A NASA is preparing the first of three Artemis mission flights, which marks the return of humans to the Moon. This week, one of the “crewmen” of the venture was defined, and he is not a person, but Shaun the Sheep – a plush toy that will accompany the unmanned Orion capsule, expected to be launched on August 29.
Shaun is a ram from a European play-dough series of the same name, and the announcement of his participation in the mission was made by ESA (European Space Agency), which created a service module for the Artemis I mission. In Brazil, the animation of the carneiro was broadcast by TV Cultura, in São Paulo, in addition to being available on streaming.
“While it may be a small step for humanity, it’s a big step for sheep,” said David Parker, ESA’s director of robotics and human exploration, in a humorous statement from the agency. Parker alludes to the quote by American astronaut Neil Armstrong when he set foot on the moon in 1969.
Jokes aside, it is common for space agencies to use items from popular culture to try to bring the public closer to these missions. In the case of Shaun, the choice of plush is related to the 15th anniversary of the TV series, celebrated this year.
Shaun the Aries on an experimental flight in 2019 to see how he fares in microgravity
Image: ESA/Aardman
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In addition to Shaun, it is expected that a pelucia to Snoopy and four Lego characters participate in the quest. The idea is that they serve as a zero-gravity indicator on the aircraft for scientists following the mission from Earth.
Artemis I Mission
The Artemis I Quest will not feature humans. NASA’s Orion capsule will be launched by the SLS rocket, considered the most powerful in the world.
The capsule will orbit the Moon for a few weeks to test technologies, hardware and systems. Then it will return to Earth, so that scientists can ensure it can land safely in the ocean, preserving future human crew.
To test the impact, the US space agency will also include a dummy to understand in detail how the mission will return.
Next steps
If all goes well, there will be the Artemis II mission, scheduled for 2024. In it, it should have human crew members who will follow the same route as Artemis 1.
Finally, in 2025, it should have the Artemis III mission, whose objective is to “alunise” (land on the Moon) the first black man and the first woman on the Moon.
*With reporting by Marcella Duarte
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![This is the table of pension payments from August 2022. See what your benefit will be after the changes [7.08.22]](https://d-art.ppstatic.pl/kadry/k/r/1/8e/0a/62e4cdfe6daee_o_original.jpg "This is the table of pension payments from August 2022. See what your benefit will be after the changes [7.08.22]")
