If everything goes well, humans will return to the moon todayafter more than 50 years without manned trips to our satellite. The Artemis II mission has a two-hour launch window, which will begin at 6:24 p.m. local time in Florida (00:24 a.m. PST). Before that launch the countdown will take place. But not the typical 10-second countdown that comes to mind, but a much longer one that has, in fact, already started. During the 50 hours that the countdown lasts, each of the factors that could make it necessary to postpone the launch are analyzed point by point. Only if everything is fine or can be solved at the moment will we finally see this mission begin, which breaks records and barriers in many ways.
Who. The crew of Artemis II They will be very different from those of the Apollo missions. Although all of them were crewed by three white American men, this time there will be more variety. The four astronauts who will go aboard the Orion capsule are Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen. The last three will be the ones that will make the difference, since Glover and Koch will potentially be the first black person and the first woman to travel to the Moon and Hansen the first Canadian to leave Earth’s orbit.
The Artemis II crew will be pioneers in many ways
So that. Artemis II will not land on the lunar surface. That will be the goal of Artemis III. However, its 10-day trip will include a flyby to the Moon, in which key systems, such as life support, navigation and communications, will be tested. Photographs will also be taken of the hidden side of the Moon, in order to analyze its geology. and other data of scientific interest. Meanwhile, astronauts will carry sensors that will help verify the alterations that their biological parameters experience in space.
The countdown. While it is true that the true countdown lasts 10 minutes, during the 50 hours prior to launch There is a very well established testing and preparation schedule. It all starts with preparing the fuel loading systems and powering up the ship. Other important key points are, for example, the ignition of the batteries, which occurs 33 hours before or the cooling and subsequent filling of the various fuel charging and propulsion systems. These steps are taken starting 10 hours before launch. Also very important is the flight crew’s weather briefing, which takes place 6 hours before the rocket is launched.
The real countdown. During the last 10 minutes, very sensitive tasks for the launch are carried out. Above all, in this countdown the last checks are made to all the systems and the refueling of the fuel tanks is carried out. This means that the tank is refilled to the optimal level to replace the fuel that has evaporated during the filling stages. In these last minutes, the final pressurization of the tanks is also carried out and the rocket goes into internal energy mode. That is, it stops using energy from the terrestrial electrical system and uses only its batteries.
What can go wrong. Any minor detail that does not work properly during the 50 hours before launch could cause the mission to be postponed. The most sensitive points are, without a doubt, those that have to do with fuel. For example, many missions have been canceled when leaks were detected in the tanks that could not be solved at the time. Adverse weather could also force the launch to be delayed.
When. A launch cannot take place at any time. The Earth revolves around the Sun and the Moon orbits the Earth. In order for a rocket launched from Earth to follow a suitable trajectory towards the Moon, it is important that it be in a suitable orientation, taking into account their respective orbits. These specific moments are known as launch windows. Artemis II will have one of these windows today for two hours. If the launch could not be carried out due to any error, this month there will be several more opportunities, on April 2, 3, 6 and 30.
After takeoff. The first 8 minutes after takeoff are critical. The engines are working at maximum power to leave the Earth’s atmosphere and arrive, now, slowly. Above all there will be two critical ignitions in the rocket’s upper stage, known as ICPS. The first serves to stabilize the orbit and the second to take the rocket to high Earth orbit. It is important that these go well so that the mission can move forward. Once those critical 8 minutes have been passed, the mission will have a lot of flight ahead of it, but at least the most complicated part will have passed. Even so, still We will have 10 days to closely follow the work of these 4 astronauts which, of course, have already gone down in history.
Images | POT
In Xataka | Spanish technology in the return to the Moon: the system designed in Madrid that NASA will use in Artemis II
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