SpaceX Crew-4 astronauts have spoken Space station “The really exciting part of what we can do here is use the International Space Station,” NASA’s Jessica Watkins said at a news conference. [ISS] As a test for future investigation “.
According to SpaceX, research for the International Space Station is preparing for a great leap forward in space flight and for the return of humans to the moon for the first time since 1972.
The unmanned mission Artemis 1 will ensure launch and landing in lunar orbit as planned, NASA plans to send Artemis 2 around the moon with astronauts as early as 2024, so Artemis 3 is expected to land on the surface around 2025.
Watkins explained that much of the space station’s research is devoted to human health and developing technologies such as life support or growing plants to make sure they’re strong enough to withstand the Moon’s harsh environment.
“We are looking for ways to protect ourselves from some of the risks associated with this survey,” Watkins said. For example, plants will have to deal with very different soil types and low gravity, while plants and machines will have to deal with the intense radiation on the Moon.
“Radiation is one of the biggest factors to mitigate,” Watkins added, which is why Artemis 1 will have several sensors aboard the spacecraft to test and assess the environment.
Watkins also explained that placing the AstroRad radiation suit in Earth’s orbit and the Moon’s orbit at the same time would allow scientists to compare astronauts’ exposure to the International Space Station’s radiation to see how radiation spreads around Earth and beyond.
