NASA sets sights on moon with Artemis I mission
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
NASA hopes to take another step next week to get astronauts back on the moon.
The space agency plans to launch Monday morning a Space Launch System (SLS) rocket from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Back in 2020, NASA rolled out plans for the Artemis missions.
The goal of the missions is for the space agency to get astronauts, including the first woman, back to the moon by 2024. To achieve that goal, riding on the back of the SLS rocket is an unmanned Orion spacecraft.
NASA designed the capsule to carry astronauts into outer space and back to the moon. The unmanned Orion spacecraft is expected to cover more than 40,000 miles.
"It's a little bit larger than Apollo even. Compared to the shuttle, it's a pretty tight space though," said Orion Crew Survival Systems Project Manager Dustin Gohmert. "Imagine a large family tent and that's very much what the mission is similar to is deep space camping."
If successful, Artemis I would break the record for the farthest trip from Earth by a manned spacecraft. The Apollo 13 mission is the current record holder.
Several Missouri-based businesses helped contribute to the Artemis missions. You can find a map of those businesses below:
Gene Cernan is the last astronaut to walk on the moon as part of the Apollo 17 mission in December 1972. Cernan passed away in 2017.
Artemis I is scheduled to launch from the Kennedy Space Center at 7:33 a.m. Monday.
