While Apollo placed the first steps on the Moon, Artemis opens the door for humanity to sustainably work and live on another world for the first time. Using the lunar surface as a proving ground for living on Mars, this next chapter in exploration will forever establish our presence in the stars. ✨
We are returning to the Moon – to stay – and this is how we are going!
We are returning to the Moon – to stay – and this is how we are going!
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00:00Between 1968 and 1972, America launched nine human missions to the moon, six of which successfully
00:08touched down, allowing 12 men to walk on the lunar surface.
00:13NASA's next chapter of lunar exploration, called Artemis, has the task of not just going
00:19to the moon to create a long-term human presence on and around it, but also to prepare forever
00:24more complex human missions to Mars.
00:28In short, everything we must be able to do here, we must first do here.
00:33So, what will an Artemis mission look like?
00:39Everything is designed and tested with our most important element in mind, the astronauts.
00:44This is their deep-space, human-rated spacecraft called Orion, built in three parts.
00:49The crew module, where up to four astronauts will live and work throughout the flight.
00:53The service module, with life support systems for the crew and its own engine and fuel reserves.
00:58And a launch abort system, with engines capable of pulling the crew module to safety during
01:02launch should anything go wrong.
01:04To accomplish the task of launching our crew in heavy payloads, NASA is building the Space
01:09Launch System, comprising of a cargo hold, an exploration upper stage, a massive core
01:14stage and two extended solid rocket boosters.
01:17Altogether, this is the world's most powerful rocket, and it exceeds the legendary Saturn
01:225 of the Apollo era in numerous ways.
01:25Sitting on the launch pad, the entire rocket, fully fueled, weighs just over 6 million pounds,
01:305.2 million of which is just the fuel.
01:34Once ignited, there is no stopping what comes next.
01:37All four RS-25 engines and the two solid rocket boosters come to life, thundering our crew upwards.
01:43Two minutes after ignition, the solid rocket boosters are spent and released.
01:48Eight minutes after launch, the core stage is depleted and separated.
01:52The upper stage fires briefly, placing Orion into a parking orbit around the Earth.
01:57Here the crew reconfigure the spacecraft and check systems to confirm everything is ready
02:02for deep space travel.
02:05With a go for mission control, the crew reignite the exploration upper stage engines to leave
02:10Earth entirely.
02:11The exact timing of this maneuver is critical to reach a speed that can escape Earth's
02:15gravitational pull, but also put Orion on a course that will intersect the Moon days
02:20later.
02:22Once this burn is complete, the upper stage of the SLS is jettisoned and the crew aboard
02:26Orion coast for several days toward all that awaits them at the Moon.
02:31Approaching the Moon, we see the fundamental differences between Artemis and Apollo.
02:36Instead of requiring Orion to serve as an expendable lunar command module or to carry
02:40a constrained lunar lander, the Artemis missions will take advantage of a different approach,
02:45pre-staging.
02:47Everything needed for lunar missions will be positioned in advance by commercial and
02:50international partners.
02:52This includes rovers, science experiments, and human-rated systems on the surface.
02:57But it also includes a dedicated lunar station in orbit around the Moon called Gateway.
03:02Here at this station we can pre-stage a robust lunar lander and establish a strong communications
03:07relay.
03:08Designed with open standards, the Gateway can be expanded as new missions and partnerships
03:13develop, allowing multiple human missions on the Moon at the same time and enabling
03:18ongoing science to be conducted even between human missions.
03:21The Gateway is also capable of adjusting its orbit to allow access to every part of the
03:26Moon, something the Apollo missions could not do.
03:29But the real key in this approach is placing Gateway in a unique halo orbit to perfect
03:33the maneuvers needed for Mars missions.
03:36And with the growing list of commercial and international opportunities, Gateway is the
03:41ideal hub between Earth and all that lies beyond.
03:44Returning to our crew as they approach Gateway, the Orion must match the elliptical orbit
03:49of the station in order to successfully dock.
03:52Once on board, pre-selected crew members transfer to the lunar lander, while those assigned
03:56to Gateway remain on station.
03:58The lunar lander system itself is built for three unique steps.
04:02Descending from the halo orbit of Gateway down to a low lunar orbit.
04:06Descending from low lunar orbit to the surface.
04:10And once the lunar mission is complete, launching from the surface of the Moon and ascending
04:14all the way back to the orbiting Gateway.
04:22Once back aboard the Orion spacecraft and undocked from Gateway, the crew fire their
04:26engine once to break out of the halo orbit and once again to sling the spacecraft around
04:32the Moon, placing it on a multi-day trajectory back towards Earth.
04:38As they near the end of this journey, the service module is released and the crew module
04:42is oriented heat shield first.
04:45Entering Earth's atmosphere at 25,000 miles per hour, the friction of air slows Orion
04:49considerably while also subjecting it to temperatures of 5,000 degrees.
04:55With the Orion now at just 300 miles per hour, a series of parachutes uniquely tested and
05:00produced for this moment deploy, decelerating the craft to just 20 miles per hour for splashdown.
05:09With each successful mission, Artemis ushers in the next wave of men and women to explore
05:14our Moon and prove that together we are ready to go beyond.