It's confirmed: 10 more astronauts have been selected for the return to the moon, codenamed "Artemis"

The US plan to return to the moon has been a hot topic for many years. Some netizens are excitedly looking forward to the start of the show, while others are just watching and waiting to see the joke. This is because many people not only do not believe in the "return to the moon plan", but also believe that the first manned moon landing in the last century was fake.

So what happened to this matter? Let’s talk about it again today.

Astronauts are being selected to return to the moon

According to foreign media reports, on December 6, NASA announced that it had selected 10 new astronaut candidates from more than 12,000 applicants, including 6 men and 4 women. These candidates will begin a two-year training in January next year. After the training, they are expected to become astronauts for the return to the moon program.

The 10 new astronauts are: Nicole Ayers, Marcos Berrios, Christina Birch, Deniz Burnham, Luke Delaney, Andre Douglas, Jack Hathaway, Anil Menon, Christopher Williams, and Jessica Wittner. Almost all of them have a background in the US Navy or Air Force, and Ayers is one of the few women in the US Air Force who has flown the F-22.

They were selected from more than 12,000 applicants who submitted applications in March 2020. The basic requirements for application are U.S. citizenship, at least three years of relevant experience or 1,000 hours of jet flying experience, passing the astronaut physical examination, having a relevant educational background in STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) subjects, and obtaining a master's degree.

Prior to this, in December 2020, then-U.S. Vice President Pence announced a list of the Artemis team, including 18 astronaut candidates. He declared: "It is very important for us to have the first woman and the first person of color land on the surface of the moon together."

Artemis is the code name for NASA's plan to return to the moon in 2024.

The 18-person list announced in the past and the 10-person list announced now should all belong to the team of this plan, because returning to the moon is not just a one-time landing, but many times in a row, and we also need to build a lunar base, which will definitely require more astronauts. However, NASA has not provided more detailed information, so I will not make too many speculations.

But no matter what, these continuous news give people a feeling that NASA's plan to return to the moon is progressing step by step and in full swing, and the implementation process is becoming more and more concrete.

The name of the return to the moon program "Artemis" has profound implications

Artemis is the name of a goddess in Greek mythology, also known as Cynthia. She is the daughter of Zeus, the twin sister of Apollo, the god of the sun. She is the goddess of the moon and one of the twelve gods of Olympus, and the goddess of hunting. The Artemis Project is a space project named after this goddess, funded by the US government and implemented by NASA. The goal is to send astronauts to the moon and return safely around 2024, and to establish a normalized residence mechanism in the lunar orbit and on the lunar surface to pave the way for future manned landing missions on Mars.

The manned moon landing mission in the last century was called the "Apollo Program", and now it is called the "Artemis Program". Just like they are two siblings in Greek mythology, the return to the moon program is actually a sister and brother program with the manned moon landing in the last century. Of course, returning to the moon is to achieve a higher and stronger goal based on the past manned moon landing, and it is well deserved to be called the "sister of Apollo".

In 2017, then-US President Trump signed Space Policy Directive No. 1, officially approving the Artemis project; in 2019, NASA announced the official logo of the Artemis project and the moon goddess logo, which is a portrait of the goddess Artemis (see the picture above).

Based on the details and progress continuously disclosed by NASA, we can summarize the general outline of the implementation process of the Artemis project.

Artemis Project Overview

If this plan starts from 2019, the mission execution process will take about 10 years.

There are three biggest differences between the plan to return to the moon and the moon landing mission of the last century. The first is that the landing site is on the back of the moon. The first is that the landing on the moon is not on a spacecraft that takes off directly from the earth. The third is that it represents the landing of a wider range of mankind. For the first time, female astronauts and people of color will land on the moon.

Instead of landing directly on the moon, a space station called "Gateway to Deep Space" will be built in the lunar orbit. Astronauts who land on the moon will take a long-distance spacecraft from the earth to check into the space station, and then transfer to the "bus" (lunar spacecraft) from the space station to travel to and from the moon.

The main means of transportation between the Earth and the Moon will be the Space Launch System (SLS) developed by NASA. SLS is a launch vehicle system that is very similar to the Saturn V, the largest launch vehicle of the last century, but is more powerful and advanced. The "bus" mission from the "Deep Space Gate" to and from the Moon will be undertaken by a third-party commercial company selected through bidding.

Earlier this year, Musk's Space Exploration Technologies Corporation (SpaceX) won the exclusive bid for the spacecraft to transport astronauts to the moon, and will use their giant SN starship as a "bus" from the space station to the moon.

The general process of implementing the Artemis plan

In 2020, the Artemis 1 mission will be carried out, which is to complete the unmanned Orion spacecraft's test mission to orbit the moon; from 2021 to 2023, the Artemis 2 mission will be carried out, which will complete three manned Orion spacecraft orbiting the moon missions within three years. At this point, only one step is left before manned lunar landing.

At the same time, the construction of the lunar space station will also proceed simultaneously. In December 2022, the first space station module will be launched into space. This module is a power and propulsion component system that will provide power for the subsequent assembly, operation, propulsion, and communication of the space station modules; in 2024, the second module of the space station, the "small cabin", will be launched into orbit and docked with the power and propulsion module in orbit.

Earlier in 2023, NASA and its partners will send an intelligent rover called "Rover" to the moon to detect and analyze materials in the planned manned landing area, verify the method of using lunar water ice to produce drinking water and oxygen, and pave the way for subsequent astronauts to settle on the moon and establish a base.

In 2024, Musk's SpaceX's giant SN starship will reach the lunar orbit and dock with the "Deep Space Gate", ready to pick up astronauts to and from the moon; in 2024, it will carry out the Artemis 3 mission, that is, the SLS system will launch the Orion spacecraft to send lunar astronauts to the lunar orbit, enter the space station, complete various inspections and preparations, and then begin the lunar mission.

From 2026 to 2008, Artemis 5, 6, 7, and 8 missions will be carried out through the Deep Space Gate to implement lunar landing missions and complete the initial construction of the lunar base. During this period, not only American astronauts, but also astronauts from its partner countries will participate in the landing on the moon, the construction of space stations and lunar bases.

After nearly 10 years of hard work, humans will use the space station as a springboard to land on the moon or travel to deeper space. The technology and management will become more and more sophisticated, and this method will become the norm in future space missions. At the same time, it will become easier and easier for humans to land on the moon.

After 2030, the implementation of the Artemis program will come to an end, and the focus of NASA's space mission will shift from moon landing to manned landing on Mars. By then, the astronauts who have been training in lunar orbit and on the surface for a long time will have adapted to long-term life in space and will set off to land on Mars around 2033.

So, will this plan be realized as scheduled?

Some recent developments seem to be releasing some bad news.

First of all, NASA gave all the package contracts for the lunar spacecraft to Musk's SpaceX rocket company, which caused Blue Origin, which lost the competition, to be seriously dissatisfied. It angrily sued NASA in court, accusing NASA of bias and unfairness in the contract bidding.

Although Blue Origin may not win this lawsuit, NASA has to spend a lot of energy to respond to the lawsuit and has no choice but to temporarily suspend the execution of the contract, which will inevitably waste a lot of time.

Secondly, NASA released a report on August 10, claiming that the new generation of lunar spacesuits is complex to produce, with 27 companies supplying various components, and the progress is slow, and the earliest delivery will be in 2025. Coupled with the COVID-19 pandemic and insufficient funds, the plan to return to the moon in 2024 may be ruined.

Although these unfavorable factors have added a lot of uncertainty to the Artemis program, NASA still seems very confident. On November 10, NASA Administrator Bill Nelson announced that although the agency lost nearly seven months in the lawsuit, it will still land on the moon in 2025.

Since humans completed the first moon landing in the 1960s and 1970s, it has been nearly 50 years since humans have never stepped out of the Earth's atmosphere. The Artemis program will set off another wave of manned space flight. In the next few years, there will be a series of exciting space shows, which are worth waiting for.

I certainly hope to see these great dramas, what do you think? Welcome to discuss, thank you for reading.

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