Fifty years after the last flights Apollo, a dozen lunar missions are in the starting blocks, with Artemis-1 in the lead, an American program that aims to ask humans – and in particular the first woman – on the surface of our natural satellite, in 2025.
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Who’s still remembered John Young, Charles Duke, Harrison Schmitt and Gene Cernan? These Americans are the last four men who walked on the moon, during the missions Apollo-16 and 17. It was in 1972. Apollo-18, 19 and 20 never take place, canceled for budgetary reasons and no doubt Also because the conquest of the moon no longer passionate nor the crowds or the media. A bit like we say “that is done” by ticking a box on the list of tasks to accomplish and getting to something else … however, however, to do it and with the moon, but it took fifty years for that the desire to leave there is concretized. First of all, under the leadership of the Chinese, with the successes of their changed program, and now with the great return of the Americans. The year 2022 looks like that of a new start for the conquest of the moon, with a dozen missions in the starting-blocks.
The one that will attract all eyes will be undoubtedly Artemis-1, which could take off in the spring. Twin Sister of Apollo in Greek mythology, the goddess artemis gives his name to the program back on the moon of NASA, who has the ambition to ask humans – and in particular the first woman – on the surface of our satellite Natural in 2025. As Jean BLOUVAC explains, head of the exploration program and inhabited flights at the National Center for Space Studies, “Artemis-1 will mark the first flight of the new American heavy pitcher Space Launch System [SLS], with the orion vessel , which are the modern successors of the SATURN-5 rocket of the 1960-1970 and the Apollo Vessel “. Expected for more than a decade, the SLS will be the most powerful launcher ever built. In its first version, it can send thirty tons in lunar orbit.
Round trip to the lunar orbit
Who says first flight (or “qualifying flight”, in spatial jargon) also says flight without crew. The goal is to test materials and systems. Monster of nearly 100 meters high flanked by two powder boosters, the SLS will teach the ground to Cape Canaveral, Florida, and will put orion (some of which, the service module, is provided by the European Space Agency ) in orbit around the earth. Then the intermediate floor will give the capsule sufficient thrust to project themselves to the moon. Orion will approach 100 kilometers from the surface of the star and will benefit from its gravitation strength to fit into a remote orbit (70,000 kilometers away from our satellite).
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