As with any long camping trip, the first manned lunar trip to the moon in 50 years requires a lot of training to get comfortable with everyday life.
The Artemis 2 Astronauts and ground crews are preparing for the first launch Project Artemis with those on board. A lunar orbiter in late 2024 is planned to set NASA and its partners up for future lunar landings.
The Orion spacecraft It will carry four astronauts the moon It is currently under construction along with other major hardware. Meanwhile, astronauts and other crew members are testing the life activities the crew will perform during the 10-day mission, including sleeping, eating and going to the bathroom.
NASA Recently Shared images of the Artemis 2 crew Johnson Space Center (JSC) as they examine a mock-up of the Orion spacecraft and familiarize themselves with the equipment that will keep them safe and comfortable on their trip to the moon. Get ready for the big mission.
Related: Artemis 2 astronaut crew suits up for moon launch dress rehearsal (photos, video)
NASA intends for the Artemis mission to be more diverse than Apollo. The new team includes a NASA astronaut and a commander Reed WisemanNASA astronaut and pilot Victor Glover (The first black astronaut to walk out Low Earth Orbit), NASA astronaut and mission specialist Christina Koch (first woman) and Canadian Space Agency Astronaut and Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen (First non-American).
About two dozen astronauts have made it to the moon’s surface or lunar orbit — while the agency has sent crews farther afield. Apollo Project — There are new things to learn from the intervening 50 years in terms of systems, training, and human psychology.
Since Artemis 2 is not a landing mission, the astronauts will spend their entire time there. Space Inside the Orion spacecraft. According to NASA officials, the vehicle has the space of roughly two minivans. And at 330 cubic feet (just over 9 cubic meters), Orion has nearly 60 percent more space than the three-person command module used by Apollo astronauts (just 210 cubic feet, or nearly 6 cubic meters.)
There is some flexibility to give a little more space on the road. Koch and Hansen’s seats can be stacked after a powerful launch aboard Space Launch System Rocket. Wiseman and Glover’s seatbacks remain intact, but so do their footrests. These changes will free up valuable time for activities such as exercise, which each astronaut gets 30 minutes a day.
„Orion is equipped with a flywheel, a small device installed directly below the sidewall used to enter and exit Orion,” NASA officials wrote. „The flywheel is a simple cable-based device for aerobic exercises like rowing and resistance exercises like squats and deadlifts. It works like a yo-yo, giving astronauts as much weight as possible, up to 400 pounds (181 kg).”
Related: How Fit Are Astronauts After Years in Space?
Notably, Artemis 2 astronauts have less time and less space to exercise than the long-duration crew. International Space Station (ISS), has a space equivalent to a six-bedroom house, According to NASA. Most of the exercise machines in the orbital complex weigh 4,000 pounds (1,814 kg) and roughly 850 cubic feet (24 cubic meters), agency officials said. said recently.
Orion exercise equipment requires very little room. So the flywheel has a mass of about 30 pounds (13 kg) and is slightly smaller than a carry-on suitcase, according to NASA. A relatively short mission in deep space allows for less exercise time since bone and muscle degradation is not as great during a few months or a year in space. On the ISS, by contrast, astronauts devote 2.5 hours daily to exercise, some of which includes setting up and adjusting equipment.
The Orion spacecraft will also have a hygiene bay with doors for privacy, a toilet and areas for crew to store personal hygiene items, including hairbrushes, toothbrushes and other common items. your day There is no full shower space aboard the Orion (and not enough water), so crew members keep clean using liquid soap, water, and non-rinse shampoo.
NASA officials have said that both men and women will be comfortable in this toilet. This is in contrast to the all-male Apollo crew who had the same design for the lavatory. The Orion spacecraft’s Universal Waste Management System is similar to what astronauts already use on the ISS.
„This system collects urine and feces separately,” NASA officials wrote. „Urine is discharged aboard, while excrement is collected in a can and stored safely for disposal upon return. In the event of toilet failure, the crew can use collapsible emergency urinals, a system that collects urine in a bag and interfaces with a venting system to send the urine out…only without a fan to help separate the excrement. „
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Orion has a medical kit on board to take care of common and minor problems that may occur in space. Basic first aid supplies and diagnostic equipment such as a stethoscope and electrocardiogram are packed inside. Crews – somehow – have the ability to speak privately with flight surgeons at mission control to discuss their physical and mental well-being. (NASA’s release did not discuss where the crew would find a private corner on the spacecraft for such discussions.)
All of these activities require intensive simulation before the crew embarks. The challenge, however, is that the Orion spacecraft is not fully developed. NASA doesn’t want to use the spacecraft for simulation because they want to keep it as beautiful as possible for flight. So NASA has a mockup where crews are testing everything they need to do long before they go into space.
Sleeping stations inside the smaller spacecraft will require a simple sleeping bag, which is slightly different from the enclosed cabins used by other crews on the more spacious ISS. These are tested in the mockup, along with other common functions.
Meanwhile, eating is under discussion at JSC’s Space Food Systems Laboratory. The crew is testing foods that are safe to transport into orbit, as well as suitable for their individual needs and tastes. Lab has hundreds of options, including dishes like cashew chicken curry, shrimp cocktail and chocolate pudding cake. Latest JSC Instagram post.
Everyday life is part of what both the Artemis crew and ground crew are learning to prepare for a trip to the moon. Artemis 2 astronauts, for example, recently participated in a Inauguration day training and NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, and met their spaceship During construction. There is a major campaign at that center to acquire the Mobile Launcher, SLS and other ground systems Ready to start.
Construction is underway on the Orion, SLS, boosters, and other things that will lift astronauts off Earth. Mission controllers conduct simulation exercises with the crew for all phases of the mission, including emergency drills. Conducted by the Inaugural Committee Multiple simulations of operations: Includes approximately 36 hours of full campaigns and campaigns that focus heavily on key aspects of Liftoff. Recovery exercises It’s ongoing at sea and in the ponds between NASA and the US Navy.