NASA Artemis 1 Launch Today: Here's All You Need To Know About NASA's First Moon Mission in 50 Years
The latter two are female-bodied model human torsos, as the Artemis program aims to land the first woman and the first person of colour on the moon and eventually deliver astronauts to Mars.
Today, i.e 29th August 2022, is a day that will script history in the space missions, as almost 50 years of the Apollo missions were shut down, NASA is attempting to fly humans to the Moon again. But this time with a twist - to make a permanent presence and push forward to Mars. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is all set to launch its most potent unmanned rocket to orbit the moon. The Artemis I mission's aim is defined to put the rocket in deep-space orbit before turning to Earth after over 42 days to start the new expedition of human exploration on the moon.
The Space Launch System is set to blast off from Kennedy's Launch Pad 39B in Cape Canaveral, Florida. This maiden launch is uncrewed with no humans onboard, although it carries an astronaut to gather acceleration and vibration data - Commander Moonikin Campos.
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Meet Commander Moonikin Campos
As stated before this maiden launch is uncrewed, but who is Commander Moonikin Campos, who will be taking flight in this mission? Well, rather than astronauts, a mannequin named Commander Moonikin Campos will helm the Orion spacecraft, with two mannequin torsos called Helga and Zohar along for the ride. The latter two are female-bodied model human torsos, as the Artemis program aims to land the first woman and the first person of colour on the moon and eventually deliver astronauts to Mars. Artemis 1 Launch Live Streaming: Watch NASA Launching First Crew-Rated Rocket to Moon Since 1972.
Taking the commander's seat and wearing the same spacesuit the Artemis astronauts will wear during their journey to the Moon, the mannequin has been equipped with two radiation sensors and has additional sensors under its headrest and behind its seat to record acceleration and vibration data throughout the mission. Nasa said that the data will help protect astronauts during Artemis II, the first mission. It is interesting to note that the mannequin found its name after Arturo Compos, who was a key player in bringing Apollo 13 safely back to Earth.
The Mission
The maiden launch is aimed at pushing the Orion spacecraft, nearly 60,000 kilometres or 40,000 miles beyond the Moon and back. This is set to break the record of Apollo 13, to go farther than any spacecraft intended to carry humans. It is pertinent to note that this is far from low-Earth orbit, where the International Space Station circles the Earth. The future crew of Orion will be extensively exposed to deep space radiation, especially once they venture for longer stays on the moon and decide to go beyond it to reach Mars.
This rocket - the Space Launch System rocket - a 322-foot (98 meters) is the most powerful, potent rocket ever built by NASA. In early 2024, the world would see four astronauts flying around the moon in the follow-on Artemis flight. A landing could follow in 2025. Nasa is targeting the moon’s unexplored south pole, where permanently shadowed craters are believed to hold ice that could be used by future crews.
When to Watch This Historic Event?
The whole world will witness the historic event on 29th August. The maiden launch of the spacecraft is being targeted in a two-hour launch window, which is currently scheduled for 8:33 a.m EDT or 6:00 pm IST. This is a test flight which aims at establishing the ability of the rocket to deliver. NASA confirms to be going with the schedule as it says that despite chances for rain showers increasing toward the later part of the launch window, the weather is 80% favourable for launch.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 29, 2022 04:39 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).