Last November 16th, NASA launched the Artemis I mission, the first of the Artemis program to conduct manned lunar exploration since the Apollo program.
From the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, NASA roared up the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket carrying the Orion spacecraft, taking the first step in a grand plan to reach the surface of the moon and then Mars.
The Artemis I mission is a test flight to orbit and returns an unmanned Orion spacecraft to the moon. Still, it's NASA's first mission to send an astronaut-capable spacecraft to the moon in nearly 50 years, and it's an important move to make sure it's ready to land astronauts on the moon by 2025. It is also a checkpoint.
A few days ago, there were concerns about the effects of Hurricane Nicol as it approached the launch site. But this was cleared up in advance by the team's phenomenal inspection work. However, as with previous launch attempts that have been postponed many times, some minor problems were discovered just before the launch.
At first, an intermittent fuel leak was discovered during refueling of the SLS upper stage about three hours before launch. As soon as NASA was notified, a team was dispatched to confirm the connection of the packing part and implement countermeasures by tightening bolts.
The next discovery was a faulty Ethernet switch used at the U.S. Space Force's launch site radar site. This rendered the radar sight unusable until a replacement was available.
The problem was systematically stopped 10 minutes before launch, and recovery was reported during confirmation. It was also confirmed that commands could be properly sent from the site to the Abort system after the rocket launch.
In addition, caulking, which was thought to be loose due to the effects of Hurricane Nicol, was reconfirmed in SLS.
However, this time there were no problems that prevented the launch until the end, and NASA was able to proceed with the launch.
We are going.
— NASA (@NASA) November 16, 2022
For the first time, the @NASA_SLS rocket and @NASA_Orion fly together. #Artemis I begins a new chapter in human lunar exploration. pic.twitter.com/vmC64Qgft9
The Orion spacecraft deployed its solar panels about 18 minutes after launch and entered Earth orbit about 45 minutes later.
After several tens of minutes, the spacecraft left low earth orbit and injected fuel to reach the moon, which is about 400,000 km away. The speed of the aircraft has accelerated to 36,370 km per hour, and at the time of writing the article, it is steadily heading to the moon.
As @NASA_Orion begins the #Artemis I mission to the Moon, the spacecraft captured these stunning views of our home planet. pic.twitter.com/Pzk3PDt7sd
— NASA Artemis (@NASAArtemis) November 16, 2022
By the way, although it is unmanned, a mannequin doll called "Captain Moonikin Campos" sits in the cockpit of the Orion spacecraft and directs the mission to the moon. Other crew members, two mannequins nicknamed Helga and Zohar, are tasked with collecting test data wearing vests called AstroRad designed to protect astronauts from cosmic radiation. To do.
While #Artemis I is uncrewed, a manikin named "Commander Moonikin Campos" is among the test devices flying aboard @NASA_Orion. The name honors NASA engineer Arturo Campos, who helped bring the Apollo 13 crew safely home to Earth. https://t.co/B5x3fSQQ74 pic.twitter.com/2gs2eC7pWi
— NASA (@NASA) November 16, 2022
In addition, Snoopy (stuffed toy) carried by NASA and Sean the sheep (stuffed animal) sent by ESA are onboard, but they are not supposed to be seated, so videos and images of the inside of the ship will be sent from now on. You may be able to see them floating around when you arrive.