JawaPos.com – NASA targets to launch the Artemis 1 mission to the moon after the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket refueling test was carried out on June 20, 2022. In an interview with Ars Technica, Jim Free, associate administrator with NASA’s Exploration Systems Development program, said his team was preparing for the launch of Artemis 1 on August 23 through September 6.
Regarding the development of the mission, there is something unique. The latest report says that NASA will conduct a test flight accompanied by a Shaun The Sheep figurehead to the moon. On Tuesday (9/8), the European Space Agency (ESA) announced that Shaun would join the unmanned mission.
With the announcement, this sheep cartoon character will technically become the first ESA astronaut to participate in the Artemis program. “This is an exciting time for Shaun and for us at ESA,” said David Parker, ESA’s Director of Human and Robotic Exploration.
As noted above, following the next-generation SLS rocket refueling test, NASA said Artemis 1 could launch no later than August 23. The mission will send the agency’s Orion spacecraft as well as Shaun the sheep and Commander Moonikin Campos on a journey beyond the moon.
If all goes according to plan, the capsule will return to Earth after spending 39 to 42 days in space. “The spacecraft will fly across the moon, use the moon’s gravity to gain speed and propel itself 70,000 km beyond the moon, nearly half a million km from Earth, farther than humans have ever traveled,” Parker continued.
Flying into space with dolls is not the first time this has happened. Previously, there was Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin who also flew with a small doll with him on the first human spaceflight.
This then seems to be a tradition for space crews to bring their favorite toys on missions. In fact, several unmanned flights, Shaun the sheep also reportedly took part in the exercise.
–
