Science and research
02/08/2022 1512 views 33 likes
A specially trained woolly astronaut, Shaun the sheep, was given a place on the Artemis I mission to the moon. Sean’s assignment was announced by ESA’s Director of Human and Robotic Research Dr. David Parker.
David Parker said: “Sean’s mission completes the first phase for the newest members of our astronaut corps, with Italian ESA astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti currently on the International Space Station on her second space flight, Danish ESA astronaut Andreas Mogensen, named for its second flight and before we introduce our new 2021 callout astronauts later this year.”
“This is an exciting time for Sean and for us at ESA. We are very happy that he has been chosen for the mission and understand that while that may be one small step for a human, it is one giant leap for a lamb,” added David Parker.
Sean will fly on the Artemis I mission, which will be the first flight of NASA’s Orion spacecraft with ESA’s European Service Module scheduled to orbit the Moon and back. This mission does not carry a human crew, but instead will be operated from the ground with its woolly specialist as a passenger.
Sean with a model of the Artemis I mission’s Orion spacecraft and its European Service Module
Orion and its European Service Module will be launched by the Space Launch System from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, USA. The spacecraft will enter low Earth orbit before the rocket’s upper stage fires to take it into translunar orbit.
The spacecraft will perform a flyby of the moon, using the moon’s gravity to gain speed and travel 70,000 km beyond the moon, almost half a million kilometers from Earth – farther than any human or sheep has ever traveled.
In preparation for this flight, Sean began an astronaut training and familiarization program with the Orion spacecraft and its European Service Module in 2020, traveling to various locations in Europe and the US to see various aspects of the mission. This training was documented and will be presented in a series of ESA blog posts leading up to the launch.
With a great passion for exploration, Sean flies the special Airbus ‘Zero G’ A310 aircraft during one of his parabolic flights, which recreates the ‘weightlessness’ conditions similar to those in space.
Under the supervision of an ESA team, this flight prepared Shaun for his role as a space traveler in his film A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon, released in 2019. It offered insight into the rigorous training that all astronauts undertake to prepare space flight, which he will now experience for real.
Lucy Wendover, Marketing Director at Aardman, said: “Aardman is thrilled to join ESA in making history by launching the first ‘sheep’ into space. As one of the first astronauts to fly on the Artemis mission, Shaun leads the way in lunar exploration, a great honor for our furry adventurer! 2022 marks 15 years since Shaun’s first TV series, so what better way to celebrate than by traveling further than any sheep has ever done.”
Follow Shaun’s Artemis I training and preparations for the first flight of a European Service Module to the Moon here.
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