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NASA today officially announced the launch of the Artemis I Moon mission, despite the pandemic and unfavorable weather conditions prolonging the launch. It is scheduled at 8:33 am EDT on Monday 29. Artemis I is set to test the Orion spacecraft and Space Launch System rocket, which will carry astronauts in its future endeavors. The launch was being held because of the rainy conditions and lightning incident with NASA's SLS. NASA, in its latest Twitter post, announced a two-hour launch window and platforms where people can watch the launch event. The launch is going to happen at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, Florida.
Artemis I is one of the most hyped space launches by NASA in recent years. This is mainly because the Artemis I Moon mission is set to achieve various objectives which are going to shape future human space endeavors. NASA has planned to send the first woman and a first person of color to the Moon's surface with Artemis I. Another major objective NASA is planning to achieve through Artemis I is to set a long-term base on the Moon through collaborations with commercial and international players across the globe. NASA is planning on exploring the south pole of the moon, which is one of the least explored areas. It is believed that the craters at the south pole may contain ice, which can help set up the base on the Moon. The base is meant to serve as a start for furthering human space exploration, i.e., sending the first humans to Mars. NASA has officially called this new generation of space exploration the Artemis generation.
To address these objectives, the current launch will be uncrewed. The flight will contain a dummy astronaut, equipped with all the necessary sensors to gather information about the conditions which the human crew will face during future launches. NASA has named the dummy astronaut Commander Moonikin Campos, honoring Arturo Campos, one of the valuable members of the Apollo 13 mission. Along with Commander Moonikin Campos, there will be two more dummies representing women. The two women dummies are named Zohar and Helga by Israel and German space agencies, respectively.
Commander Moonikin Campos is set to test the various conditions that the Orion spacecraft’s crew might face during their mission. And the two female dummies are set to test the impact of radiation on a woman’s body. Both the female dummies are equipped with 5,600 various sensors to measure the impact of radiation on female organs such as the lungs, uterus, and bone marrow. These are the areas where maximum cell activity is witnessed. Out of these two, only Zohar will be equipped with protective gear for a better understanding of the radiation's impact. This data carries the highest significance as NASA is planning to send the first woman to the Moon.
NASA has shared all the details regarding the launch event. There are several celebrities set to appear during the launch event such as Chris Evans. You can check more details here:
https://twitter.com/NASA/status/1564100780923256834?cxt=HHwWhIC8_fHX5rQrAAAA
Yash Ranjan08/30/2022
