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NASA Begins Moonwalk Training for Artemis Lunar Missions

If all the pieces of the puzzle fall into place, in 2024 humanity will return to the Moon. Artemis III is how the mission is called, and it will transport onboard the Orion spacecraft the male and female astronauts who will be tasked with once again setting foot on the satellite.
NASA Begins Moonwalk Training 4 photos
Photo: NASA
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If you think about it, 2024 is not that far away, so NASA really needs to step things up. While on one front it is fighting to get the Space Launch System rocket and the Orion capsule ready for flight, there are also on-the-ground activities to think about.

Last week, NASA announced the start of the early-stages moonwalk training for astronauts. Using the famous Neutral Buoyancy Lab (NBL) at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, engineers have already begun – using a demonstration version of the brand new spacesuits to be used by the astronauts – testing the tools and developing the training techniques.

That essentially means that before teaching astronauts what to do on the Moon, NASA first has to find out what it needs to be teaching them.

“This early testing will help determine the best complement of facilities for hardware development and requirements for future Artemis training and missions,” said in a statement Daren Welsh, extravehicular activity test lead for these Artemis preparation test runs.

“At the same time, we are going to be able to gather valuable feedback on spacewalk tools and procedures that will help inform some of the objectives for the missions.”

It’s very likely that once on the surface astronauts will have to go down an up ladders, pick up soil samples, swing hammers and use a variety of other tools, walk on the moon and, of course, plant another American flag on the surface.

The Artemis lunar program has 4 missions planned for the immediate future. Artemis I will launch for the Moon in 2021, uncrewed, Artemis II will just circle it with people on board in 2023, and Artemis III is the one when the actual landing will take place. Artemis IV and the subsequent missions will also be able to dock with the Lunar space station NASA calls Gateway.
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About the author: Daniel Patrascu
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Daniel loves writing (or so he claims), and he uses this skill to offer readers a "behind the scenes" look at the automotive industry. He also enjoys talking about space exploration and robots, because in his view the only way forward for humanity is away from this planet, in metal bodies.
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