The U.S. Moon Landing Program Begins Countdown
NASA's Artemis II mission is set to launch its first crewed flight in February.
This landmark mission, called Artemis II, is expected to launch as early as February from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, marking the first time astronauts have left low Earth orbit since the last Apollo mission in 1972.
This mission will send four astronauts—NASA's Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch, and Canada's space agency's Jeremy Hansen—on a lunar flyby.
Returning to deep space after more than 50 years of hiatus is not without challenges. Although NASA largely relies on the experience of the Apollo program, the Artemis mission will employ some new technologies and pursue more complex objectives. The crew will not repeat any of the Apollo flights exactly. Instead, Artemis II aims to test and verify various systems and components of the crew spacecraft "Orion." It will take a slingshot trajectory around the moon, with the goal of returning astronauts to Earth—even if the spacecraft's propulsion system fails.
Differing from the Apollo missions that entered low lunar orbit, Artemis II will use a flight path more suitable for Orion's design and mass. The spacecraft will make a wide sweep around the Moon rather than circling closely near the lunar surface. Although the crew members will not land on the Moon, their trajectory will provide a unique view of the Moon and also pave the way for astronauts to land in the Moon's south polar region later this decade.
Original: toutiao.com/article/1853151491230720/
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