NeilArmstrong grabbed control of the Apollo moon landers at only 1,600 feet above the moon's surface. The legendary pilot had to steer away from the field because of the computer guidance. A gauge showed that the module would soon run out of fuel.
In the summer of 1969 the moon was touched down and walked on by two men. Five more Apollo missions would land on the lunar surface over the next few years. NASA wants to return astronauts to the moon as early as 2025. The space agency rolled its new megarocket to the launchpad in preparation for its first test launch.
The landing of people on the moon is still very ambitious.
Csaba Palotai, the program chair of space sciences at the Florida Institute of Technology, said that just because we went there 50 years ago does not make it a trivial endeavor.
"It is challenging — like a lot of the things we do."
NASA has already selected the space exploration company to build its first moon lander, and recently asked other companies to propose more landers. The challenges ahead will be daunting, but surmountable.
It is challenging, like a lot of the things we do, according to Tom Percy, a lead Human Landing System engineer at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center.
NASA astronaut Buzz Aldrin stands in front of the Apollo 11 Lunar Module in 1969. Credit: NASA / JSC
The atmosphere is used to slow down when a spaceship lands on Earth. The International Space Station is in the far outskirts of Earth's atmosphere. Slowing down depends on firing out bounties of propellent.
Palotai explained that there is no atmosphere so we cannot float down.
This gives astronauts smaller margins for error. The propellant is limited. NASA provides enough fuel to tackle unexpected things, like a crucial flight correction. The mission can not afford any major accidents.
Palotai said it was a one-shot thing.
An artist's conception of an Artemis astronaut stepping onto the lunar surface. Credit: NASA
Planes and other craft rely on the U.S. government's satellite navigation system to provide precise landing coordinates. There is no satellite network encircling the moon.
"GPS doesn't work at the moon," said NASA's Percy.
NASA must navigate the same way they did fifty years ago. They will rely on the lunar landers computers to calculate how to stay on course for a landing spot on the moon. If the system makes an error, astronauts will have the ability to take control of the craft.
Today's astronauts will have more help as they make their final approach. This modern technology uses a camera to map the ground during the descent. It will help the landers avoid craters and boulders, and ensure astronauts are headed to the right place.
There is a good chance that you will have a bad day if you accidentally land on a boulder.
An example, from an aerial view of the Mohave Desert, of how NASA's lunar "terrain relative navigation" will work. The technology matches camera images to known satellite images of the lunar surface. Credit: Draper / NASA
The Apollo astronauts landed on the sunlit side of the moon. The astronauts will land in a crater at the lunar south pole on the Artemis mission. Planetary scientists suspect ice and other valuable resources are located in this dark region.
There is no sun overhead. It can cast long shadows over the ground when it is near the horizon. The long shadows make it difficult to see what the surface looks like.
It will be a different environment than what astronauts experienced with Apollo.
In preparation for astronaut training, divers at NASA's Johnson Space Center simulate the dark environments in the lunar south pole.. Credit: NASA / Johnson Space Center
NASA astronauts have traveled to the moon. That was a long time ago. The moon is still in its infancy. Palotai said that NASA plans to colonize our cratered satellite.
"We're still in the infancy of exploring the moon."
It is difficult to land on shadowy ground without the help of an atmosphere. The space agency is preparing for a lot of moon landings. The world will be fascinated by these endeavors, starting with a thundering blast-off from the Florida coast.
Palotai said thatApollo inspired a generation of people to do something in science.
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