will fly the same path as Artemis 1. NASA’s plan for Artemis 1 is to fly the uncrewed Orion capsule around the moon, traveling several thousand miles beyond it before heading back to Earth. The mission will last more than a month. During this time, NASA will determine if Orion is fit for human spaceflight. The Orion crew capsule is the first spacecraft designed for humans to travel this distance into space and fly for an extended time without landing or docking to a space station.
Following a successful mission, Artemis 2 will take astronauts on a crewed flight around the moon, possibly as soon as 2024. Artemis 3 is the mission that will land humans, including the first woman and person of color, on the moon. Assuming all goes according to plan, Artemis 3 may take flight in 2025 or a bit beyond.
NASA and private space companies are working together to advance humanity into space. Now is the time to get excited! Who will be the first person to set foot on the moon once again? With this test flight, we are getting closer to the answer.
Brooke Edwards is a NASA/JPL Solar System Ambassador. She lives in Manistee and has given area presentations and hosted night-sky viewings at Fifth Avenue beach. Follow her Facebook page: Brooke Edwards – Solar System Ambassador.
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