NASA comes a step closer to putting astronauts back on moon after successful launch of Artemis 1
News, US November 18, 2022 1 Comment on NASA comes a step closer to putting astronauts back on moon after successful launch of Artemis 1After delays, overrun costs, and several trips between the hangar and the launch pad, NASA’s Artemis 1 moon rocket finally flew off on November 16, 2022. The launch faced almost three months of delay due to fuel leakage and other technical difficulties.
NASA’s new moon rocket blasted off for its debut test flight carrying three dummies on board. The launch has brought the U.S. one step closer to putting astronauts back on the moon for the first time since the end of NASA’s Apollo missions, almost 50 years ago.
The maiden flight of NASA’s Artemis Project is being dubbed as a test flight with no human onboard. Artemis 1 is carrying three human-size dummies inside its Orion capsule. The dummies are fitted with an array of sensors to measure and monitor the vibrations, cosmic rays, and other conditions during the flights.
Artemis 1 would travel for almost three weeks before it reaches close to the moon’s orbit before launching the Orion capsule. The capsule would orbit around the moon before returning back to Earth and falling somewhere in the Pacific Ocean. If all goes well, the capsule’s return is expected in December this year.
As soon as the launch was deemed successful by NASA experts, the U.S. space agency tweeted “We are going”. This launch marked the start of NASA’s ambitious project to have frequent flights to the moon in order to put astronauts on the lunar surface in the first phase while establishing a moon base later on.
Thousands of spectators gathered to witness the launch of NASA’s most powerful full space rocket yet. NASA estimated a total of 15,000 people around the Kennedy Space Center, in Florida, the launch site for Artemis 1. Thousands more lined at beaches and roads outside the gates.
The anticipated launch was delayed for more than three months this year, the first one because of the fuel leak back in August and the second one due to the bad weather. After several delays and billions in cost overruns, Artemis 1 blasted away into the skies with 4 million kilograms of thrust hitting speeds of 160 kilometers per hour within seconds. A weather satellite captured NASA’s Artemis 1 mission in the moments after it lifted off for the moon.
One of the main objectives of Artemis 1 mission is to test the durability of Orion’s heat shield. Upon entering back into the Earth’s atmosphere, the Orion capsule would be traveling at a speed of 38,000 kilometers per hour (32 times faster than the speed of sound). The heat shield would face temperatures as high as 1600 degrees Celsius.
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[…] to measure and monitor the vibrations, cosmic rays, and other conditions during the flights. Artemis 1 traveled for almost three weeks before it reached close to the moon’s orbit and launched the […]