00:00Between 1968 and 1972, America launched nine human missions to the moon, six of which successfully
00:08touched down, allowing 12 men to walk on the lunar surface.
00:13NASA's next chapter of lunar exploration, called Artemis, has the task of not just going
00:19to the moon to create a long-term human presence on and around it, but also to prepare forever
00:24more complex human missions to Mars.
00:28In short, everything we must be able to do here, we must first do here.
00:33So, what will an Artemis mission look like?
00:39Everything is designed and tested with our most important element in mind, the astronauts.
00:44This is their deep-space, human-rated spacecraft called Orion, built in three parts.
00:49The crew module, where up to four astronauts will live and work throughout the flight.
00:53The service module, with life support systems for the crew and its own engine and fuel reserves.
00:58And a launch abort system, with engines capable of pulling the crew module to safety during
01:02launch should anything go wrong.
01:04To accomplish the task of launching our crew in heavy payloads, NASA is building the Space
01:09Launch System, comprising of a cargo hold, an exploration upper stage, a massive core
01:14stage and two extended solid rocket boosters.
01:17Altogether, this is the world's most powerful rocket, and it exceeds the legendary Saturn
01:225 of the Apollo era in numerous ways.
01:25Sitting on the launch pad, the entire rocket, fully fueled, weighs just over 6 million pounds,
01:305.2 million of which is just the fuel.
01:34Once ignited, there is no stopping what comes next.
01:37All four RS-25 engines and the two solid rocket boosters come to life, thundering our crew upwards.
01:43Two minutes after ignition, the solid rocket boosters are spent and released.
01:48Eight minutes after launch, the core stage is depleted and separated.
01:52The upper stage fires briefly, placing Orion into a parking orbit around the Earth.
01:57Here the crew reconfigure the spacecraft and check systems to confirm everything is ready
02:02for deep space travel.
02:05With a go for mission control, the crew reignite the exploration upper stage engines to leave
02:10Earth entirely.
02:11The exact timing of this maneuver is critical to reach a speed that can escape Earth's
02:15gravitational pull, but also put Orion on a course that will intersect the Moon days
02:20later.
02:22Once this burn is complete, the upper stage of the SLS is jettisoned and the crew aboard
02:26Orion coast for several days toward all that awaits them at the Moon.
02:31Approaching the Moon, we see the fundamental differences between Artemis and Apollo.
02:36Instead of requiring Orion to serve as an expendable lunar command module or to carry
02:40a constrained lunar lander, the Artemis missions will take advantage of a different approach,
02:45pre-staging.
02:47Everything needed for lunar missions will be positioned in advance by commercial and
02:50international partners.
02:52This includes rovers, science experiments, and human-rated systems on the surface.
02:57But it also includes a dedicated lunar station in orbit around the Moon called Gateway.
03:02Here at this station we can pre-stage a robust lunar lander and establish a strong communications
03:07relay.
03:08Designed with open standards, the Gateway can be expanded as new missions and partnerships
03:13develop, allowing multiple human missions on the Moon at the same time and enabling
03:18ongoing science to be conducted even between human missions.
03:21The Gateway is also capable of adjusting its orbit to allow access to every part of the
03:26Moon, something the Apollo missions could not do.
03:29But the real key in this approach is placing Gateway in a unique halo orbit to perfect
03:33the maneuvers needed for Mars missions.
03:36And with the growing list of commercial and international opportunities, Gateway is the
03:41ideal hub between Earth and all that lies beyond.
03:44Returning to our crew as they approach Gateway, the Orion must match the elliptical orbit
03:49of the station in order to successfully dock.
03:52Once on board, pre-selected crew members transfer to the lunar lander, while those assigned
03:56to Gateway remain on station.
03:58The lunar lander system itself is built for three unique steps.
04:02Descending from the halo orbit of Gateway down to a low lunar orbit.
04:06Descending from low lunar orbit to the surface.
04:10And once the lunar mission is complete, launching from the surface of the Moon and ascending
04:14all the way back to the orbiting Gateway.
04:22Once back aboard the Orion spacecraft and undocked from Gateway, the crew fire their
04:26engine once to break out of the halo orbit and once again to sling the spacecraft around
04:32the Moon, placing it on a multi-day trajectory back towards Earth.
04:38As they near the end of this journey, the service module is released and the crew module
04:42is oriented heat shield first.
04:45Entering Earth's atmosphere at 25,000 miles per hour, the friction of air slows Orion
04:49considerably while also subjecting it to temperatures of 5,000 degrees.
04:55With the Orion now at just 300 miles per hour, a series of parachutes uniquely tested and
05:00produced for this moment deploy, decelerating the craft to just 20 miles per hour for splashdown.
05:09With each successful mission, Artemis ushers in the next wave of men and women to explore
05:14our Moon and prove that together we are ready to go beyond.
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