NASA: Astronauts who must go to the Moon rehearse their return to Earth – 02/29/2024 – Science

Artemis 2’s trip to lunar orbit is only scheduled for September 2025, but the mission’s four astronauts are already preparing for their return to Earth. For eight days, they have been training at sea with the United States Navy, off the coast of California.

“It’s crazy. It’s the kind of thing that only happens in movies and that we live every day,” said Commander Reid Wiseman last Wednesday (28), at the San Diego naval base.

Aboard a massive amphibious assault ship, hundreds of U.S. Army sailors, divers and pilots are tasked with coordinating efforts to rescue and airlift the space explorers. An essential general rehearsal for carrying out what must be the last stage of a historic mission.

Wiseman and his three colleagues are expected to become the first humans to approach the Moon since the end of the Apollo program more than 50 years ago.

If all goes well, they will orbit Earth’s natural satellite for ten days aboard the Orion capsule, before returning to the Earth’s surface.

Goal Mars

How to face a possible storm? What procedure should be initiated if one of the astronauts is injured?

“We continually think about what we are going to do. We need to prepare for all scenarios,” Lily Villareal, the NASA official overseeing the return stage of the mission, told AFP.

Astronauts train in a life-size replica of the Orion capsule, a large black cone nicknamed Darth Vader for its resemblance to the Star Wars villain’s helmet.

The Americans plan to return to the Moon through the Artemis program, no longer to reach it, but to “remain” permanently, according to Villareal.

While Artemis 2 will be limited to flying over the Moon, the program’s third mission, scheduled for the end of 2026, will take humans back to the lunar surface.

The objective is to send missions lasting several weeks and then establish a base on the lunar surface and a space station in its orbit, capable of boosting the conquest of Mars.

“Our Earth has limited resources, that’s why we have to discover what we can do for the good of humanity”, emphasizes Villareal.

Leadership

The conquest of the Moon goes beyond the simple ambition of using it as a catapult to other parts of the Universe. For several years now, private companies have dreamed of exploring space tourism and powers such as India, Japan and China recently managed to land on the lunar surface.

Beijing also plans to send humans to the Moon by 2030, putting pressure on NASA to avoid further delays.

In this context, “the question isn’t really why we’re going there, but rather whether we’re going to be in the lead or not,” says Artemis 2 astronaut Christina Koch — if all goes well, she’ll become the first woman to venture that far. in space.

The team is completed by Canadian Jeremy Hansen and American Victor Glover, the first black astronaut to participate in a lunar mission.

With its new program, NASA intends for a black woman and man to set foot on the Moon for the first time.