NASA Wants to Land Space Launch System Into Moon’s ‘Dark, Unexplored' Regions For Its Artemis Lunar Mission

NASA has identified 13 prospective sites for crewed mission landings near the lunar South Pole as it gets ready to send men back to the moon as part of its Artemis missions. The moon is the only natural satellite of Earth.

The first Artemis mission to carry personnel to the lunar surface, including the first woman to walk on the moon, Artemis III, is said to have many probable landing locations in each zone.

NASA Finds 13 Possible Regions to Land Artemis Mission

Using information from decades of publications, discoveries in lunar science and information from NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, a team of scientists and engineers from across the agency evaluated the region close to the Moon's South Pole.

NASA said the crew assessed these areas based on their capacity to support a safe landing, considering factors including terrain slope, ease of communication with Earth, and lighting conditions and evaluating launch window availability.

The 13 potential landing places, as photographed below, are distinct geologically. For instance, the Malapert Massif has mountain ranges close to an impact crater, whereas Haworth is a pentagon-shaped crater.

In addition, NASA may decide to set down on the rims of a number of other craters, such as Amundsen, which is over 103 kilometers broad, or Haworth, which is just around half that size.

In addition to taking into account the different capabilities of its own Space Launch System rocket with the Orion spacecraft, as well as SpaceX's Starship system that is intended to cross the void to the lunar surface, they will choose the landing spot based on the lighting conditions, the slope of the terrain, how easy it will be to communicate with Earth, and other factors.

According to The Register, astronauts will gather lunar regolith samples from the 13 potential sites, which are close to places that get continuous sunlight for a 6.5-day period. These cold traps are permanently darkened areas.

How to Watch Artemis Mission

With live coverage of the launch and the mission's development, everyone around the globe may watch from home.

Here's how you can follow the launch of NASA's Artemis-1 Moon mission live, as The Independent shared.

On-site / In-person

The actual launch is set on Aug. 29 at 8.30 a.m. local Eastern time.

Kennedy Space Center will serve as the rocket's launchpad. Since tickets to the tourist complex have already sold out, most probably that many people will be watching live and in person.

They can hear and feel the rocket's full boom and heat when it takes off. However, the view should be accessible to more people in Florida, so if you live close by, keep an eye out as the launch gets underway and you could get a glimpse of the rocket as it soars over the sky.

Online

However, the majority of people will have to see the event online. Fortunately, NASA will provide thorough coverage of the whole expedition, from start to finish and thereafter.

NASA uses several different services to provide its video footage. It provides applications to watch that on most of the main streaming services and has its own NASA TV page, which is also accessible on YouTube.

Although the primary coverage will start on Aug. 27 and the launch will happen two days later, NASA will host several activities up to then.

According to NASA, the launch will feature various celebrities and entertainment. It will feature musical performances and cameos from Jack Black, Chris Evans, and Keke Palmer.

Until then, you may check out the Kennedy Space Center's YouTube account here and below to see what the rocket is doing at any given moment.

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