On December 14, 1972, three NASA astronauts left the moon. Two of them had just completed their three-day stay there for NASA's Apollo 17 mission. During this time, astronauts Eugene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt roamed the lunar surface. Meanwhile, astronaut Ronald Evans retained control of the command module in lunar orbit. When they returned to the Trinity Earth, they became the last humans to visit the moon.
Now, 50 years later, the astronauts are preparing to return. But this time it will be different.
On November 16, NASA launched the Artemis I mission. The agency's new Space Launch System rocket roared and crackled as it lifted off the Florida coast on its maiden voyage. The rocket pushed the Orion capsule toward the moon. There was no one on board. But the mission tested new technologies that would eventually bring astronauts back to the moon. Among these astronauts will be the first woman to set foot on the lunar surface.
The United States and China are now leading the way in returning humans to the moon. The programs of both countries are very large and complex. But it can have big payoffs. Each aims to increase scientific understanding of the Moon and early Earth. These lunar missions could also help develop new technologies for use on Earth and in space exploration.
He is working on the Artemis program, which aims to land a human on the Moon again by 2024. Named after the Greek Moon goddess Artemis, the program aims to establish a sustainable human presence on the Moon. end of the decade.
The Artemis program will include several missions that begin with an uncrewed test flight of the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft, followed by crewed missions to orbit the Moon, and finally, land humans on the Moon's surface. The first crewed mission, known as Artemis II, is currently scheduled for 2023 and will include a crew of four astronauts flying around the Moon but not landing on the Moon. The first crewed landing mission, Artemis III, is scheduled for 2024 and will include a crew of astronauts landing on the moon's south pole.
The Artemis program is an exciting and ambitious initiative that will help advance manned space exploration and pave the way for future missions to Mars and beyond.
Reference:
https://www.snexplores.org/article/artemis-nasa-human-spaceflight-moon