NASA Reveals Brand New Spacesuit For Artemis III Moon Mission

NASA, on Wednesday, March 15, unveiled the new space suits created by Axiom Space, for the Artemis III moon mission which is scheduled for 2025. This prototype of the suit is called Axiom Extravehicular Mobility Unit, or AxEMU. Although the older spacesuit design had proven itself for over 40 years, it presented limitations in terms of range of movement it allows for astronauts.

A new suit was needed for astronauts to walk, bend and crouch comfortably when working on a low gravity environment like the moon. AxEMU focuses on solving problems like thermal requirements to deal with cold temperatures found on lunar south pole and also improve mobility and safety requirements.

It also includes HD video camera for improved vision and livestreaming capabilities. The boots also have improved insulation for working in cold conditions. The change also includes the astronaut entering the suit from the back rather than the bottom and the top. This spacesuit represents a significant upgrade over the previous designs.

Humanity’s Return to Moon:

NASA plans to take humans back to the moon once again since 1972. It has been more than 5 decades without humans going to the moon. Since the Apollo program, no efforts have been made to send humans beyond low earth orbits. Although the budget put into space exploration has been increasing on a yearly basis, human space exploration has only been confined to the International Space Station (ISS).

But this might soon change. In 2019, the Artemis program was announced which aims to land humans on the moon again by 2025. NASA will create history once again by sending humans to the lunar south pole for the first time ever. Apart from this goal, NASA’s Artemis program has an important objective of sending the first woman and the first person of color to the moon. This is a significant step in promoting diversity and inclusivity in space exploration.


Everything you need to know about the Artemis Program:

The name Artemis is derived from the Greek Goddess of the moon. The Artemis Program is a series of space missions undertaken by Nasa, with the objective of taking humans back to the moon and laying the pathway for NASA’s most ambitious goal of a manned mission to Mars by the 2030s.

The Orion Spacecraft will serve as the primary vehicle to carry the crew into space, provide emergency abort capability, and support the crew during their journey. It is designed to take astronauts beyond previous human exploration limits. The knowledge and tools gained from the lunar exploration will help in navigating our solar system and better understand our neighbouring planet.

The Artemis program is divided into three phases:

Artemis 1 was launched on November 16, 2022 at 01;47 a.m. EST (0647 GMT) from Launch Complex 39B at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. This mission was uncrewed and was designed to test the safety of the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket and the Orion capsule’s ability to reach the moon, operate in lunar orbit, and return to Earth with an ocean splashdown. This mission marks a significant step forward in NASA’s efforts to return humans to the moon as part of the Artemis program.

Artemis 2 will take place in the year 2024. The Orion capsule, carrying the first four Artemis astronauts, is set to take the crew on a mission farther from Earth than any humans have travelled before. During the approximately 10-day mission, the crew will complete a lunar flyby before returning to Earth. This will allow for a thorough evaluation of the spacecraft’s systems while carrying human passengers, representing a significant step forward in NASA’s efforts to return humans to the moon.

Artemis III will see the next man and the first woman land on the lunar surface by the year 2025 after more than 50 years, provided the previous two Artemis missions are successful. The astronauts will use the lunar lander to descend onto the moon’s south polar region, where they will remain for approximately a week before returning to Earth.

NASA has granted $45.5 million to 11 American firms, among them Blue Origin and SpaceX, owned by Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk, respectively, to create landers capable of transporting astronauts to the lunar surface. SpaceX’s was chosen to produce the crew lander for the Artemis 3 mission, based on the company’s huge Starship vehicle.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the Artemis program represents an exciting new chapter in space exploration. NASA’s ambitious goals of returning humans to the moon and beyond, and the emphasis on promoting diversity and inclusivity in the process, present a unique opportunity to expand our understanding of the universe and our place in it.

The innovative technologies and scientific discoveries that emerge from this program will undoubtedly have far-reaching implications for both our world and the future of space travel. As we embark on this new journey, we look forward to the next phase of exploration and discovery, and the possibilities that lie ahead.

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