Artemis II: Returning to the Moon Once Again
For the first time in 54 years—since December 11, 1972, to be exact—astronauts are returning to the moon with the Artemis II mission. It is a 10-day mission scheduled to launch on February 8th at the earliest.
The main purpose of this mission is to test the Orion spacecraft’s life support, navigation, and communication systems. The astronauts scheduled for the mission will not land on the moon, but instead will orbit it.
This mission contains four astronauts: Reid Wiseman (Commander), Victor Glover (Pilot), Christina Koch (Mission Specialist), and Jeremy Hansen (Mission Specialist). This mission is not only a return, but marks new beginnings as it will be the first time a woman and a person of color reach the moon.
“I think it’s cool. We haven’t been to the moon in 50 years, so going back is exciting. It shows we’re trying to further our exploration of space and improve our current technologies,” said sophomore Barrington Irving.
However, there is a deeper purpose behind this mission besides testing systems. This mission sets up the Artemis III mission, which is scheduled for some time in 2027-2028. In this mission, astronauts will land with the goal of performing scientific research on the moon’s south pole, with the astronauts spending an entire week on the surface.
One of the things the astronauts will look for on the Artemis III mission is evidence of water on the moon in the form of ice, which would have many benefits. The first and obvious reason is that we can use the water on the moon for drinking purposes, which would be far less expensive than hauling water from Earth. The water can also be turned into breathable oxygen through a process called electrolysis (using electric currents to split the oxygen from water).
Through more study of the water on the moon, the moon can be used to fuel spacecraft. When the hydrogen and water are separated, they can be combusted in a chamber for propulsion. This would make the moon act as a “gas station,” allowing spacecraft to land on the moon to fuel up for missions that travel long distances.
“If we land on the moon, we can make our space travel better and eventually go to Mars or other planets, either to see if there are other habitable planets or see if we can bring resources from those planets to counter overpopulation,” said sophomore Jackson Hamilton.
Jackson isn’t wrong; by going to the moon, we are bringing humanity one step closer to reaching Mars. By testing technologies on the moon, astronauts, along with NASA, can prepare for Mars’ harsh, low-gravity environment.
And by going to Mars, we can then continue our search for life, which would be a monumental moment for mankind. Also, we can study how Mars went from an Earth-like planet to basically a cold, desert. This would give insight into how to protect Earth’s climate, which is especially crucial now more than ever as we battle a climate change crisis.
The Artemis II mission would only be a 10-day orbit around the moon, but as Neil Armstrong said, “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind”. If this mission is a success, it will set the stage for many future missions that will defy the limitations of humanity.
