Artemis Moon Program

https://twitter.com/x/status/1600137514982920192
View: https://twitter.com/esaspaceflight/status/1600137514982920192


Return Transit Correction-4 complete. The European Service Module fired its reaction control system thrusters today at 11:43 CET (10:43 GMT) to fine-tune @NASA_Orion's return to Earth.
Just two more burns planned before splashdown on 11 December.

Artemis I short mission overview – Orion blog

News and updates on Europe's Service Module for NASA's Orion spacecraft and Artemis
blogs.esa.int blogs.esa.int
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Flyaway said:
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View: https://twitter.com/blueorigin/status/1600233901833695232


The National Team has submitted its proposal for NASA’s SLD program to help the US establish a sustained lunar presence. The National Team partners are @BlueOrigin, @LockheedMartin, @DraperLab, @Boeing, @Astrobotic, and @Honeybee_Ltd.

SLD National Team | Blue Origin

www.blueorigin.com www.blueorigin.com
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Sustaining Lunar Development

The National Team of Blue Origin, Lockheed Martin, Draper, Boeing, Astrobotic, and Honeybee Robotics is competing for a NASA Sustaining Lunar Development contract to develop a human landing system for the Artemis program. In partnership with NASA, this team will achieve sustained presence on the Moon.
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View: https://twitter.com/spcplcyonline/status/1600228326198677534


Joel Kearns, SMD Dep Assoc Admin for Expl, shows this chart to PAC re CLPS status. 8 CLPS missions + 3 selected science instruments. NASA doesn't think Masten will deliver so really only 7 active missions. Those instruments will be put on future missions.
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View: https://twitter.com/spcplcyonline/status/1600229264539910144


Kearns says NASA surprised by Masten's financial situation. Will do addl financial reviews before future selections, but hard to get independent financial info on small privately held companies like many of 13 CLPS providers. NASA now more "rigorous and invasive" asking for data.
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Flyaway said:
https://twitter.com/x/status/1600235077279313920
View: https://twitter.com/lockheedmartin/status/1600235077279313920


#Artemis is an inspiration to our world and the next generation of explorers. We are bringing our rich history of deep space exploration and human spaceflight to the National Team to develop a lander that will usher in the new, lunar economy.
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https://twitter.com/x/status/1600235783469744128
View: https://twitter.com/draperlab/status/1600235783469744128


Draper is ready to go back to the Moon! This time we will go with the National Team, led by Blue Origin and with teammates Astrobotic, Boeing, Honeybee Robotics and Lockheed Martin.
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twitter.com/boeingspace/status/1600236707281915906

The Moon holds a special place in humanity’s imagination. We are excited to help drive a new generation of exploration that will learn more about our cosmic neighbor and, ultimately, about all of us. The National Team's focus on teamwork will make the dream work for all.
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View: https://twitter.com/astrobotic/status/1600237902729924608


We’re heading to the Moon (again)! Astrobotic is continuing to make space accessible to the world by supporting the SLD National Team led by @blueorigin. We bring 15 years of focus and lunar experience with us – and a whole lot of #Pittsburgh & #Mojave grit! #ToTheMoon #Artemis
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Annotated version Moon mosaic I stitch from @NASA_Orion #Artemis1 images 1st lunar flyby orbiting over far side highlands near equator-FD6 21Nov2022.@NASA_Johnson kindly provide me crater names. Compare side by side my unlabeled orig mosaic.
Cred:NASA/JSC/Ken Kremer/SpaceUpClose
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https://twitter.com/x/status/1600502646435110912
View: https://twitter.com/ken_kremer/status/1600502646435110912
Orion's Optical Navigation Camera captured these stunning views of the lunar surface during our flyby on #Artemis flight day 20.
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View: https://twitter.com/nasa_orion/status/1600612809548636168
I particularly like this one with zero G Snoopy.
How much is that doggy in the window?

Don't worry! Snoopy is safely secured inside @NASA_Orion. But we just thought it'd be fun to imagine seeing him from the solar array wing camera.

Learn more about Snoopy's ride to deep space:
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View: https://twitter.com/LMSpace/status/1600606127284056064
 
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Here's some NASA supplied drone footage showing the survey of ML-1 shortly after Artemis-1 was launched:


I'd say given how long it will be before Artemis-2 flies NASA will have plenty of time to repair and make structural upgrades to ML-1.
 
Our big @NASA_Orion activity yesterday was the second propellant slosh test. Propellant motion is challenging to model because it moves differently in space, thanks to gravity. Engineers performed a test on day 8, and now again to compare against different levels of propellant.
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View: https://twitter.com/JimFree/status/1600947581215035392

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View: https://twitter.com/emrekelly/status/1600974671230668801


Artemis I briefing underway: NASA’s Sarafin says everything proceeding as planned for Dec. 11 entry and splashdown off the coast of California. USS Portland, deployed Wednesday, will pick up Orion.
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View: https://twitter.com/sciguyspace/status/1600974842173575187


Artemis I mission manager Mike Sarafin says engineers have seen some "degraded behavior" with a phased array antenna on the Crew Module. This is antenna no. 1. It is working, but has "low performance," causing some periodic communications dropouts.
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View: https://twitter.com/jeff_foust/status/1600985149285568512


Frieling says that they are tracking “only two” objects in orbit that come anywhere near Orion during reentry, but the probability of collision is “nearly zero”.
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View: https://twitter.com/sciguyspace/status/1600982544480178176


NASA's Jim Geffre said there have been 47 drop tests done of Orion's parachute system. "I think the risk has been characterized pretty well," he says.
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Flyaway said:
https://twitter.com/x/status/1600985149285568512
View: https://twitter.com/jeff_foust/status/1600985149285568512


Frieling says that they are tracking “only two” objects in orbit that come anywhere near Orion during reentry, but the probability of collision is “nearly zero”.
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https://twitter.com/x/status/1600982544480178176
View: https://twitter.com/sciguyspace/status/1600982544480178176


NASA's Jim Geffre said there have been 47 drop tests done of Orion's parachute system. "I think the risk has been characterized pretty well," he says.
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Fingers and toes crossed that the parachutes work as advertised on Sunday when Orion splashes down.
 
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View: https://twitter.com/jimfree/status/1601284552076529664


Overnight, flight controllers at @NASA_Johnson conducted a final survey of @NASA_Orion using the solar array cameras. We looked at the crew module, carefully examining the backshell that will protect the spacecraft from the cold of space and the extreme heat of re-entry.
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View: https://twitter.com/nasagroundsys/status/1601292981117784065


At 11:26 a.m. EST Friday, Dec. 9, @NASA's mobile launcher was safely secured inside the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at the agency's @NASAKennedy Space Center in Florida after a four-mile journey from Launch Pad 39B that began at 6:40 a.m. EST Thursday, Dec. 8.
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The CM interior cameras should have some interesting footage from during the reentry phase.
 
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View: https://twitter.com/nasa_orion/status/1601674353628057600


The truth is out there! Did you find the Easter Eggs inside Orion? Check your guesses here:
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www.nasa.gov

Hidden Messages Pay Tribute Inside NASA’s Artemis I Orion Spacecraft

There are several extras placed inside Orion’s cabin, from lasting tributes to colleagues, to nods to NASA’s Apollo history, and even puzzles with a hidden meaning, commonly known as “Easter eggs.”
www.nasa.gov www.nasa.gov

Dec 10, 2022

Hidden Messages Pay Tribute Inside NASA’s Artemis I Orion Spacecraft

While NASA’s Artemis I mission is uncrewed to give engineers an opportunity to test the Orion spacecraft in the harsh environment of deep space before astronauts begin flying to the Moon, the crew cabin is far from empty — data-collecting torsos and a manikin, deep space biology experiments, an official flight kit, a voice-activated technology demonstration, and a zero-gravity indicator, Snoopy, have all been along for the ride as the spacecraft ventured 270,000 miles from Earth. There are also several extras placed inside Orion’s cabin for other reasons, from lasting tributes to colleagues, to nods to NASA’s Apollo history, and even puzzles with a hidden meaning, commonly known as “Easter eggs.”

While many of the payloads aboard Orion will help NASA learn how to protect future astronauts and learn about the effects of deep space, and the flight kit items will help provide educational or cultural engagement, adding extras is a tradition that dates back to early space exploration.

Mementos and hidden messages have become a mainstay. On Voyager 1 and 2, The Golden Record on board contains sounds and images from Earth for potential distant spacefarers who might find the spacecraft. Mars rovers Opportunity and Spirit carried metal from the wreckage of the Twin Towers on 9/11, and Spirit also carried a memorial to the crew of the space shuttle Columbia. More recently, NASA’s Perseverance Rover carried a variety of objects, from commemorative placards to a binary puzzle designed into the parachute fabric.

For Artemis I, Orion has five hidden messages placed around the crew cabin:

An image of a cardinal above the window to the right of Orion’s pilot seat is a tribute to former Orion Program manager, Johnson Space Center director, and devout St. Louis Cardinals fan Mark Geyer, who died in 2021. Geyer was the first program manager for Orion, including during its successful Exploration Flight Test-1 in 2014, before leading Johnson.

Located above the Callisto voice-activated technology demonstration in the middle of the cabin, a morse code symbol for “Charlie” commemorates the life of former Orion Deputy Program Manager Charlie Lundquist, who died in 2020. Lundquist worked in the Orion Program between 2008 and his passing, playing an instrumental role in Orion’s development.

As a testament to Orion’s international partnership with ESA (European Space Agency), the country codes of each country that participated in developing and building the spacecraft’s European Service Module can be found directly in front of the pilot’s seat and below the Callisto payload. The countries include the United States, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, France, Belgium, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Spain, and The Netherlands.

On the starboard or right side of the spacecraft, next to the pilot seat and below one of the windows, are the letters “CBAGF.” Those familiar with reading music may recognize them as notes to the song “Fly Me to the Moon.” Frank Sinatra's 1964 version was associated with the Apollo missions to the Moon.

Binary code for the number 18 is located on the top of the pilot’s seat, to the right of the NASA worm logo. This is to honor NASA’s history of travel to the Moon with the Apollo Program and to celebrate a human spacecraft’s return to the Moon after Apollo 17 for the Artemis Generation.

Orion is set to splashdown in the Pacific Ocean on Sunday, Dec. 11. Artemis I is a mission testing the Orion spacecraft in the extreme environment of deep space around the Moon before flying astronauts on Artemis II. Through Artemis, NASA will land the first woman and first person of color on the lunar surface.

Erika Peters

NASA’s Johnson Space Center

Last Updated: Dec 10, 2022
Editor: Erika Peters
Tags: Artemis I, Orion Spacecraft
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https://twitter.com/x/status/1601904890304937986
View: https://twitter.com/esaspaceflight/status/1601904890304937986


#Artemis log, flight day 25, the last full day in space for @NASA_Orion and the European Service Module.
One of the last transit correction burns
Testing solar array wing temperatures
Ready for separation and splashdown tonight!
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Blog covering yesterday’s events and looking forward to events today:

Artemis I: flight day 25 – last full day – Orion blog

News and updates on Europe's Service Module for NASA's Orion spacecraft and Artemis
blogs.esa.int blogs.esa.int

ARTEMIS I: FLIGHT DAY 25 – LAST FULL DAY
11/12/2022

Flight day 25, 10 December, was the last full day in space for Orion and its European Service Module. Splashdown off the coast of Baja is set for 18:39 CET (17:39 GMT) on 11 December with the European Service Module separating from the spacecraft 40 minutes before and burning up harmlessly in the atmosphere.

Engineers conducted the last Artemis I flight test objective in space, measuring temperature on solar array wings that increase from engine exhaust gas. Once the European solar array wing was in position for the test, flight controllers fired the reaction control system thrusters using opposing thrusters simultaneously to minimise changing direction and speed but in a variety of firing patterns. Engineers will perform several additional flight test objectives after Orion splashes down in the water and before powering down the spacecraft.

The fifth return trajectory correction burn occurred at 21:32 CET (20:32 GMT). During the burn the auxiliary engines fired for 8 seconds, accelerating the spacecraft by 5.5 km/h (1.6 m/s) to ensure Orion is on course for splashdown. The sixth and final trajectory correction burn will take place about five hours before Orion enters Earth’s atmosphere, the last major operation for the European Service Module.

On Orion’s return to Earth, NASA’s Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS) will facilitate communications for the final return trajectory correction burn, spacecraft separation, reentry through the Earth’s atmosphere and splashdown. Shortly before the service module separates from the crew module, communication will be switched from NASA’s Deep Space Network to its Near Space Network for the remainder of the mission. Located in geosynchronous orbit about 35 400 km above Earth, TDRS are used to relay data from spacecraft at lower altitudes to ground antennas, including communications for the International Space Station.

During reentry, the intense heat generated as Orion encounters the atmosphere turns the air surrounding the capsule into plasma and briefly disrupts communication with the spacecraft. The same heat from reentry is what will incinerate the European Service Module, by design it is unprotected from these extreme temperatures and will not survive reentry.

Recovery

For the Orion crew capsule the mission continues 40 minutes longer than the European Service Module’s. The primary objective for the Artemis I mission is to safely splash down and recover the capsule. Recovery forces have arrived on location off the coast of Baja where they will stand by to greet the spacecraft after its reentry back into the atmosphere. On the ship, personnel are running through preparations and simulations to ensure the interagency landing and recovery team, led by NASA’s Exploration Ground Systems from Kennedy Space Center in Florida, USA, where the Artremis was launched almost a month ago now. The team consists of personnel and assets from the US Department of Defense, including Navy amphibious specialists and Space Force weather specialists, and engineers and technicians from Kennedy Space Center, Johnson Space Center in Houston, USA, and Lockheed Martin Space Operations.

Teams will recover Orion and attempt to recover hardware jettisoned during landing, including the forward bay cover and three main parachutes. A four-person team of engineers from Johnson will help get the ship as close as possible to Orion for a quick recovery. A secondary objective is to recover as many additional elements as possible for analysis later

Just after 21:00 CET (20:00 GMT) on 10 December Orion was 182 585 km from Earth and 385 330 km from the Moon, cruising at 5430 km/h.

Live coverage of Orion’s reentry and splashdown will begin at 17:00 CET (16:00 GMT). A post-splashdown briefing is scheduled for about 21:30 CET (20:30 GMT).
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