After several failed attempts, the launch of Artemis 1 to the Moon was completed. The shocking images
After a few tries, the third time was the charm. Artemis 1, the first mission of the space program from the United States to return to the Moon 50 years after the Apollo era it is already a reality.
Finally, the sls rocket (Space Launch System Rocket) de la NASA, el most powerful in the worldtook off in the early hours of this Wednesday, November 16, from Florida towards the Moon, in the first uncrewed mission of the Artemis program of the US space agency.
The rocket rose into the night sky like a gigantic ball of fire at 1:47 a.m. (local time; 3:47 a.m. in Argentina) from the Kennedy Space Center in front of hundreds of spectators who had gathered at the scene.
The Artemis 1 mission to the Moon
The mission Artemis 1 It is scheduled to last 25 days and several delicate stages still await him.
Fifty years after the last Apollo mission, this unmanned test flightwhat will fly over the moon without landing on its surface, it seeks to confirm whether the vehicle is safe to carry a future crew.
This release marks the grand beginning of the Artemis program, who wants to send the first woman and the first black person to the moon. In addition, the objective is to establish there a enduring human presenceas preparing for a trip to mars.
“What an incredible sight to see the SLS rocket and spacecraft take off together for the first time,” he said. Bill Nelsonthe director of NASA.
He added: “We are going back to the Moon to learn how to live on the Moon and prepare to send humans to Mars. The Moon is only a few days away, and we are seeing through the James Webb telescope how vast the universe is.”
“Artemis travels to the Moon! Congratulations to the incredible team that has brought us to this moment”, Nelson posted on his Twitter account, just moments after takeoff.
The launch of Artemis 1
As in the two previous failed attempts, this time NASA had difficulties filling the rocket with cryogenic fuel (more than 2.7 million liters of liquid hydrogen and oxygen).
In the afternoon, a highly flammable hydrogen fuel leak was detected at the base of the rocket, forcing a team of technicians to be sent to the launch pad to repair it. stopping the preparations for about an hour and causing a slight delay in the original takeoff schedule.
The first attempt takeoff a few months ago was canceled at the last moment due to a faulty sensorand the second by a hydrogen leak.
Following these technical problems, two hurricanes -Ian and then Nicole- forced to postpone the takeoff several weeks.
This Wednesday, immediately after takeoff, the teams from the control center in Houston (Texas) took over. After two minutes, the two white boosters fell back into the Atlantic.
After eight minutes, the main floor separated in turn.. Then, approximately an hour and a half after liftoff, a final boost from the upper stage will put the Orion capsule en route to the moon which will arrive in a few days.
There, it will be placed in a distant orbit for about a week, venturing as far 64,000 kilometers behind our natural satellitea record for a habitable capsule.
Finally, Orion will begin its return to Earthtesting his heat shield, the largest ever built. When crossing the atmosphere it will have to endure temperatures half as hot as the surface of the Sun.
Landing in the Pacific Ocean is planned for the December 11.
With information from AFP.
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