Have you ever dwelled upon the stars at night? Seeing the dark blue space filled with stars. Since humanity began, we often dwell upon the stars, thinking about what is beyond Earth. From creating math equations to creating distinct technologies and theorems all bring humanity one step closer. On July 21st, 1969, after dreams, hopes, and relentless hard work, Neil Armstrong first stepped on the Moon.

After the first touch on the Moon, humanity’s direction in the multi-planetary world shifted from going to the Moon, to going to Mars. This was supported by sci-fi books, movies, and celebrities most famously being Elon Musk. Because of the astonishing work of NASA(National Aeronautics and Space Administration), we have sent rovers to Mars, most recently, the Perseverance rover. Due to this, most people lost focus on going to the Moon.

Last year, NASA announced their refocus on the Moon through their project with a new mission, Artemis. Artemis is a mission to explore more of the adventurous, scientific things on Mars, try to build a base, land more people, and set the stage for more multi-planetary missions. According to NASA, the plans for the Artemis mission will be setting a base on the Moon: which can help us to learn and discover more things about space.

According to insights from NASA, there will be 6 parts to the Artemis mission. The first will be the Orion Spacecraft itself which will carry astronauts from Earth to lunar orbit and back. The second step is actually putting the Orion Spacecraft into space. To do this NASA will need to use the most powerful launch vehicle, the SLS. The SLS(Space Launch System) Rocket will be known as the most powerful rocket in the world. For the astronauts’ crew and the rocket to navigate through this vast space, an exploration ground system will be needed. This is where the third step comes in, where the sharpest minds of NASA will come together to help the astronauts navigate. The fourth Step is one of the most challenging parts of this mission, Gateway. Gateway is when the astronauts will be transferred from the Orion spacecraft into step 5, the Human Landing System. Gateway will remain in orbit for more than a decade, helping astronauts and future star dwellers to get to the Moon. Using the Human Landing System will also be challenging, as it will help touchdown astronauts to the Moon. After the crew touchdown, step 6 begins, where they will create a base for future studies and missions to other planets, most arguably Mars.

Last month, after many malfunctions on the Artemis mission, countdown began, at the Kennedy Space Center, November 16th, 2022, at 1:47 am eastern time. As the SLS rocket blazed through the night sky, it mesmerized star dwellers from all across the world, bringing them together for this moment. From this, the Artemis 1 launch put the Orion Spacecraft into Space, bringing it one step closer to reaching the moon once again. To see what Orion has captured: go to Orion NASA.