NASA is moving closer to returning humans to the Moon.
Within the next fourteen months, an unmanned test flight is expected to orbit the moon. A major step in that endeavor was accomplished by securing The Orion spacecraft atop the space agency’s powerful Space Launch System rocket, and the integrated system is entering the final phase of preparations for an upcoming flight test around the Moon. The mission, known as Artemis I, will pave the way for a future manned flight test.
According to NASA, Artemis missions will return humans to the Moon, “using innovative technologies to explore more of the lunar surface than ever before. We will collaborate with our commercial and international partners to establish the first long-term human-robotic presence on and around the Moon. Then, we will use what we learn on and at the Moon to take the next giant leap: sending the first astronauts to Mars.”
The new Moon missions will not duplicate those that occurred in the Apollo program. Much of it will be oriented towards a future manned flight to Mars.
The Artemis program will seek to find and use water and other critical resources needed for long-term exploration. It will investigate the Moon’s mysteries and learn more about Earth and the universe, learn how to live and operate on the surface of another celestial body and prove the technologies needed before sending astronauts on missions to Mars, which can take up to three years roundtrip.
While the Apollo missions, which began with Apollo 11 in 1969 with the flight of Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Mike Collins, were historic, marking the first time humans had ever walked upon the surface of anyplace other than Earth, they did not develop a long-term infrastructure for a permanent presence on the Moon.
America’s manned space program took a nose-dive during the Obama Administration, when funds were diverted towards more politically motivated areas. The Space Shuttle program was prematurely ended, and its replacement, the Orion spacecraft, was delayed.
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“It is no secret that this Committee is concerned that the support within NASA for the SLS and Orion is not matched by the [Obama] Administration. While this lack of commitment is somewhat puzzling, it is not at all surprising. [Obama] has made clear that he does not believe space exploration is a priority for the nation and has allowed political appointees within the administration to manipulate the course of our human space flight program.”
That White House attitude was completely reversed when Trump was inaugurated, and brought enthusiastic support for human exploration. He instructed NASA to “Lead an innovative and sustainable program of exploration with commercial and international partners to enable human expansion across the solar system and to bring back to Earth new knowledge and opportunities. Beginning with missions beyond low-Earth orbit, the United States will lead the return of humans to the Moon for long-term exploration and utilization, followed by human missions to Mars and other destinations.”
Trump re-established the National Space Council, placing Vice President Pence as its head. In 2019, the Council ordered NASA to submit a plan for “sustainable lunar surface exploration and development, including necessary technologies and capabilities to enable initial human exploration of Mars.” That provided the groundwork for the current effort.
In some ways, there is a resemblance to the “Space Race” era of the 1960s, when the U.S. competed with the Soviet Union in space. In the 21st century, China seeks to become dominant in that domain, with a heavy emphasis on using that realm for military purposes.
Photo: Orion/SLS (NASA)