humans in space

part 3 by carol higgins

This month, we wrap up a three-part series about humans in space. We’ve reviewed six decades of efforts by NASA and other space agencies that pioneered human space travel, landed 12 people on the Moon’s surface, and built the International Space Station (ISS) where astronauts routinely live and work for six months. So, what’s next? Work is underway to expand the fleet of orbital stations, and most exciting of all, the next phase of NASA’s Artemis program returns astronauts to the Moon!

New ISS crew members will continue to arrive this year in SpaceX Crew Dragon and Russian Soyuz spacecraft. But in April, crew transportation options increase when Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner spacecraft launches on a one-week mission to the station, carrying veteran astronauts Sunita Williams and Barry Wilmore for Boeing’s first Crew Flight Test. Once Starliner successfully passes the post-flight evaluation, NASA will add Starliner to the ISS crew launch schedule later this year. One of the astronauts on that flight will be aerospace engineer Dr. Jeanette Epps, born and raised in Syracuse, NY!

Plans call for sustained use and support of ISS until at least 2030. NASA and its partners recognize the station is aging and are working on plans to decommission and eventually send it on a path to safely burn up in the atmosphere. To ensure U.S. astronauts have access to the unique microgravity environment for research once ISS is retired, NASA created the Commercial Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) Destinations project to encourage private companies to develop, support and own commercial space stations. In this arrangement, NASA and its astronauts are customers, freeing the agency of LEO station development and support costs so it can concentrate on other missions and the Artemis program. So far, four companies are working on proposals: Axiom Space, Blue Origin, NanoRacks and Northrop Grumman.

Beyond Earth, the Artemis program is making great progress. Artemis 1 launched November 16, 2022 from Kennedy Space Center, sending the uncrewed Orion spacecraft on a crucial 25-day test to orbit the Moon. Orion splashed down in the Pacific Ocean on December 11. Mission data evaluation continues, and so far it appears the massive Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, Orion, and ground and recovery systems worked very well and even exceeded many goals.

Next up is Artemis 2, scheduled to launch Orion with four astronauts onboard in May 2024 – the first crew to orbit the Moon since Apollo 17 in 1972. The 10-day, full systems test will break records, flying a trajectory 4,600 miles beyond our nearest neighbor. NASA plans to announce the crew members this Spring. The mission sets the stage for the much anticipated next step.

Artemis 3 will land the first woman and person of color on the Moon near the South Pole! Planned for 2025, the complex mission launches four astronauts in an Orion spacecraft. Once in lunar orbit, Orion docks with a SpaceX Starship lander. Two astronauts enter Starship and are transported to the surface. After several expeditions, Starship will liftoff and dock with Orion. After transferring the crew and surface samples, Orion and its precious crew will return to Earth.

NASA is also working with private industry and international partners to build a lunar orbiting space station called Gateway. It will serve as a cargo depot and staging area for future missions and a habitat for crews. Construction of several of the modules is in progress, and launch planning continues.

We certainly live in an exciting human spaceflight era. Artemis is a precursor to future efforts to someday send astronauts to Mars. Visit the www.NASA.gov website for more information.

Wishing you clear skies! •