57 years ago, in 1969, the U.S. claimed a victory in the space race against the Soviet Union by sending Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin as the first humans to ever set foot on the moon. Since then, 10 more people have walked on the moon, all between 1969-1972. It has been 54 years since Apollo 18, the last mission where astronauts were sent to the moon.
NASA is currently working to launch a crew of four to explore a new part of the moon, the south pole region. This mission is called Artemis III and is expected to take off in 2027. The crew will be launched in Orion, a spacecraft, to explore the new part. The four astronauts will depart from NASA’s 39B Launch Pad at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. They will be atop the Space Launch System (SLS), the only rocket powerful enough to launch Orion into space.
Only 5% of the moon has been explored by humans; however, space probes from the U.S. and China have explored most other regions, leaving only about 18% of the moon unexplored. This area is on the far side of the moon, and since it is tidally locked to the Earth, we only ever see one half of the moon. The other side is only occasionally visible because of libration and oscillation.
Artemis III will add new capabilities, including a human landing system and advanced space suits. Engineers are working on new technologies for the upcoming mission, such as improved heat shields and other preparations for ground control during flight.
Leading up to the mission, NASA will complete two test missions. Once on the moon, the astronauts will take pictures and videos, survey geology, retrieve samples, and collect data to expand their understanding of our solar system. The data and observations from this new mission will help scientists better understand the whole Solar System.
“I’ve always been really interested in what NASA does, and their missions to the moon,” sophomore Noor Johl said. “This mission will be really cool to see, since the last mission where astronauts were sent was half a century ago and I wasn’t alive for that.”
The 1969 Apollo 11 mission took eight days. After the three-day journey to the moon, the astronauts stepped down on the surface, with Michael Collins staying aboard to photograph the lunar surface and serve as the communications link. After about two hours and fifteen minutes, the astronauts reentered the lunar module, and the next day, on July 21, descended back to Earth.
Artemis III, in contrast, will take 30 days to complete. During this time, the astronauts will fly to the moon, land on the surface, then spend about a week near the south pole of the moon conducting new experiments and collecting data. Lastly, the astronauts will return to lunar orbit to join the rest of the crew for the journey back to Earth.
“The first journey was tremendously interesting because it was so difficult to do,” substitute teacher Jeff Raleigh said. “It proved we could achieve magnificent goals, and it raised people’s belief that you could accomplish fantastic things if you put your mind to it.”
Raleigh was 22, fighting in the army in Ethiopia during the first launch, and although there were no TVs, everyone knew about Apollo 11. “That’s what everybody was talking about, that the U.S. put a man on the moon,” Raleigh said.
Artemis III will change many things about humans’ understanding of the solar system and our planet as a whole, thanks to the new samples that will be collected and the new observations that will be made. This mission will once again prove that the U.S. and mankind can do extraordinary things.
