QuoteOct 27, 2024In this video recap of Artemis news from the past week, I'll cover Bechtel's assembly of the Mobile Launcher-2 umbilical tower "chair" structure. The chair is the base of the tower and it connects to the ML-2 launch platform or "base."The NASA SLS Stages Element office manages the Core Stage of the vehicle and they provided updates in both visual and interview form. I'll go over the new footage from New Orleans and Michoud Assembly Facility of the Artemis III build and provide initial takeaways from the interview with SLS Stages manager Steve Wofford.During the week NASA also provided imagery of recent training and site visits by the Artemis II flight crew; the video covers Orion side hatch training and a visit to the Northrop Grumman facility where the SLS solid rocket booster assemblies are processed.Imagery is courtesy of NASA, except where noted.00:00 Intro00:57 SLS Core Stage-3 LOX tank processing continues04:32 Initial takeaways from interview with NASA SLS Stages Element manager Steve Wofford07:51 Mobile Launcher-2 construction milestone: assembly of the umbilical tower "chair"09:35 A short-ish Gateway schedule update on HALO assembly and test...and a non-update11:47 Other news and notes: Artemis II flight crew training and site visits14:20 The big picture: waiting for big decisions, announcements, updates17:31 Thanks for watching!
Oct 27, 2024In this video recap of Artemis news from the past week, I'll cover Bechtel's assembly of the Mobile Launcher-2 umbilical tower "chair" structure. The chair is the base of the tower and it connects to the ML-2 launch platform or "base."The NASA SLS Stages Element office manages the Core Stage of the vehicle and they provided updates in both visual and interview form. I'll go over the new footage from New Orleans and Michoud Assembly Facility of the Artemis III build and provide initial takeaways from the interview with SLS Stages manager Steve Wofford.During the week NASA also provided imagery of recent training and site visits by the Artemis II flight crew; the video covers Orion side hatch training and a visit to the Northrop Grumman facility where the SLS solid rocket booster assemblies are processed.Imagery is courtesy of NASA, except where noted.00:00 Intro00:57 SLS Core Stage-3 LOX tank processing continues04:32 Initial takeaways from interview with NASA SLS Stages Element manager Steve Wofford07:51 Mobile Launcher-2 construction milestone: assembly of the umbilical tower "chair"09:35 A short-ish Gateway schedule update on HALO assembly and test...and a non-update11:47 Other news and notes: Artemis II flight crew training and site visits14:20 The big picture: waiting for big decisions, announcements, updates17:31 Thanks for watching!
As NASA prepares for the first crewed Moon landing in more than five decades, the agency has identified an updated set of nine potential landing regions near the lunar South Pole for its Artemis III mission. These areas will be further investigated through scientific and engineering study. NASA will continue to survey potential areas for missions following Artemis III, including areas beyond these nine regions.“Artemis will return humanity to the Moon and visit unexplored areas. NASA’s selection of these regions shows our commitment to landing crew safely near the lunar South Pole, where they will help uncover new scientific discoveries and learn to live on the lunar surface,” said Lakiesha Hawkins, assistant deputy associate administrator, Moon to Mars Program Office.NASA’s Cross Agency Site Selection Analysis team, working closely with science and industry partners, added, and excluded potential landing regions, which were assessed for their science value and mission availability.The refined candidate Artemis III lunar landing regions are, in no priority order: • Peak near Cabeus B • Haworth • Malapert Massif • Mons Mouton Plateau • Mons Mouton • Nobile Rim 1 • Nobile Rim 2 • de Gerlache Rim 2 • Slater PlainThese regions contain diverse geological characteristics and offer flexibility for mission availability. The lunar South Pole has never been explored by a crewed mission and contains permanently shadowed areas that can preserve resources, including water.“The Moon’s South Pole is a completely different environment than where we landed during the Apollo missions,” said Sarah Noble, Artemis lunar science lead at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “It offers access to some of the Moon’s oldest terrain, as well as cold, shadowed regions that may contain water and other compounds. Any of these landing regions will enable us to do amazing science and make new discoveries.”To select these landing regions, a multidisciplinary team of scientists and engineers analyzed the lunar South Pole region using data from NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter and a vast body of lunar science research. Factors in the selection process included science potential, launch window availability, terrain suitability, communication capabilities with Earth, and lighting conditions. Additionally, the team assessed the combined trajectory capabilities of NASA’s SLS (Space Launch System) rocket, the Orion spacecraft, and Starship HLS (Human Landing System) to ensure safe and accessible landing sites.The Artemis III geology team evaluated the landing regions for their scientific promise. Sites within each of the nine identified regions have the potential to provide key new insights into our understanding of rocky planets, lunar resources, and the history of our solar system.“Artemis III will be the first time that astronauts will land in the south polar region of the Moon. They will be flying on a new lander into a terrain that is unique from our past Apollo experience,” said Jacob Bleacher, NASA’s chief exploration scientist. “Finding the right locations for this historic moment begins with identifying safe places for this first landing, and then trying to match that with opportunities for science from this new place on the Moon.”
