But it’s not just an exciting time for NASA. This time, the journey back to the Moon is an international partnership, one that will see Canadian technology and Canadian astronauts make a clear mark on lunar history. Canada is headed for the moon – and Monday is just the beginning. In less than a decade, scientists hope to have developed a space station called Lunar Gateway to serve as a stepping stone for trips to Mars and beyond, and Canada is developing a rover to explore the surface of the Moon. “The idea is to set up a base camp on the surface of the moon, with a space station in orbit around the moon,” University of Guelph physics researcher Orbax Thomas told CTV National News. “This will allow scientists to do research and learn things from the Moon in the hope that as we continue to expand into the lower regions of the universe and move towards colonizing places like Mars, we will have the opportunity to learn how to we do this while we are relatively close to home.’
DISABLE REVERSE
At the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, US, the mission, named Artemis I, will launch during a two-hour window on August 29, the first test of a series of space exploration systems that NASA and its partners are working on. for years. Using the most powerful rocket ever built by humans, the unmanned Orion spacecraft will be sent into space to orbit the Moon to collect data and test the spacecraft’s capabilities. Only mannequins will be inside Orion, but the spacecraft is designed to support humans, making this first test critical for future missions. Paul Delaney, a professor of physics and astronomy at York University, explained to CTV News Channel on Saturday that these mannequins “are filled with radiation detectors, ensuring that the deep space radiation exposure that the astronauts will experience is within expected limits. “ After the 300-foot-plus spacecraft completes its 42-day mission, it will return to Earth, blasting off into the ocean to test how future astronauts will return home. If Artemis I is successful, it will soon be time for Artemis II, the first manned flight back to the Moon – at which point Canada’s role in lunar exploration begins to become critical.
A NEW CANADARM, A ROVER AND CANADIANS AROUND THE MOON
Artemis II, currently slated for 2024, will see a spacecraft carry four human beings into orbit around the Moon for the first time since 1972. One of these astronauts will be from the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) and will be the first non-American astronaut to fly to the Moon. It will also make Canada the second nation with an astronaut to travel around the moon. A Canadian astronaut is also guaranteed to be on another flight in the future to Gateway, the eventual space station orbiting the Moon. The Gateway will also house one of Canada’s greatest contributions to this stage of space exploration: the latest iteration of the iconic Canadarm. In 1981, the first Canadarm made its debut in space. These giant robotic arms were attached to the outer sides of the space shuttles and controlled by astronauts on the shuttle, used to move objects in space that astronauts otherwise could not. The Earth-orbiting International Space Station (ISS) is currently home to Canadarm 2, which is permanently attached to the space station and can be controlled from Earth or by astronauts on the station. The Canadarm 3 will actually be smaller and lighter than previous versions at 8.5 meters long, but is planned to feature artificial intelligence, six 4k cameras and other cutting-edge technology. “It’s the furthest into space we’ve ever had a Canadarm,” Orbax said, noting that while the ISS is about 400 kilometers directly overhead, Gateway will be 400,000 kilometers from Earth. “And they’re not just going to be moving objects, helping the Orion shuttle dock with the Gateway space station itself, but actually going to be used to build the Gateway itself.” Canadarm 3’s ability to perform certain tasks without guidance will be critical to Gateway’s operation once it is built. The space station will always be unmanned, and there will be regular intervals in which the Gateway will be completely out of communication with crews on Earth as its orbit takes it to the far side of the Moon. According to the CSA, Canadarm 3 will even be able to perform science experiments on its own while orbiting the Moon. The Canadarm has always been one of Canada’s best-known contributions to space technology. It was Canada’s agreement to contribute Canadarm 3 for Gateway that secured a spot for a Canadian astronaut on Artemis II. Once the Gateway is built, scientists will be able to travel between the surface of the Moon and the Gateway space station orbiting the Moon. And soon, we will leave new footprints on the lunar surface. As early as 2025, Artemis III can carry a crew to the Moon. This mission aims to land the first woman on the Moon and the first person of color. “NASA is about to make history,” Randy Lycans, general manager of NASA’s Enterprise Solutions, said at a news conference. The return to the lunar surface will be followed by a first for Canada: a lunar rover. In 2021, it was announced that a Canadian rover would land on the Moon within the next five years as part of NASA’s planned lunar missions. CSA has already selected two Canadian companies, MDA and Canadensys, to design rover concepts. The goal is to create a rover capable of surviving the lunar night during a planned two-week mission. A night on the Moon lasts 14 Earth days, and conditions are extremely cold, as well as completely dark, posing challenges for the rovers. The rover hopes to conduct a mission to the Moon’s south pole to test scientific instruments that help regulate functions such as mobility, navigation and thermal management, information that could help us on future trips to Mars. The mission development that begins Monday with Artemis I is led by NASA, but includes contributions not only from the CSA, but from the European Space Agency and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency. Although this next step in space exploration begins with a return to the Moon, the goal is to prepare us for even deeper space exploration, with a lunar outpost as a reference for future research and future space travel. “Space, unlike anything else, unites us as a people,” Orbax said. “Whether you’re an academic, whether you’re a scientist, whether you’re a citizen, everyone looked up and asked ‘what’s going on up there in the universe above us?’” With files from Cristina Tenaglia
