NASA has officially announced the roster of astronauts who will serve on Artemis III, the next major Moon mission. However, there is a radical change in the route of this highly anticipated team. Astronauts will not even pass near our satellite, let alone set foot on the lunar surface.
Under normal circumstances, this mission was planned to be the first manned Moon landing since Apollo 17 in 1972. The goal was for two astronauts to land on the south pole of the Moon and conduct observations on the surface for a week.
PLANS CHANGED
NASA, which made a radical change in its plans in February, announced that the mission would be carried out only in low Earth orbit. In this flight, which will take place at a slightly further distance from the International Space Station (ISS), astronauts will conduct docking tests with prototype Lunar landers.
Although the target seems to have been scaled back, NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman emphasized that the mission will be one of the most complex operations in history. “This mission will require the most spectacular heavy rocket launch coordination in history, drawing on the capabilities of teams across the government and the space aviation community,” Isaacman said.
HERE IS THE ARTEMIS III CREW
The names and roles that will take part in the historical mission are listed as follows:
Randy Bresnik (Commander): Experienced NASA astronaut will lead this critical mission.
Luca Parmitano (Pilot): Parmitano, who will work on behalf of the Italian Space Agency (ASI), is a very experienced name who has spent more than 300 days in space.
Andre Douglas and Frank Rubio (Mission Experts): US astronauts will be part of the expert staff in the mission.
Bob Heintz (Reserve Crew): Test pilot Heintz, who served 170 days in space, will be on standby to take on any role if needed.
THE REASON BEHIND THE POSTPONEMENT: ELON MUSK’S STARSHIP ROCKET
The main reason why Artemis III has changed from a historic Moon landing to a technology test in Earth orbit is delays in the Starship rocket developed by Elon Musk’s company SpaceX. Starship was designed as the main vehicle that would take astronauts from lunar orbit and land them on the surface.
Immediately after orbiting the Moon with Artemis II, the space agency assessed that going directly to the Moon without testing docking procedures with lunar landers in Earth orbit would be too big and risky a step.
BLUE ORIGIN EXPLODED TOO
NASA’s Moon mission team was dealt another blow last month when its other major partner, Jeff Bezos’ company Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket, exploded during a routine engine test.
