NASA has yet to send the rocket that will transport men to the moon and the crew to explore the lunar surface. That’s going to be part of the Artemis mission.
It has already determined where the astronauts would land on the moon. Read out below to find out the exclusive details.
Next Moon Landing Unveiled by NASA
NASA revealed on August 19 that it had chosen 13 probable sites on the moon’s South Pole. That’s where ice is in permanently shadowed craters. That’s quite incredible.
The initial crewed lunar landing (since the final Apollo mission in 1972) is now planned for as early as 2025, making it the first human mission to land on the moon in around 50 years!
Mark Kirasich is NASA’s deputy associate administrator for the Artemis campaign development division. He released a statement:
Selecting these regions means we are one giant leap closer to returning humans to the moon for the first time since Apollo; […] it will be unlike any mission that’s come before as astronauts venture into dark areas previously unexplored by humand and lay the groundwork for future long-term stays.
Mission Insights
NASA had already declared its intention to visit the lunar South Pole. But according to previous statements, the particular locations, which are all within six degrees of latitude of the South Pole, were picked because they offer secure landing areas.
Moreover, those areas are also close enough to permanently shadowed regions to enable the crew to perform a moonwalk during their six-and-a-half-day stay. In doing so, astronauts could ‘collect samples and undertake a scientific investigation in an unspoiled location, generating crucial data regarding the distribution, depth, and composition of water ice verified at the moon’s South Pole.
More interestingly, the equatorial parts of the moon have extensive periods of sunshine lasting up to two weeks. How great is that? Back in the day, the Apollo missions visited those regions.
More details will be unveiled soon!