(no audio) (upbeat music) - The Artemis program is led by NASA along with six partner agencies.

The goal is to return humans to the moon and establish a sustainable presence there, preparing us to develop the necessary skills for future missions to Mars.

It sounds like science fiction, but it's happening right now.

- We're starting to break the bonds from our home planet, just like we were breaking the bonds from gravity and being able to take flight.

- [Myrna] A new chapter in space exploration is about to unfold.

- The launch of Artemis 1 is a new beginning for discovery, for our country, for our species.

- We have this one single planet that we have.

What's beyond there?

Where else can we go?

Can we live on Mars?

- By establishing a sustainable presence on the moon and developing new technologies, Artemis is paving the way for future missions into deep space.

Get ready for liftoff.

It's time to go "Behind The Wings".

I'm Myrna James.

I'm a science journalist specializing in all things technology.

We're here at Wings Over The Rockies Air and Space Museum in Denver, Colorado.

Today, we're going into deep space with NASA's latest human exploration program, Artemis.

There's a lot to explore in this one, but before we dive into the Artemis program, let's take a look at how we got here.

- We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard.

- [Myrna] Apollo was the first ever space program to bring humans to the moon, but it was a huge technological challenge.

(radio chatter) Weve got a fire in the cockpit.

- [Myrna] The Apollo 1 mission began in 1967 and sadly resulted in the loss of three astronaut lives during a test.

By 1969, Apollo 11 brought Neil Armstrong to take the first ever steps on the moon.

- It's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.

- [Myrna] Apollo 17 was the final Apollo mission, and the program ended in 1972 due to lack of funding and risk to the astronauts at that time.

At the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, it's a whole new era for space exploration.

- This is the place where our species first departed the shores of our home planet.

We launched our American astronauts on the Saturn V launch vehicle during the Apollo program, and they first walked on the surface of another celestial body and they departed right here at the Kennedy Space Center.

And since that time, we've continued to do incredible things.

Well, the Kennedy Space Center is an amazing place right now.

It's never been busier.

- Artemis 1, the first mission of the Artemis program was a test flight for space flight hardware and software.

It was uncrewed, which means, of course, no one was on board.

It launched in November, 2022, from Kennedy Space Center.

- The launch of Artemis 1 is a new beginning for discovery, for our country, for our species.

We're gonna learn things that we can't even anticipate by sending our astronaut crews back to the moon to stay, to live, to learn.

And eventually, it'll give us the knowledge and information we need to go to Mars.

- How did it feel when Artemis 1 launched so successfully?

- I'll never forget driving into work that day and thinking to myself, "This is the day for us.

"We're gonna launch Artemis today."

And then I got into the firing room and at the time, I was director of engineering, so I sat with the chief engineers.

As we approached the T-minus 10 minute hold, the launch director, Charlie Blackwell-Thompson, giving the go for Artemis 1 launch, the ground launch sequence or a computer program that controls the launch picked up the count at T-minus 10 minutes.

It monitors thousands of measurements both on the ground and on the launch vehicle and spacecraft.

And I'm thinking to myself, "We're really gonna go."

- Seven.

- And at T-minus six seconds, the main engines on the core stage lit up.

And I could see the glow coming out from the mobile launcher.

The countdown went five, four, three, two, one.

- One.

Boosters and ignition!

- [Shawn] And the solid rocket boosters ignited, lighting up the entire Florida sky.

We've gotta get that vehicle clear of the tower, get the umbilical arms out of the way.

And before I could even complete the thought, the vehicle had cleared the tower.

It is a fast mover.

- [Announcer] And lift off of Artemis 1.

We rise together back to the moon and beyond.

- [Shawn] The Artemis 1 launch was amazingly successful.

The launch vehicle put the Orion spacecraft on a precise trajectory around the moon.

And after about 25 days, Orion approached the Earth at 25,000 miles an hour, reentered the atmosphere, and with the aid of parachutes, hit the water about 20 miles an hour.

- After that successful test flight, where does it go from here?

- Engineers are combing over the data right now for the launch vehicle and the spacecraft, and we are making modifications to the mobile launcher.

We're hardening it, making it able to withstand the blast loads, the exhaust coming out of the rocket, if you will.

And we're getting ready to launch our next crews to the moon for Artemis 2.

- [Myrna] You can just feel the excitement here.

- That's right.

We're standing right here on the base of the mobile launcher.

This 400 foot structure is where we assembled the Artemis 1 launch vehicle, the space launch system, and we launched SLS and Orion to the moon back in November.

This huge structure is going to be used for Artemis 2 in launching our first crews back to the moon since 1972.

The day after the Artemis 1 launch, I came out with a couple of friends of mine and I could feel the crunch of the solid rocket booster residue under my feet.

And I looked up at the tower and I contemplated the enormity of our accomplishment.

- Artemis 2 is scheduled to launch in November, 2024.

It will introduce a four person crew and focus on testing human factors on the Orion spacecraft around the moon.

Think about that, that will be the furthest humans have ever been from Earth.

Artemis 3 is planned to take the next step of landing astronauts on the moon, including the first woman and person of color.

To achieve the goals of Artemis, NASA is developing new spacesuits, rovers, habitats, at the forefront of their effort is the Orion spacecraft, the only vehicle designed for deep space exploration.

It looks a lot like the Apollo capsule, but inside and out, it's packed full of technology that makes it safer and more capable than any of its predecessors.

At Johnson Space Center, the Orion spacecraft is a centerpiece of the first crewed Artemis Mission.

Artemis 2.

Debbie, can you introduce us to Orion?

It's right here.

- While we have a suite of vehicles that can go to International Space Station and do some lower earth orbit activities.

Orion's unique in that it's the only spacecraft that can go to deep space.

It's made up of three main components.

So what you're seeing behind us here is the crew module.

This is the only piece that comes back after our missions, but there's actually two other pieces that are very vital to the spacecraft.

There's the service module, which actually is attached to the bottom of the crew module.

It provides all of the power, propulsion, propellants, most of the attitude maneuvers that we do during a mission are done with the service module.

It's built by our European partners across 10 different countries in Europe.

And then on top, when you look at pictures of Orion, you'll see a tall, pointy structure, that's called our Launch Abort System.

So that is designed primarily for if there's an emergency, either before we launch, while we're on the launchpad, or during that ascend phase.

That launch abort system actually takes this crew module with the crew inside and flies it away from the emergency.

So we get rid of the launch abort system about two minutes into flight.

So we know we don't need it after that point, but it's very vital.

- Orion is the cornerstone.

So how does it fit into the whole Artemis program?

- In addition to the spacecraft, we have our space launch system, which is the big rocket that we launch on.

And we have some ground system support coming out of the Kennedy Space Center.

And then there's these other elements that come into Artemis as we fly these different more complex missions.

Starting with Artemis 2, we fly just the crew on our vehicle.

Artemis 3, we bring in the lander.

So that'll be the first landing on the moon.

Artemis 4, we expanded this thing called a Gateway, and we actually put a Gateway very similar to a small space station in orbit around the moon.

And so, we can actually have more regular access to the moon and do lunar sorties from that permanent base that would be around the moon.

- When it's time for launch, NASA's Space Launch System or SLS, is a super heavy lift launch vehicle that serves as the basis for human exploration beyond Earth's orbit.

Towering 212 feet tall, SLS boasts unparalleled power and capabilities, making it the sole rocket capable of sending Orion, astronauts and cargo directly to the moon in a single mission.

Giavanna, what are we looking at here?

- We are looking at ICPS.

ICPS is the Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage.

It's the second stage on the Space Launch System.

When you see it on the rocket, it just looks like one big stage altogether.

But as you can see here, it's actually broken up into several components.

You can see the liquid oxygen tank, the liquid hydrogen tank, and of course, those are the fuels that mix together to ignite the engine.

- It's amazing to see this up close.

So you're a rocket scientist, how do you launch a rocket?

- So to launch a rocket, there's a lot of complicated parts that have to come together to work perfectly to make it happen.

So, we'll start with them separately, have the second stage, and once we're done processing it here, it will integrate with the first stage.

We'll go out to the launchpad and every group has to come together, work together to make it happen.

- [Myrna] So we're four stories up here and this rocket is gonna be so heavy.

How does it get off the ground?

- So the way the rocket gets off the ground is the engines on the core stage.

And once that launches, that's when ICPS gets to take over in space to get Orion to the moon.

So, ICPS has two engine burns.

One, when it separates from the core stage and another one later on to get Orion into the higher earth orbit it needs to make it to the moon.

We have testing and processing that we need to complete here in this facility.

Once we're done, we will hand it over to NASA and we will actually go over there and collaborate with them on their testing and even do some testing there ourselves.

So we work in cooperation with them all the way up until launch.

- You can't do anything on the scale that NASA does things without the team coming together.

When I think of NASA, I don't just think of NASA Kennedy Space Center, Johnson Space Center, all the different centers, I think of NASA contractors.

We are NASA, all these teams working together.

ICPS here at Kennedy Space Center, this is special.

This represents the future of human space flight, leaving low earth orbit.

- The ultimate goal is for people to live and work on the moon.

So each Artemis mission builds upon the last to help get us there.

- The interesting thing about working on human space flight, obviously there are many aspects.

There are pyrotechnics, mechanisms, structures, things that we have to consider about the vehicle.

But when you put the crew and the human element in the middle, you have to worry about the level of vibration they may see.

And also, how do they interact with the vehicle?

How do they control the vehicle?

We give them displays to monitor what's happening and we give them controls that they can reach under the influence of both vibration and acceleration that increases as they go into space.

- What kind of testing did you do for a vibration?

- In general, the philosophy is you want to go to the limits on the ground so you know what happens if you ever see that in flight.

What I saw from Artemis 1's data, we won't get anywhere close to the levels where we're feeling like that vibration is potentially injurious, and we will be able to read those displays throughout all of the missions.

You learn new things anytime you go into space.

Now we add crew to the Artemis 2.

Now we're gonna understand how humans live in our vehicle and operate it.

- So Artemis 2 is the first crewed mission for the Artemis program.

Is this what the astronauts will see when they enter?

- This is very much what they would see as they come across that gantry, they're 300 and something feet in the air at the top of the rocket.

They'd be walking across this gantry and this is what they would approach as far as the crew module and mock up of the launch abort system here.

And that's what they would go in to go inside.

So let's go in.

- This is amazing!

So, Artemis 2, the astronauts will be in here for 10 days.

They'll do everything in here, live, work, everything.

- So on Artemis 2, one of the first things that we're doing is checking out the environmental control and life support system.

So we did not fly that full system on Artemis 1.

So one thing we'll be doing the first couple of orbits around the earth before we commit to going to the moon, is we'll be testing out that environmental control and life support, making sure it's all working exactly as we had planned on earth.

But this is where they would actually practice the handling qualities of the spacecraft.

So in Artemis 3, Orion has to dock to the lander.

And so, before we do that on Artemis 3, we wanna practice those rendezvous and prox operations maneuvers.

- So the astronauts will be lying down.

Can we check it out?

- Yeah, absolutely.

They'll be lying down, they'll be wearing their launch and entry suits.

And so, they would be strapped into these seats and ready to go.

So the commander would be sitting here, the pilot would be sitting here, and behind me are the crew displays.

It's not a touch screen, they don't want a touch screen because of the proximity of all the things going on.

The only thing you really see manual switches for are for off nominal events.

If the crew had to, for example, throw the parachutes themselves.

Those things are very automated sequences, but there are some things that the crew has manual switches for in case of an emergency.

You've got a rotational and a translational hand controller.

So that's how they would fly the vehicle.

And beautiful views out your window above.

- Being in here makes me realize like, this is real.

This is not a concept on paper, we're already doing it.

It's so exciting.

And thank you so much for showing me the inside of Orion.

You're focusing on the people.

- [Jacalyn] Yes.

- And so, where are we here?

- So we are in the Orion Mission Simulator.

This is one of a couple of key training facilities that we'll use to train the Orion crew members.

So for Artemis 2, we'll train the Artemis 2 crew, and for future missions, the launching and flying in Orion piece of their training will happen here.

- So the astronauts are learning exactly what they'll do when they're flying.

So, of course, it won't be the first time when they're there that they've done it.

- Our whole goal in training is to make sure that at the end of everything they're doing, that they and the ground teams are prepared to fly the mission successfully.

- How did it feel when you announced the first four astronauts?

- So I was fortunate enough to be in the room when they made that announcement, and it was incredible.

They had almost everyone from the astronaut office present, and to see those folks get called out from that group, as those four walked on stage, I thought, "Man, what an honor to get to train these folks."

- Ladies and gentlemen, your Artemis 2 crew, Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Hamma Koch, Jeremy Hanson.

(crowd cheering) - We are super excited to have the Artemis 2 crew named because now we've been doing all this development and we have had crew members come over and help us.

But now to have the Artemis 2 crew be able to come and put their stamp on it, and we'll be able to get their feedback and help with that is just, I think, super excited for all of us that are working on Orion to actually see the crew use the vehicle.

With the Artemis program venturing into deep space, that is one of the biggest challenges is how we deal with radiation.

And one of our biggest concerns is how that's gonna affect the crew, not only with the exterior of the vehicle, in our crew capsule, in the crew module, we have the crew get into two of our stowage bays that act as a radiation shelter.

And that's how we protect the crew.

It's not just another autonomous spacecraft, it's not just another rover, it's actually a spacecraft with human beings on it.

And so, every day we do our design and we think about Reid and Victor and Christina and Jeremy, and how are we taking care of them personally to make sure that they come back to their families.

- Instead of talking in an ambiguous, well, the crew will someday need this training to have actual names and faces, it just makes it so much more exciting and real to anticipate getting into the classroom or the simulator or the mockup with them and get them started on this journey.

- What's gonna be different about this?

There's so much innovation.

- A lot of things have changed in 50 years in terms of both what we know about the moon, what our experiences were on Apollo, and in terms of technology and what we have the capability to bring with us and equip the crew with.

So, we will have new lunar space suits.

We will have very different innovative types of landers.

The types of tools and experiments that we may have on the lunar surface are all going to be informed by the science that's been done since Apollo.

- Establishing a permanent presence on the moon requires developing new technologies to provide the everyday things we take for granted on earth, like water and electricity.

So we've only explored a very small amount of the moon and now we're going back to the South Pole.

What can we learn?

- The Apollo missions were able to explore roughly the equatorial regions, which would equate to about the continent of Africa.

And we know how diverse that is.

Now, if you compare it to the earth, the rest of the moon is the rest of the earth.

So we've only explored one of seven continents and the remainder of the surface area covered of water.

So we have a huge amount of the surface of the moon that's left unexplored.

In there, you've got craters, which could be hiding water ice.

There could be other resources from all the different impacts that are the craters and the puck marks we lovingly look at at the moon each night.

- So we're going back to the moon to stay.

What kind of architecture is needed?

There's nothing there.

- Imagine if you've ever been camping or backpacking, right?

We take for granted that, yes, I'm carrying things with me, but on the surface of the moon, everything that I need, I have to take with me.

I need my air to breathe, I need my food, I need my water.

And so, to think of it as the ultimate camping trip.

In-Situ Resource Utilization, which basically means we're using the resources that we find in the sites that we're exploring, is very critical to our future plans.

We've gotta be able to know what's there and how we can utilize it best.

And that reduces how much we need back from Earth.

And so, that includes water from water ice, it includes propellants that we can create from breaking down that water ice, and also oxygen that we need to sustain life as we know it.

If we can dream it.

My job is to make sure the architecture's enabled to allow us to do it.

So if it's science or if it's a town or a colony, as long as we have the will and the backing that we're able to accomplish that.

- With anything this complex, it takes so much international collaboration to get it done.

- With complex projects, collaboration is key.

One of the cornerstones of our Moon to Mars program and the Artemis program in particular is the international collaboration and commercial partnerships.

The Gateway program will soon to be planned for lunar orbit.

Also has contributions from various international partners.

We're seeing a lot of interest globally along this.

- The Orion spacecraft will take humans back to the moon, but getting to the moon is only half the challenge.

The Gateway is an important part of the Artemis plan.

It'll offer the necessary aid for extended human missions on the moon and act as a starting point for missions deeper into space.

The Gateway orbits around the moon, and it can also reposition itself with the most powerful electric propulsion system ever used in space.

We're here at the Structures lab of Maxar, where they're working on the PPE, the Power and Propulsion Element for Gateway, part of Artemis.

So, Aditi, tell me about this.

- Let's start with the Gateway.

What is Gateway?

Gateway is part of the overall Artemis mission, and this is humanity's chance of going back to the moon and this time staying longer.

This is one step before going to Mars.

So Gateway is a formulation of a lot of different spacecraft that have different functions that will come and attach to each other and form a big configuration, just like the ISS.

Except, now we are going all the way to the moon.

- So how does this tie in?

- So, now we go down from Gateway to PPE.

What is PPE?

So the PPE is the Power and Propulsion Element of the Gateway.

We are providing power and propulsion to the entire Gateway.

So we have thrusters that provide the propulsion and the altitude control.

And then we have power through the large ROSA, which are the rollout solar arrays.

They are the highest capacity that Maxar has ever flown before.

It's also the control element.

So with all the sensors, actuators, and the propulsion system, PPE is the main control element for the entire Gateway.

- So, Aditi, this doesn't really look like a spacecraft yet.

How's it gonna get built?

- Let's start with what we're looking at.

This is the core structure of the PPE.

This is the most integral part of our spacecraft.

This is what holds everything together.

The holes that you see are the inserts for panels.

We'll talk about panels later, but that's where all the panels that go on.

The panels are essentially where all the equipment that goes on the spacecraft sit.

- [Myrna] So it's called the Gateway.

It's made up of so many different components.

- That's right.

There are electrical components, there are components that move and there are structural panels, some of which we have over here.

If you've ever seen a rocket launch, you can see how the rocket shakes very violently.

So you may ask yourself, what keeps the spacecraft from falling apart?

It's because of the structure panels.

The structure panels help the spacecraft survive the launch.

- There's other space stations that have been built.

What makes this one different?

- Space stations that are currently on orbit now, they're close to the earth.

Lunar Gateway is going to be out at the moon.

When you start talking about going to the moon, you have wider temperature extremes, gets really hot, gets really cold out there, and you have a different radiation environment.

How do you keep the equipment safe?

And ultimately, how do you keep the astronauts safe in that environment?

Those are the unique challenges that the Gateway program is solving.

It is a place where science discoveries take place.

It's a stopping point between the earth and the moon.

We're going back to the moon and Gateway is just the beginning of this great space exploration adventure that we're on.

- Other elements of the program includes a Human Landing System and the Artemis Base Camp.

The Human Landing System or Lunar Lander is charged with transporting astronauts between the Gateway and the surface of the moon.

The Artemis Base Camp is a home base on the moon where astronauts will live when they're studying the lunar surface.

The Artemis program is in its early stages with missions planned through Artemis 5, and additional missions are being proposed.

The goal here is sending a crew to Mars.

We have a lot more to learn, but it's possible that some of the first people to go to Mars are alive today.

- There's a lot at stake for all of us.

Just because I am working on this program, it doesn't mean it's important to me.

I think each and every person on this planet can feel that they're part of this.

This is gonna change space.

This is gonna change technology.

This is gonna change engineering.

This is gonna change how we look at everything.

- Why is space exploration important?

- Space is important because it invigorates the imagination of everyone.

It's a sense of adventure.

What's around the next bend?

What's over the next hill?

Space is the next hill.

People around the world, no matter where they are, no matter what they're doing, look up at the sky and they can wonder what is that?

And space exploration answers those questions.

- Its gonna be so exciting to look at the moon and say that there's another human on that planet.

And I helped build the spacecraft that got humans to another planet, and that is just keeping me going every day.

- Each of these is a building block for the sustained lunar economy and then eventually a stepping stone to Mars.

- There's an immense amount of science to be learned in exploring the lunar vicinity and the lunar surface in a much more vast area than we did on Apollo.

We're born to explore, and this is exactly what we're doing.

- With Apollo, the U.S. inspired the world by the feat that we accomplished.

With Artemis, we are inspiring the world to come with us to explore the moon again.

- As far as space travel has come, there are still great distances to go.

Here at Wings Over The Rockies, we're always diving into the magic of the solar system and the mysteries of deep space.

We'll see you next time on "Behind The Wings".

(upbeat music) (upbeat music continues) (upbeat music continues)