By 2026, NASA plans to land humans on the moon for the first time since 1972. Times have changed with new rockets, shuttles and spaceships.
To prepare for the Artemis 3 moon landing mission, two astronauts donned Axiom Space’s new spacesuits and tested a mock version of the lunar rover for the first time in late April.
Scientists and engineers say the test — the first of its kind since the Apollo era — provided feedback on how well spacesuits are made. theory, worked on an experimental version of SpaceX’s Starship Human Landing System (HLS), NASA’s vehicle of choice for sending astronauts to and from the Moon during the Artemis 3 mission. They were able to measure the layout, physical design and clearance of the HLS. NASA report.
The three-hour test, which took place at SpaceX’s headquarters in Hawthorne, California, was useful in assessing the spacesuits’ flexibility and ease of getting in and out of the spacesuits before placing them in the airlock with minimal assistance.
Two astronauts, Peggy Whitson of Axiom Space and Doug Wheelock of NASA, donned spacesuits in a full-scale mock-up of the airlock located on the starship’s airlock deck. Each spacesuit includes a full-sized „backpack” model of a portable life support system, A said. Report By the axiom.
During the test, astronauts interacted with a control panel in the airlock to ensure controls were within reach and could be activated while wearing gloves, NASA said. They practiced using an experimental elevator that would carry astronauts and their equipment from the starship deck to the lunar surface for moonwalks during Artemis mission missions.
„Overall, I was pleased with the functionality of the astronauts’ control panel and their ability to perform the difficult tasks they must perform before stepping foot on the moon,” said Logan Kennedy, lead for surface operations in NASA’s HLS program. In a NASA report. „The test also confirmed that the space in the airlock, deck and elevator is adequate for the work our astronauts plan to do.”
Related: NASA chose SpaceX’s Starship to land Artemis astronauts on the moon
NASA and Axiom in March last year revealed A prototype of the spacesuit, the Axeum Extravehicular Mobility Unit (AxEMU), is designed to be worn by astronauts in flight and on the moon. The company is beyond the preliminary design review point with NASA and will enter a critical design review phase later this year, Axiom said in its statement.
„Coordinated tests like these, working with major programs and partners, are important to ensure systems are running smoothly and astronauts are safe and effective before they take their next steps on the moon,” said Amit Kshatriya, NASA’s Moon to Mars program manager. NASA said in a statement.
In April, Axiom Tested one of the unused spacesuits At NASA’s Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory, the agency added weights to the suit to mimic the lunar environment, where the gravity is only one-sixth that of Earth’s. Soon, the astronaut will wear the suit for the first test run in water, the agency said in its latest statement.
Meanwhile, the astronauts’ ride to the moon, Starship, was developed by SpaceX to help make missions to the moon and eventually Mars economically feasible. On Friday (June 7), the company moved closer to that goal Fourth successful test flight This resulted in a soft water landing for both the vehicle’s super heavy booster and the starship.
However, humanity’s return to the Moon is expected to happen no earlier than September 2026, after NASA. Delayed its touchdown plans From the first targeted landing in late 2025. Problems with the Orion spacecraft’s heatshield, life support system, and electrical system in the crew abort system contributed to the delay.
„As we prepare to send our friends and colleagues on this mission, we are committed to launching as safely as possible,” NASA Associate Administrator Jim Free told reporters at a media teleconference in January. „We’ll start when we’re ready.”
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