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4 votes
1 answer
257 views

Can the SLS's mobile launch platform be rotated at the launch complex to keep the rocket on the leeward side of the tower in case of high winds?

This is a follow-on question from the discussion in the comments of an answer to this question. Some helpful links: https://spacenews.com/nasa-investigating-very-minor-artemis-hurricane-damage/
phil1008's user avatar
  • 9,190
3 votes
1 answer
131 views

Could we convert lunar regolith into a trinitite landing pad with an atomic weapon?

My thinking here is that a modern thermonuclear weapon would not weigh very much and that by detonating one an appropriate distance above the lunar surface, the regolith could be melted into a hard ...
phil1008's user avatar
  • 9,190
1 vote
0 answers
39 views

Has NASA published any information that better quantifies the mass budget requirements for "back to the moon ... this time to stay"?

I'm interested in those elements of their plans that will help me to estimate a yearly mass budget, such as how many crew at a time, how long will they stay each time, how often they will be rotated ...
phil1008's user avatar
  • 9,190
0 votes
0 answers
85 views

What improvements will Axiom Space's Artemis spacesuit bring to current EMUs?

We know a design focus of the Axiom Extravehicular Mobility Unit (AxEMU) is to offer more flexibility for size fitting and movement than current EMUs, both for spacewalks and moonwalks. Based on what ...
Shawn Lim's user avatar
  • 215
4 votes
3 answers
209 views

Why is NASA waiting until Artemis V to bring a rover?

Crewed moon rovers will be a 55 year old technology by the time Artemis III and IV launch, and historically they greatly increased the amount of time lunar astronauts could spend doing science instead ...
qazwsx's user avatar
  • 1,086
1 vote
4 answers
769 views

Why can't NASA launch Artemis (SLS/Orion) as often as SpaceX is launching Starship?

In 2022 NASA conducted a successful uncrewed lunar flight of the Orion, Artemis 1. Yet, the following mission and first crewed flight, Artemis 2, will launch in fall 2025 the earliest. In comparison, ...
Old Man John's user avatar
0 votes
0 answers
145 views

Why is the Sun influence a mere perturbation to the Moon NRHO (the orbit the Gateway should be put in the context of project Artemis)?

An article of the relevant literature Heliocentric Escape and Lunar Impact from Near Rectilinear Halo Orbits asserts: "As the spacecraft departs the immediate vicinity of the NRHO, the effects of ...
Franklin's user avatar
2 votes
0 answers
124 views

Where exactly are the BE-7 engines on the Blue Origin HLS for Appendix P?

I was reading about the recent selection of Blue Origin for a second Lunar Lander, and a comment on an article caught my eye. Where exactly are any of the engines on the new lander? Here you can see ...
fyrepenguin's user avatar
  • 1,829
1 vote
0 answers
122 views

Is it planned to have the NASA astronauts from the Artemis 2 mission fly again to the moon?

Just recently, NASA announced the astronauts who will fly to the moon (Which is pretty AMESOME!). Is it planned to fly them on another Artemis mission or are the Artemis astronauts only flying once ...
The Rocket fan's user avatar
6 votes
1 answer
652 views

Why will Artemis II not orbit the Moon?

The Artemis II mission will loiter in an elliptical, high-Earth orbit before the Orion uses its own propulsion to complete the trans lunar injection (tli), thus using the fuel it might’ve otherwise ...
Andykins 's user avatar
4 votes
0 answers
157 views

Why does the ICPS carry extra hydrogen?

The Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage (ICPS) of the Space Launch System is essentially the Delta Cryogenic Second Stage (DCSS) lifted from the Delta IV rocket. However, among other minor changes, the ...
Andykins 's user avatar
1 vote
0 answers
108 views

SLS Block 2: Original thrust

In older graphics depicting the evolution of the SLS vehicle, it states that the Block 2 upgrade was to produce 11.9 million lbs of thrust. At some point in the last few years, however, this has ...
Andykins 's user avatar
5 votes
1 answer
221 views

SLS SRB sound suppression system

The Shuttle, in addition to the water deluge system, used a series of red nylon bags filled with water at the base of each SRB for additional sound suppression. Does the SLS, whose boosters produce ~...
Andykins 's user avatar
4 votes
1 answer
332 views

What will be the pressure inside the Orion spacecraft?

On wikipedia, I believe that it will be the same as at sea level (101 kPa), or reduced (55 - 70 kPa). But what pressure will be normal in the cabin? What will the pressure be there during the flight?
Saturn V's user avatar
  • 1,417
2 votes
1 answer
134 views

Will astronauts on the Lunar Gateway beat the record Apollo 13 set for furthest distance from Earth?

This questiom states that the distance was 400038km with a lunar altitude of 254 km. As gateway will have a max. 70,000 km distance from the lunar south pole, it may break the record. However, because ...
Small-Jaguar's user avatar
2 votes
1 answer
154 views

How much mass will Artemis landers deliver to the moon?

Is there an estimate of the mass Artemis Landers must be able to deliver to the Lunar surface? I am interested in the total mass - vehicle and payload on arrival - as well as a breakdown of how much ...
Ken Fabian's user avatar
  • 1,132
2 votes
2 answers
175 views

Why was the Orion spacecraft slower after the return powered flyby burn?

I'm closely following NASA's Artemis 1 mission and all the broadcasts. This week the return powered flyby burn took place, the Orion spacecraft flew around the moon and started its way back home. ...
mu88's user avatar
  • 121
-5 votes
1 answer
139 views

Are there any asteroids between the Earth and the Moon which could also serve as a base

I read about this tennis court sized asteroid https://www.theguardian.com/science/2021/nov/11/near-earth-asteroid-is-a-fragment-from-the-moon-say-scientists It appears to be between the Moon & ...
safe_malloc's user avatar
6 votes
1 answer
212 views

How does the Orion communicate with Earth?

Early renders of the Orion spacecraft show a deployed high-gain antenna dish like on the Apollo CSM. The Orion that actually materialised has no such thing. What does it use instead?
Andykins 's user avatar
8 votes
1 answer
279 views

Reason/meaning of dot/dash pattern in Orion capsule

On the interior pictures of the Orion capsule there is a distinct pattern visible above the Callisto tech demo console: Source: NASA, highlight by me What is the reason/meaning of this pattern? My ...
Chris's user avatar
  • 183
11 votes
1 answer
3k views

Why not crash the ICPS into the Moon?

The Wikipedia article on Artemis 1 says that an ICPS disposal burn was performed after spacecraft separation. This was intended to send the ICPS into heliocentric orbit after passing the Moon. Why ...
WarpPrime's user avatar
  • 3,137
7 votes
1 answer
2k views

Orion re-entry velocity: Why is it higher than Apollo?

Title says it all. I am puzzled why Orion will be traveling faster than Apollo.
Christine Ocho's user avatar
0 votes
0 answers
83 views

Why does the the Artemis I translunar flight (have to) last 6 days while the Apollo fights to the Moon lasted only about 3 days? [duplicate]

Does the Artemis I flight to the Moon have to last so long compared to the about 3 days long lasting Apollo flights because the Orion spacecraft has to enter into a distant retrograde orbit (DRO) ? Or ...
Cornelis's user avatar
  • 7,561
1 vote
1 answer
238 views

To what direction is Artemis 1 facing while traveling between earth and moon?

While playing around with the animation on https://www.nasa.gov/specials/trackartemis/ I noticed that Orion capsule seems not be pointing directly into its direction of flight. If this would be case ...
Andrei Herford's user avatar
7 votes
1 answer
305 views

How can SLS be ready to carry humans after just a single test flight?

Artemis I is the maiden flight of the SLS, and the very next SLS mission, Artemis II, is planned to already carry a human crew. I don't understand how this is possible. How can a hyper-complex rocket, ...
user49833's user avatar
2 votes
0 answers
135 views

Why wouldn't NASA save Orion if Artemis 1 failed

According to last night's NASA broadcast (and other sources), the launch abort system (LAS) system for Artemis 1 was inert (except for the apparently separate disposal motor). In the event of an ...
johnDanger's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
546 views

What is the point of the Artemis program when we had Apollo? [closed]

Considering that NASA evidently already know how to land astronauts on the Moon (thanks to Apollo), what is the point of the Artemis program? For example, the just-launched Artemis 1 is 1) uncrewed ...
Allure's user avatar
  • 391
5 votes
1 answer
454 views

Are Artemis missions launched into a free return trajectory like the Apollo program?

The Apollo program spacecrafts were put on a free return trajectory after during the TLI maneuver. Does Artemis mission also put crafts on a free return trajectory? If no, what are the redundancy ...
Ashvin's user avatar
  • 2,954
12 votes
1 answer
1k views

Are the Artemis 1 secondary payloads still viable?

Artemis 1 carries ten cubesats as secondary payloads. One of the concerns prior to the last rollback, in September, was that the batteries were almost out of charge and that there was no way to ...
Dave Gremlin's user avatar
  • 3,213
12 votes
1 answer
2k views

Cause for Artemis Spacecraft bumpy surface

I watched NASA's YT transmission (TL code 04:06:30) of the launch and I noticed a bumpy surface on the middle section while it deployed the Solar arrays and shortly before separation of the mid-...
Semo's user avatar
  • 223
29 votes
4 answers
5k views

Why does Artemis I need a launch window?

I know that a rocket needs to launch at the right time in order to be able to reach a specific point in orbit (e.g. the ISS). This launch window is quite small (correct?). But why does Artemis I ...
Andrei Herford's user avatar
3 votes
2 answers
257 views

Will or could real-time HDTV broadcasts be possible from the Orion spacecraft during the Artemis I spaceflight around the Moon?

Earhrise, image taken from Apollo 8 by William Anders, Credits: NASA Starting with Apollo 8, there where 4 (!) crewed missions to the Moon in one year time ! (Apollo 8, 10,11 and 12) Will or could ...
Cornelis's user avatar
  • 7,561
3 votes
0 answers
201 views

From where will the planned Artemis I launch be visible?

The latest planned Artemis I launch window is 69 minutes long, opening 2022-11-14T00:07:00−05:00, which if used will lead to a launch in complete darkness. I'm interested in the possibility of ...
Will's user avatar
  • 195
0 votes
2 answers
342 views

Are the Artemis Missions direct ascent?

I’ve been looking at “exploded” SLS rockets, where the stages are all shown, and there never seems to be a lunar lander. Does that mean that the Orion Spacecraft lands on the moon, or will it have a ...
Blue Skin and Glowing Red Eyes's user avatar
0 votes
1 answer
438 views

Did NASA believe that Artemis 1 would have failed catastrophically had they not caught/fixed the errors that resulted in the launches being aborted?

Artemis 1 has had several unsuccessful tests. We've seen reports of "hydrogen leaks", "engine failures", "sensor malfunctions", "stuck valves", "fueling ...
Richard's user avatar
  • 792
3 votes
2 answers
1k views

What is the differences in between SLS Block I and SLS Block 2?

Other than mass to orbit how will the SLS Block 1 differ from SLS Block 2? What differences in construction will be made ?
Ashvin's user avatar
  • 2,954
8 votes
1 answer
255 views

What is the cabling on the exterior of the SLS solid rocket boosters that wasn't on the shuttle solid rocket boosters?

I noticed what appears to be foamed-over cabling running roughly parallel to the systems tunnel on the exterior of the SLS Solid Rocket Boosters (SRBs). The cabling appears to run all the way from the ...
Organic Marble's user avatar
17 votes
1 answer
3k views

What is the difference between the solid fuel Boosters of the Shuttle and Artemis?

The Shuttle boosters had 4 segments and Artemis has 5. What are the differences in total mass, thrust and burn time? Is the thrust profile (thrust over time) the same?
Uwe's user avatar
  • 49.5k
3 votes
3 answers
377 views

Media coverage of Artemis vs Apollo

I remember the launch of Apollo 7 - the first crewed flight of the Apollo spacecraft. I was in grade school; we all gathered in the gym/auditorium to watch it on live TV. I was about 9 in 1967, and ...
Anthony X's user avatar
  • 17.6k
3 votes
1 answer
313 views

Will the Orion glass cockpit with CCD be tested with prospective astronauts on the ground during the upcoming Artemis 1 test flight ? If not, why?

Image credit: DesignNews article: "Exclusive: A Closer Look at NASA's Orion Glass Cockpit" Will there be video cameras onboard the Orion spacecraft that registrate the glass cockpit displays ...
Cornelis's user avatar
  • 7,561
7 votes
1 answer
276 views

What will the live video and audio quality be like when astronauts next set foot on the moon?

What will the live video and audio quality be like when we watch an Artemis crewmember set foot on the moon? The quality of the original Apollo footage from the 1960's is terrible by today's standards....
Wyck's user avatar
  • 1,624
8 votes
1 answer
257 views

Space Suit for Artemis, why two contracts instead of only one?

NASA has selected two companies to make spacesuits for its Artemis moon program and future International Space Station (ISS) missions. Teams led by Axiom Space and Collins Aerospace (with ILC Dover ...
Uwe's user avatar
  • 49.5k
3 votes
2 answers
219 views

What would have happened if lightning struck the Orion LES instead of the umbilical tower?

Yesterday, a lightning struck the SLS' umbilical tower during a scrubbed wet dress rehearsal. Is it normal for a lightning to strike the umbilical tower instead of the 3 lightning arresters around the ...
Ashvin's user avatar
  • 2,954
17 votes
2 answers
11k views

How can Artemis 1 take so much longer for Earth-Lunar transit than the Apollo missions did?

The Artemis I mission will take 8-14 days to get from Earth to the Moon. Apollo 11 only took 3 days. Similarly the return will be 9-19 days for Artemis I and just over 2 days for Apollo 11. Why is the ...
Ludo's user avatar
  • 14.8k
10 votes
1 answer
499 views

What happens to the propellant in a wet dress rehearsal?

The Artemis 1 mission is going to do a wet dress rehearsal where the rocket will be filled with propellant and the launch sequence will continue until almost the last second. The launch sequence will ...
Michael Stachowsky's user avatar
5 votes
1 answer
328 views

Will the Artemis I SLS do a static fire on the pad following rollout?

Following the rollout for the Artemis I wet dress rehearsal, or the rollout for launch, will the core stage perform a static fire on the pad?
Joseph Field's user avatar
1 vote
0 answers
126 views

Are there any plans on replacing the shuttle-era RS-25D's during the Artemis III/IV missions?

The last two Artemis missions which use the shuttle-era RS-25D engines will fly in 2025 and 2026. Is there ever a possibility that, in the case that Aerojet Rocketdyne delivers their RS-25Es (or at ...
WarpPrime's user avatar
  • 3,137
0 votes
1 answer
260 views

Where is Artemis on this Earth-Moon three-body bifurcation plot? Where's the near-rectilinear halo orbit for example?

Below is a $\mu = 0.01215$ bifurcation plot from E. J. Doedel, E.J. et al's Elemental periodic orbits associated with the libration points in the circular restricted 3-body problem International ...
uhoh's user avatar
  • 151k
5 votes
0 answers
168 views

Are L1 and L2 orbital periods always half the orbital period of the massive bodies?

Are L1 and L2 libration point orbital periods always half the orbital period of the massive bodies? The halo orbital period of JWST is a half a year. https://webb.nasa.gov/content/about/orbit.html The ...
Woody's user avatar
  • 27.5k
5 votes
1 answer
290 views

Will Artemis 2 and/or subsequent Artemis moon flights be able to break humanity's Earth distance record?

How high above the Moon are Artemis' Orion spacecraft going to orbit, in comparison to the Apollo spacecraft? Will their flights surpass or be able to surpass humanity's current record of the farthest ...
user avatar