NASA: Astronauts Simulate Lunar Landing Scenarios

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is going all out to achieve the goal of human landing on the moon again. According to the plan, the Artemis III mission will be carried out in September 2026, which is the first time since 50 years ago that humans have walked on the moon.

Barbara Janoiko of Johnson Space Center said, "Field testing is critical to verify all systems, hardware and technologies required for lunar operations in the Artemis mission." Her team and the scientific team worked closely to ensure that astronauts were prepared for every step when returning to the moon.

In order to simulate the lunar walk, astronauts Kate Rubins and Andre Douglas, wearing simulated extravehicular activity suits and test equipment, conducted a week-long drill near Flagstaff, Arizona. The landform of this area is similar to the surface of the moon, and the landform of its volcanic desert is very similar.

The test covered many aspects, including the effectiveness of the communication protocol with the mission control center, the performance of the lunar walk using scientific and technological equipment, and the drilling of scientific activities such as geological sample collection.

The augmented reality helmet used in the test can provide navigation information to help astronauts maintain direction and find the lunar module again in an emergency. In addition, the communication program was simulated to enable astronauts and ground teams to collaborate remotely, obtain the most valuable geological samples and solve problems in real time.

During the one week test period, the astronauts carried out four "moon walks" and six technical demonstrations. According to the NASA press release, these activities are the fifth in a series of field tests and "the most similar simulation exercise to the Artemis moon landing mission so far".

It is worth mentioning that the goal of the Artemis III mission is to land in the Antarctic region, which is a new field that mankind has never set foot in. Scientists speculate that there may be water ice resources under the permanent shadow of the Antarctic, which is of great value in space exploration.

In the future, underwater simulation exercises will be carried out in the NASA neutral buoyancy laboratory in Houston, Texas.

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