NASA: Greek name for its new mission to the Moon

Paying homage to Greek mythology, as it has done for decades, NASA has once again chosen an Olympus goddess to name its historic new mission, which will return to the moon after half a century and carry the first female astronaut to set foot on the moon. her foot on the moon.

Artemis

"ARTEMIS: The twin sister of Apollo and goddess of the Moon. Now, this will be the name of the #Moon2024 mission to return NASA astronauts to the surface of the moon by 2024, including the first woman," NASA wrote on Twitter.

Indeed, as the daughter of Zeus and Letus and twin sister of Apollo, Artemis has the most appropriate name for the new mission to the moon, which this time will also include the first female astronaut to explore the Moon.

"Fifty years after Apollo, the Artemis program will carry the next astronauts to the Moon and the first woman to set foot on Earth's satellite," said the NASA Administrator at a press conference.

Only 12 people have set foot on the Moon, all men and Americans. It was the golden age of the Apollo program in the late 1960s and early 1970s.

This year marks 50 years since the first astronauts landed on the moon when legendary astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin of Apollo 11 made their lunar landing on July 20, 1969.

NASA announced Monday that President Trump has set it a challenge to land on the moon's south pole by 2024, which, if Trump is re-elected, will be his last year in office.

It is recalled that in December 2017, Trump signed the Space Policy Directive 1, which asks NASA to send people back to the moon for "long-term exploration and use" and missions to other planets.

For this bold new beginning, NASA is collaborating with many research centers and especially with private companies.

The moon base will be permanent this time

The goal is for humanity to return to the moon and stay there permanently, said NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine. Among the many goals that have been set is the robotic exploration of the Moon's poles.

As he mentioned, not only will the astronauts return to the moon, but they will work and live for a long time in the permanent base that will be established with the help of spacecraft and XNUMXD printers.

Of great importance, he said, is to take advantage of the natural wealth of the moon, because our goal this time is to stay there, preparing the ground for humanity's huge step, which is the mission of the first humans to the planet Mars.

By exploiting the natural resources of the moon and with the new technologies we will develop, we will now have the foundations to send the first astronauts to Mars and to establish a human colony there as well.

Sending humans to Mars, he said, is high on NASA's priorities.

It is noted that the trip to the moon takes three days, while for Mars it takes at least six months.

Our plans for space exploration, said the NASA Director, consist of three parts. The first is our low-orbit presence on the International Space Station, the second is the return to the moon, and the third and most important is the transition to Mars.

We need a permanent human presence on other worlds, outside our planet, and we will start with the moon and then Mars, he said.

Source: KYPE