The first human set foot on the Moon was a great moment for hundreds of millions of people to watch together, be surprised and excited. The enchanting circle we’ve been facing for millions of years has finally become an achievable goal for man.
Data from the first manned lunar missions and research on the Moon over the years have allowed us to get to know our satellite closely and want more. After 50 years, the Moon has again become a target for people to set foot on. But this time, everything is different, from the technology that will take humanity to the Moon, to the objectives of the mission.
Humanity will go to the Moon this time with NASA’s Artemis mission. The mission’s first unmanned launch was delayed for technical reasons, and then due to extreme weather conditions and storms. The most recent date given is a day between 12-27 November. With weeks before this big mission, let’s take a look at the differences from the past.
What are the differences between the Apollo and Artemis missions?
After Apollo, it’s Artemis’ turn: There are radical changes in the crew that will set foot on the moon
- Only one of the 12 people who set foot on the Moon with the Apollo missions was a scientist. The rest of the team was of military background. There are plenty of scientists in the pool where NASA will choose astronauts for Artemis.
- The crew that went to the Moon with the Apollo missions consisted entirely of ‘white men’. NASA aims to carry women and ‘non-white’ people to the Moon with the Artemis mission. NASA also says it’s likely that most or all of the crew will be women, rather than ‘just one woman’.
- As a reference to the above article; This is the reason why the name of the mission was chosen as Artemis. Apollo is one of the sons of Zeus in Greek mythology. Her twin sister is the goddess Artemis.
The technology and engineering behind the missions has also evolved and changed a lot.
- The Apollo Command Module was the module where the crew traveled, and a 3-person crew could stay for a maximum of 14 days. While two of these 3 people landed on the Moon with the Lunar Module, one person remained in the command module and awaited the return of the crew on the Moon. In the Artemis mission, Orion 4 was developed with the equipment and size that can accommodate the astronaut for 21 days. The transport of astronauts to the Moon will be done with the Human Landing System in Artemis.
- In the Apollo mission, the astronauts first took power from Saturn IB and then from Saturn V, which for many years had the title of ‘the most powerful rocket in the world’, and set out for the Moon. In the Artemis mission, the world’s new most powerful rocket SLS will be used. The thrust of the SLS is 15% more than that of the Saturn V.
The regions that Apollo and Artemis targeted for their destination are opposite each other.
- During the Apollo missions, our knowledge of the Moon was more limited. For this reason, the safest possible areas were selected for landing. The Artemis mission will go to the ‘more mysterious’ South Pole of the Moon. This is because this region is thought to contain the sources of water ice on the Moon.
Apollo and Artemis’ plans for the Moon are also quite different…
- The goal of humanity with Apollo was to first enter lunar orbit and then set foot for the first time. At the same time, another important part of the mission was to conduct research on our satellite with samples to be collected from the Moon.
- The main purpose of Artemis, on the other hand, is to deepen the researches with the bases and stations to be established on the lunar surface and orbit, and to prepare for the journeys we will make to Mars and then to deep space. For this purpose, a base will be established on the Moon and the astronauts who stay there will be able to continue their research.
- For many years after the Apollo missions, rhetoric such as ‘there is not much left to discover on the Moon’ prevailed, and it was presented as if the main goal of the Moon was to be able to rise above it. Because at that time, Moon missions were seen as ‘political’ trump cards rather than scientific studies. The Artemis mission, on the other hand, is acting from a much more scientific point of view, with the idea that the Moon may be an important station for the future of the human species.
NASA’s Artemis mission isn’t humanity’s only project on the Moon. Many countries are carrying out various studies especially in order to reach the ice and water resources on the Moon and to benefit from our satellite as a station in space studies.
For example, China is preparing to establish a comprehensive research station on the Moon in the coming years. There were even absurd statements from the USA on this issue such as ‘China will try to seize the Moon’.
After all these studies, we will see the Moon as a station on the way to other planets, where researches are carried out on and in its orbit in the future. But we still have a long way to go before…
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