Shooting for the Moon

More than 50 years ago, astronauts who took part in NASA’s Apollo missions visited the moon. No one has stepped on the lunar surface since. But scientists and engineers soon plan to send a new group of astronauts to the moon—and possibly beyond.

More than 50 years ago, astronauts first visited the moon. They were part of NASA’s Apollo missions. No one has stepped on the lunar surface since. But a new group of astronauts is getting ready. Soon, scientists and engineers plan to send them to the moon—and possibly beyond.

Beginning with the Apollo 11 mission in 1969 and ending with the Apollo 17 mission in 1972, a total of 12 men walked on the moon. Women played important roles in the missions—but mostly behind the scenes. The first female NASA astronaut, Sally Ride, didn’t visit space until 1983. That same mission also included the first person of color to visit space, a Black man named Guion Bluford.

Today 30 percent of NASA’s launch control staff—including the Artemis I launch director—are women. And an equal number of male and female astronauts make up the Artemis team from which those who will return to the moon will be selected. Many team members are also people of color.

During the Artemis missions, the astronauts will fly aboard the Orion spacecraft (see Artemis Blasts Off). It’s about 57 percent larger than the capsule Apollo astronauts flew in. That’s because Orion will house more astronauts—up to four—for a longer period. “That said, it’s still a little capsule,” says Jessica Vos, a NASA crew systems engineer. The Orion crew will have just 9 cubic meters (330 cubic feet) of living space. Engineers must fit exercise equipment, a food preparation area, a bathroom, and sleeping bags inside the capsule. Even though it will be crowded, says Vos, “we’re designing Orion to be as comfortable and as accommodating a working and living space as we can.”

The spacecraft has a lot of important cargo to carry, but it needs to be as light as possible. “Every pound takes a tremendous amount of rocket fuel to push that mass to the moon and back again,” says Geffre. The moon orbits about 390,000 kilometers (240,000 miles) from Earth, a distance that will take astronauts about three days to travel. That’s why “we have worked very diligently to remove every additional ounce we could from the spacecraft,” says Geffre.

A total of 12 men have walked on the moon. That started with the Apollo 11 mission in 1969 and ended with Apollo 17 in 1972. Women played important roles in the missions. But they worked mostly behind the scenes. Sally Ride was the first female NASA astronaut. She didn’t visit space until 1983. That same mission included a Black man named Guion Bluford. He was the first person of color to visit space.

Today 30 percent of NASA’s launch control staff are women. The Artemis I launch director is one of them. And the Artemis team includes an equal number of male and female astronauts. Those who visit the moon will be selected from this group. Many team members are also people of color.

The Artemis astronauts will fly aboard the Orion spacecraft (see Artemis Blasts Off). It’s about 57 percent larger than the Apollo capsule. That’s because Orion will house more astronauts, up to four. And they’ll stay for a longer period. “That said, it’s still a little capsule,” says Jessica Vos, a NASA crew systems engineer. The Orion crew will have just 9.3 cubic meters (330 cubic feet) of living space. Engineers must fit exercise equipment, a food preparation area, a bathroom, and sleeping bags into that area. It will be crowded. But, Vos says, “We’re designing Orion to be as comfortable and as accommodating a working and living space as we can.”

The spacecraft will carry a lot of important cargo, but it must be as light as possible. “Every pound takes a tremendous amount of rocket fuel to push that mass to the moon and back again,” says Geffre. The moon orbits about 390,000 kilometers (240,000 miles) from Earth. The spacecraft will take about three days to travel that distance. That’s why “we have worked very diligently to remove every additional ounce we could from the spacecraft,” says Geffre.

The Orion spacecraft has undergone years of rigorous testing on Earth. But before blasting off with astronauts aboard, it needed to be tested in space. So on November 16, 2022, NASA launched Artemis I. An uncrewed Orion capsule flew to space on top of the Space Launch System—the world’s most powerful rocket. The spacecraft orbited the moon before returning to Earth a month later. This test flight allowed engineers to thoroughly investigate how well Orion’s systems worked in flight.

The Orion spacecraft went through years of careful testing on Earth. But it couldn’t blast off with astronauts aboard yet. First, it needed to be tested in space. So NASA launched Artemis I on November 16, 2022. An uncrewed Orion capsule flew to space. It rode on top of the world’s most powerful rocket, the Space Launch System. The spacecraft orbited the moon. A month later, it returned to Earth. During this test flight, engineers closely studied Orion’s systems. They learned how well everything worked in flight.

Artemis II, the first crewed mission, is planned for 2024. Astronauts will further test Orion as they fly around the moon and back. In the process, they’ll travel the farthest distance from Earth that humans have ever gone. But it won’t be until Artemis III that humans will return to the moon’s surface. During that mission, which is expected to launch no sooner than 2025, astronauts will fly aboard Orion into lunar orbit. There, they’ll dock with a lander delivered during a separate launch and descend to the moon’s surface. The lander will be the astronauts’ temporary home as they explore and perform experiments on the moon.

And that’s just the beginning of Artemis. Over time, NASA plans to build a space station—called Gateway—in lunar orbit and a base camp on the moon’s surface. Both will provide astronauts a place to live and work. “That will really enable a more sustainable exploration of the lunar surface than we’d ever had in Apollo,” says Vos.

The moon is just one step on a much longer journey. The technologies developed and knowledge gained during the Artemis missions will help scientists plan humanity’s next giant leap—traveling to Mars. “We as a species need to keep moving out and understanding not only our world around us but also the vast universe that is out there,” says Geffre.

Artemis II will be the first crewed mission. It’s planned for 2024. Astronauts will fly around the moon and back, and they’ll test Orion further. They’ll travel farther from Earth than humans have ever gone. But humans won’t return to the moon’s surface until Artemis III. That mission is expected to launch no sooner than 2025. Astronauts will fly into lunar orbit aboard Orion. During a separate launch, a lander will be delivered to lunar orbit. Astronauts will dock with the lander and go down to the moon’s surface. They’ll explore and perform experiments on the moon, and the lander will be their temporary home. 

And that’s just the beginning of Artemis. Over time, NASA plans to build a space station called Gateway. It will orbit the moon. They’re also planning a base camp on the moon’s surface. Both will be places for astronauts to live and work. “That will really enable a more sustainable exploration of the lunar surface than we’d ever had in Apollo,” says Vos.

The moon is just one step on a much longer journey. During the Artemis missions, scientists will develop technologies and gain knowledge. That will help them plan humanity’s next giant leap—traveling to Mars. “We as a species need to keep moving out and understanding not only our world around us but also the vast universe that is out there,” says Geffre.