It's been decades since we first landed on the Moon back in 1969, and space agencies are already gearing up to return there in 2025. As part of the preparation, NASA astronauts are testing the transport equipment that will land them on the lunar surface.
Artemis 3 Elevator
Designed to transport astronauts down to the lunar surface, the elevator is being tested out to see if they are ready for the upcoming lunar missions, Artemis 3 and 4. To be clear, it won't be the actual elevator that will be used in the first mission in 2025.
The structure is merely a sub-scale mock-up for the SpaceX Starship human landing system. When all things go as planned, it will be used to transport both astronauts and their equipment from the Orion spacecraft to the Moon's surface, as reported by Gizmodo.
Two astronauts, Nicole Mann and Doug "Wheels" Wheelock, were tasked to conduct the tests in Hawthorne, California. They even wore their space suits to factor in the suit size and mobility constraints within the rails of the elevator.
There are already designed elevator systems that the astronauts are trying out, which are similar to the hardware that NASA and SpaceX. Upon trying it out, the crew provided feedback on the controls of the elevator.
Such controls included general controls of the equipment, gate latches, ramp deployment interfaces, space for cargo, and dynamic operations while the basket moves along a vertical system, all of which are important to perfect before being used in space.
With that said, there are still many other things to accomplish before NASA and SpaceX will bring humans back to the Moon. Both will have to send out an uncrewed mission first, which hopefully becomes a success to prevent delays within the given launch window.
Artemis 3
On the day of the mission, four astronauts will be aboard the Orion spacecraft and lift off from Launch Pad 39B at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Once it reaches Earth's orbit, the Space Launch System will use its interim cryogenic propulsion to push the spacecraft to its destination.
Once Orion docks with the Starship human landing system and the supplies are ready, two astronauts will board the Starship while the other two will remain in Orion. The astronauts will conduct the expedition for 6.5 days, which is the same amount of time the Orion completes orbit.
During the expedition, the crew will perform moonwalks and do all sorts of scientific work. Once all this is done, the two astronauts on the lunar surface will reunite with the other two in Orion and travel about 40,000 km to get back to Earth, as per NASA.
Just like the previous moon landing, mission control teams on the ground will stay in contact with the crew in space. They will hear about the experiences of the astronauts in space, as well as send high-quality videos and images to the ground through advanced communication technology.
