Source: Fortune
Summary
NASA’s Artemis II mission has successfully completed its lunar flyby, with the crew returning safely to Earth. The mission marked the first time humans have visited the moon in over 50 years. NASA is now focusing on Artemis III, which will involve docking the Orion capsule with a lunar lander in orbit around Earth. The mission is expected to take place next year and will be a crucial step towards establishing a human settlement on the moon. Elon Musk’s SpaceX and Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin are competing to have their lander ready for the Artemis IV moon landing in 2028.
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NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman hailed the Artemis II crew as “wonderful communicators, almost poets”.
The Artemis III mission will practice docking with a lunar lander in orbit around Earth.
Elon Musk’s Starship and Jeff Bezos’ Blue Moon are vying for the Artemis IV moon landing in 2028.
The real test is not the technology, but the human factor – as NASA Associate Administrator Amit Kshatriya noted, “it takes courage, determination, and the right line between being paralyzed by risk and managing it”.
The moon base envisioned by Isaacman will require vast amounts of ice, hidden in permanently shadowed craters, to provide water and rocket fuel.
Artemis III is not just a mission, it’s a dress rehearsal for the moon landings that follow.
The crew’s passion and feelings were on full display during the mission, as they tearfully requested a lunar crater be named after Wiseman’s late wife, Carroll.
The hardest part, according to Kshatriya, is becoming close to the crews and their families and then blasting them to the moon.
The line between risk and reward is thin, and NASA is walking it carefully.
Wiseman’s rallying cry to the astronauts at the celebration: “It is time to go and be ready… it takes courage, determination, and you all are freaking going and we are going to be standing there supporting you every single step of the way in every possible way possible.”
It’s not just about the technology; it’s about the humans who will call the moon home.
Author: Evan Null
