Artemis Program Resources
Resources and information about the Artemis Program
Artemis Program - the background story
Humans have not left Earth orbit since NASA's Apollo 17 mission returned from the Moon in 1972. In 2004, US president George W. Bush announced the Vision for Space Exploration to send humans back to the Moon and eventually onto Mars. Under that iniative, NASA began a number of programs including Constellation (2004-2010, targeted lunar surface and Mars), Journey to Mars (2015-2018, targeted cislunar space, asteroid and Mars), and Moon to Mars (2018 to present, targeting lunar surface and Mars).
The Artemis program is a result of the Trump administration's Space Policy Directive 1, and a speech by Vice President Mike Pence on 26 March 2019 directing NASA to reach the Moon by 2024, 4 years earlier than its previous goal.
The Artemis program aims to land humans on the Moon quickly and focus on Mars as a long-term human spaceflight goal after that. This plan involves using both commercial rockets and NASA's Space Launch System, the Orion crew capsule, and a commercial lunar landing system. The Lunar Gateway space station will serve the lunar surface missions.
Artemis Program - an overview
NASA's Artemis Program website
[NASA official website]
For official news about the latest developments, this NASA page is the place to land first!
Artemis Program information
[Wikipedia]
The Artemis Program pages at Wikipedia are a great source of information, and are regularly updated.
Space Launch System (SLS)
Space Launch System (SLS)
[NASA]
Meet The Rocket: NASA's Space Launch System will be the most powerful rocket NASA has ever built.
Space Launch System (SLS)
[Wikipedia]
The Space Launch System (SLS) is the super heavy-lift expendable launch vehicle for NASA's Artemis and deep space exploration plans.
Artemis Testing: SLS Green Run checklist
[NASA - May 21, 2020]
The core stage Green Run test series of NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) rocket is currently underway. Crews installed the 212-foot-tall core stage in the B-2 Test Stand at NASA's Stennis Space Center for the core stage Green Run test series in January 2020. The eight-part test series, or run, will steadily bring the core stage flight hardware, or new, 'green' hardware, to life for the first time. The test series cumulates with a 'hot fire' as all four RS-25 engines fire simultaneously.
This article
[Space.com] briefly describes the Green Run testing series.
Orion spacecraft
Orion Spacecraft
[Wikipedia]
Orion (Orion MPCV) is a class of partially reusable space capsules to be used in NASA's human spaceflight programs, including Artemis.
Orion cockpit designed with crew in mind for Artemis missions to deep space
[Nasa.gov - July 15, 2020]
NASA's Orion spacecraft will carry astronauts from Earth on their journeys to the Moon, and Orion's design team is considering every detail about living and working inside the spacecraft.
Human Landing System
Human Landing System
[Wikipedia]
The Human Landing System will culminate in crewed demonstration missions to the lunar surface beginning with the Artemis 3 mission in 2024.
Starship HLS
[Wikipedia]
Starship HLS is a lunar lander variant of the Starship second stage and spaceship that has been being privately developed by SpaceX since the mid-2010s, and was selected by NASA in April 2021 to be developed under contract as the Artemis HLS.
Starship to land NASA astronauts on the Moon
[SpaceX]
Flying between lunar orbit and the surface of the Moon, Starship will carry crew and all of the supplies, equipment, and science payloads needed for extensive surface exploration.
Gateway space station
Gateway: In lunar orbit
[NASA]
The Gateway will be an outpost orbiting the Moon that provides vital support for a sustainable, long-term human return to the lunar surface, as well as a staging point for deep space exploration. It is a critical component of NASA's Artemis program.
Lunar Gateway
[Wikipedia]
The lunar Gateway, or simply Gateway, is a planned small space station in lunar orbit intended to serve as a solar-powered communication hub, science laboratory, short-term habitation module, and holding area for rovers and other robots.
Dragon XL
[Wikipedia]
On 27 March 2020, SpaceX revealed the Dragon XL resupply spacecraft designed to carry pressurized and unpressurized cargo, experiments and other supplies to NASA's planned Gateway under a NASA Gateway Logistics Services (GLS) contract.
Lunar Exploration
Artemis Lunar Exploration Program Overview - September 2020
[NASA]
Read NASA's Artemis Lunar Exploration Program Overview PDF (35MB).
NASA Seeks More Lunar Science, Technology Experiments for Artemis Program
[NASA]
With five robotic flights to the Moon already booked through 2023, and a sixth award expected soon, NASA is seeking suites of new science investigations and technology experiments for future commercial lunar deliveries as part of the Artemis program.
Artemis Accords
[Wikipedia]
The Artemis Accords are an international agreement between governments of participating nations in the Artemis program on the principles for cooperation in the civil exploration and use of the Moon, Mars, comets, and asteroids for peaceful purposes, and is grounded in the Outer Space Treaty of 1967. The Accords were signed on October 13, 2020 by the directors of eight national space agencies: United States, Australia, Canada, Japan, Luxembourg, Italy, the United Kingdom, and the United Arab Emirates. Ukraine signed it later in 2020.
Ground Systems
Exloration Ground Systems
[NASA]
NASA's page concerning the Artemis Program launch and ground systems.
Artemis & Marshall Space Flight Center
[NASA]
Artemis relies on the expertise and capabilities of NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama.
Space suits
Suit Up: NASA's Artemis generation space suits
[NASA]
NASA resource page about Artemis generation space suits.
A Next Generation Spacesuit for the Artemis Generation of Astronauts
[NASA]
The new suit that will be worn on Artemis missions is called the Exploration Extravehicular Mobility Unit, or xEMU for short. Its history is a tale of engineering evolution, traced all the way back to the Mercury space suits that were, themselves, upgraded Navy high-altitude flight suits. Here's a rundown of the 21st century upgrades for the suit that the next moonwalkers will wear on Artemis missions.
From Mercury to Artemis: The evolution of the spacesuit in photos
[NBCnews.com]
Here's a look back at the suits that keep brave space explorers alive in challenging circumstances and how they've changed from mission to mission.
Space suits
[Wikipedia]
A space suit or spacesuit is a garment worn to keep a human alive in the harsh environment of outer space, vacuum and temperature extremes. Space suits are often worn inside spacecraft as a safety precaution in case of loss of cabin pressure, and are necessary for extravehicular activity (EVA), work done outside spacecraft.
Z series space suits
[Wikipedia]
The Z series is a series of prototype extra-vehicular activity (EVA) space suits being developed in the Advanced Extravehicular Mobility Unit (AEMU) project under NASA's Advanced Exploration Systems (AES) program. The suits are being designed to be used for both micro-gravity and planetary EVAs.
Contractors & Partners
Northrop Grumman
[NorthropGrumman.com]
Space Launch System Boosters, Booster Separation Motor, Orion Spacecraft Launch Abort Motor, Orion Spacecraft Attitude Control Motor, Habitat and Logistics Outpost.
Lockheed Martin
[LockheedMartin.com]
Orion Spacecraft.
Boeing
[Boeing.com]
Space Launch System core stage.
SpaceX
[SpaceX.com]
Starship HLS, Dragon XL.
Artemis Partners
[NASA]
List, information and partner location map.
Misc.
Astronauts
[Wikipedia]
On 10 January 2020, NASA's 22nd astronaut group, nicknamed the "Turtles", graduated and were assigned to the Artemis program
BOOK - After LM: NASA Lunar Lander Concepts Beyond Apollo
[TheSpacereview.com]