New Delhi: NASA and Blue Origin have begun a new phase of astronaut training for the Artemis programme with the arrival of a full-scale Blue Moon Mark
2 crew cabin prototype at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. The mock-up, which is over 15 feet tall, will aid astronauts and mission teams in preparing for the moon landing planned later this decade.
As NASA plans to send people back to the moon, the training cabin will be used for simulations, spacesuit checks, mission control coordination and moonwalk rehearsals. The simulator is a component of preparations for Artemis missions that would put a long-term human presence on the Moon and eventually on Mars.
Blue Moon lander to support future Artemis missions
The company is designing the Blue Moon Mark 2 lander for NASA’s Human Landing System programme. The spacecraft will be used to carry astronauts from lunar orbit to the Moon’s surface and back. The rocket, named New Glenn, will be built by Blue Origin, which will then transfer the lander to NASA’s Orion spacecraft for docking in lunar orbit.
Two astronauts will enter the Blue Moon lander from Orion for the mission to the moon, and the other astronauts will remain in orbit, NASA said. The astronauts, who are staying on the Moon, will depart from there in the same lander and head back to Orion.
The actual lander for Blue Moon will be approximately 52 feet high. It will have a crew cabin near the base of the vehicle that will become the home and workspace for astronauts performing surface missions. NASA attributed the development of the system to Blue Origin, along with agency engineers and mission planners.
Training simulator designed for human testing
The new prototype is delivered with both interior and exterior access, such as a ladder for use during the astronaut’s lunar surface activity. Inside the capsule, NASA and Blue Origin teams will conduct “human-in-the-loop” tests that will examine how the astronauts move inside the capsule, communicate with one another, and operate.
The simulator will slowly transition to become an interactive and more complex integrated training system, according to NASA. Additional enhancements will allow for more realistic mission simulations with astronauts and ground flight control teams.
The agency also said that tests will yield feedback that will assist Blue Origin to design the lander before flights begin.
Artemis missions continue toward Moon return
NASA is getting ready for the Artemis III mission, which will include testing of key systems in Earth orbit, including the docking of commercial lunar landers from both Blue Origin and SpaceX. A variety of life support systems, communications technology, propulsion systems and next-generation spacesuits will also be evaluated during the mission.
After Artemis III, NASA will then conduct Artemis IV and Artemis V missions in 2028 that are projected to return astronauts to the Moon with commercial landing systems. The missions will increase NASA’s scientific knowledge of the lunar surface and serve as building blocks for future human exploration of Mars, NASA says.
