On Monday, a rocket will blast off into lunar orbit as the first step in humanity’s spectacular return to the lunar surface.
But this isn’t just an exciting time for NASA. This time, the trip back to the moon is an international collaboration where Canadian technology and Canadian astronauts will make a clear mark in lunar history.
Canada is heading for the moon — and Monday is just the beginning.
In less than a decade, scientists hope to develop a space station called Lunar Gateway to serve as a springboard for travel to Mars and beyond, and Canada is developing a rover to explore the surface of the moon.
“The idea is to set up a base camp on the surface of the moon with an orbital space station to orbit the moon,” Orbax Thomas, a physics researcher at the University of Guelph, told CTV National News.
“This will allow scientists to do research and learn things from the moon in the hope that as we continue to expand into the lower regions of the universe and move toward establishing colonies in places like Mars, we have an opportunity to learn how to do that.” while we are relatively close to home.’
EXPLOSION
At the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, US, the mission, called Artemis I, will launch during a two-hour window on August 29, the first test of a series of space exploration systems that NASA and its partners have been working on for years.
Using the most powerful rocket humans have ever built, the unmanned Orion spacecraft will be sent into space to orbit the Moon to collect data and test the spacecraft’s capabilities.
Orion will only have dummies, but the spacecraft is designed to support humans, making this first test crucial for future missions.
Paul Delaney, a professor of physics and astronomy at York University, explained to CTV News Channel on Saturday that these dummies are “bristling with radiation detectors, ensuring that the deep space radiation exposure that the astronauts will experience is within what is expected.” borders.”
After the more than 300-foot-long spacecraft completes its 42-day mission in space, it will return to Earth, splashing in the ocean to test how future astronauts will get home.
If Artemis I is successful, it will soon be time for Artemis II, the first manned flight back to the Moon – when Canada’s role in lunar exploration begins to become crucial.
NEW CANADIAN, ROVER AND CANADIANS AROUND THE MOON
Artemis II, currently slated for 2024, will see a spacecraft carry four humans into orbit around the moon for the first time since 1972.
One of these astronauts will be from the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) and will be the first non-American astronaut to fly to the Moon. Canada will also become the second nation with an astronaut to walk on the moon.
It’s also guaranteed that a Canadian astronaut will be on another flight in the future to Gateway, the eventual space station that will orbit the moon.
Gateway will also be home to one of Canada’s greatest contributions to this stage of space exploration: the latest iteration of the iconic Canadarm.
In 1981, the first Canadarm made its space debut. These giant robotic arms were attached to the outside of the space shuttles and controlled by the astronauts in the shuttle, used to move objects in space that the astronauts otherwise could not.
The International Space Station (ISS) orbiting Earth currently hosts Canadarm 2, which is permanently mounted on the space station and can be controlled from Earth or by astronauts on the station.
The Canadarm 3 will actually be smaller and lighter than previous versions at 8.5 meters long, but is planned to boast artificial intelligence, six 4k cameras and other cutting-edge technology.
“This is the farthest Canadarm in space we’ve ever had,” Orbax said, noting that while the ISS is about 400 kilometers directly above us, Gateway will be 400,000 kilometers from Earth.
“And these will not only be moving objects helping the Orion shuttle onto the Gateway space station itself, but will actually be used to build the Gateway itself.”
The Canadarm 3’s ability to perform certain tasks unmanned will be critical to the functioning of the Gateway once it is built. The space station will not always be manned, and there will be regular intervals where Gateway will be completely out of communication with crews on Earth as its orbit takes it to the far side of the Moon.
According to the CSA, Canadarm 3 will even be able to conduct scientific experiments on its own while floating around the moon.
The Canadarm has always been one of Canada’s best-known contributions to space technology; Canada’s agreement to contribute Canadarm 3 to Gateway secured a seat for a Canadian astronaut on Artemis II.
Once Gateway is built, scientists will be able to shuttle back and forth between the lunar surface and the Gateway space station orbiting the moon.
And soon we will leave new footprints on the lunar surface. As early as 2025, Artemis III could carry a crew to the Moon itself.
This mission aims to land the first woman on the moon and the first person of color.
“NASA is going to make history,” Randy Lykans, general manager of NASA’s Enterprise Solutions, said at a news conference.
The return to the lunar surface will be followed by a first for Canada: a lunar rover.
In 2021, it was announced that a Canadian rover would land on the moon within the next five years as part of the lunar missions planned with NASA.
CSA has already selected two Canadian companies, MDA and Canadensys, to design rover concepts.
The goal is to create a rover capable of surviving the lunar night during a planned two-week mission. A night on the moon lasts 14 Earth days and conditions are extremely cold as well as completely dark, which presents a challenge for rovers.
The rover hopes to conduct a mission to the moon’s south pole to test scientific instruments to help regulate functions such as mobility, navigation and thermal management, information that could help us on future trips to Mars.
The deployment of missions, which begins Monday with Artemis I, is led by NASA, but includes contributions not only from the CSA, but also from the European Space Agency and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency.
Although this next step in space exploration begins with a return to the Moon, the goal is to prepare us to probe even deeper into space, with a lunar outpost as a starting point for future research and future space travel.
“Space, unlike anything else, unites us as humans,” Orbax said. “Whether you’re an academic, whether you’re a scientist, or whether you’re a citizen, everyone has looked up and had that wonder of ‘what’s going on up there in the universe above us?’
With files from Christina Tenalia
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