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Robert D. Cabana / NASA/Bill Ingalls /
Grzegorz Jasiński: As a guest of the European Rover Challenge, you will talk about the Artemida program. So I would like to ask how important the return to the moon program is for NASA at the moment. Is it still realistic to say that humans will land on the moon in 2024-25?
Robert Cabana: The Artemis program is extremely important to NASA. This program will allow us to return to the moon in a sustainable way, not on a two- or three-day camping trip like in the days of Apollo. We implement this program in cooperation with our international and commercial partners. We are going back to the moon to learn what is necessary to finally go to Mars. The Artemis program is crucial to the success of this endeavor. When are we returning? In fact, it is faster than in 2024-25, because we are planning a manned flight around the Moon, but without landing, for 2023. However, before the end of this year, and at the latest at the beginning of the next year, the Artemis 1 mission will be launched, which will be the first test of the system starter with an Orion capsule, but without a crew. This will allow you to check all the systems and make sure everything is working properly before we ship this vehicle around the moon with a crew in 2023. Will we land in 2024? This is still our goal. However, this is a difficult, demanding endeavor, for which we need the right lander and the right space suits for astronauts to be safely on the lunar surface and walk on it. We are working with great commitment to announce the contest for the lander and suits as soon as possible. 2024 is still our goal, possibly a bit later. But I announce that we will be near the Moon in 2023.
How important is international cooperation and cooperation with commercial entities for the success of the Artemida program?
international project, in cooperation with the European Space Agency ESA. They build modules, the USA build modules. This station will be manned while crews are working near the moon. This cooperation is very important. We work with our commercial partners on matters related to Gateway procurement and the construction of the lander. I would like to emphasize that the International Space Station is an example of extraordinary cooperation in space. We have the United States , Russia , Canada, Japan, the European Space Agency and other partners there, and regardless of all the differences here on Earth, we are able to work there in full unity. Let us remind you that people who are not more than 21 years old have never witnessed a time when there was no working crew in orbit of the Earth. From November 2020, we have a permanent human presence there. If you think about it, it’s really amazing. We work great together there. This is an excellent model for the times when we will be moving from the Earth’s orbit to the area of the Moon, and finally to the Moon itself, and then to Mars.
And the commercial aspect of this collaboration?
International Space Station we use cooperation with commercial partners in the transport of crews and supplies. In the case of supplying Gateway stations, we will cooperate with them in the logistics of lunar missions. At the moment, we are working together on the lander. This is the future.
How large is the group of NASA astronauts preparing for this special mission to the moon?
Do we need any more technological breakthroughs until we return to the moon and establish a permanent presence there? Is it just a matter of time, money and commitment now?
International Space Station to confirm the operation of some of the systems we need to maintain a permanent presence on the lunar surface. We are committed to using local raw materials. Essential to the mission to the south pole of the moon is that there is a lot of water ice there. Water is hydrogen and oxygen, and therefore fuel and oxygen to breathe, so we wouldn’t have to take everything with us. In order to survive there, these resources must be mined locally. It is very important. We also need to build a new rover that will be able to work on the moon for, say, 10 years. Such a sealed rover that will allow the crew to live on board while traversing the surface of the Silver Globe. It must be electrically powered, it must be able to recharge the battery, it must be able to work on the moon for up to 15 years. It is crucial to build systems that are so reliable, so long-lasting, that they shelter the crew. Sending people to the moon or Mars, keeping them there for long periods of time, is really hard. You need a pressurized room, breathing air, a carbon dioxide removal system, food, waste protection. Robotic missions are much simpler, and they also pose great challenges, not only on the moon. Let’s see how much we have achieved on Mars. The Perseverance rover has already taken the first samples, one day we will bring them to Earth. We managed to land a device that weighs a ton. Everything that led up to this is exceedingly complicated. The analyzes I have seen indicate that we must have about 18 tons of supplies and equipment on the surface of Mars before we can send humans. This is all it takes to keep them safe there. Another thing is transport. We are counting on some technological breakthroughs in drive technology . At the moment, when the propulsion is chemical in nature, it must take 1.5 to 2 years to travel to Mars. It takes 8-9 months to get there, another 8-9 months to stay afloat before the planets settle back well again, then 8-9 months to travel back to Earth. The challenges are enormous. But it is critical to our future. Exploration is our destiny. It is important that we are in the solar system also outside our home planet. When I was a rookie astronaut, I worked for John Young. He was my hero. He flew the first Gemini vehicle with Gus Grissom, walked the moon, flew on the first space shuttle mission. He always said that species that only live on one planet have no chance of survival. At some point there will be a catastrophe there, like the one that killed the dinosaurs. Therefore, we must be ready to leave our planet. I hope it never comes to that, but we should be prepared for it.
So how long will it be from the moment NASA returns to the moon permanently to the first manned expedition to Mars?
Thank you very much. Good luck with the entire mission carried out by NASA.
world , is excellent in what they learn, what they are able to do. I am not afraid of the future. When I talk to young people about their projects and what they are able to achieve, I think our situation is very good, our future is very good.
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Inviting NASA’s deputy head Robert Cabana to the European Rover Challenge was possible thanks to the support of the US Consulate General in Krakow, which has for years been running programs and exhibitions popularizing American space achievements, which are passionate about the young generation of Poles and not only, from inspiring meetings with astronauts to photo presentations and lectures American experts and diplomats. The ERC2021 edition received financial support from the Consulate. On September 10, a photo exhibition will open to explore the Artemis program to resend a manned mission to the moon and the Perseverance rover mission to Mars. US Consul in Krakow Amy Monsarrat, with a past working at NASA as an astrophysicist, will open this exhibition at 2 p.m.
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