NASA to Stream Artemis I Rollout, Briefings on Science, Tech Payloads –

A full Moon in view on June 14, 2022 behind the Space Launch System and Orion spacecraft atop the mobile launcher at Launch Complex 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The rocket and spacecraft are undergoing final preparations for launch: NASA/Ben Smegelsky

Staff Report –

It’s true. No BS, according to NASA. We are going back to the Moon, and setting up a base to launch the trip to Mars.

NASA will hold three media teleconferences the week of August 14 to preview the science and technology payloads that will fly as part of the agency’s Artemis I uncrewed flight test, the first in a series of increasingly complex missions to the Moon.

Through the Artemis mission, NASA plans to land the first woman and the first person of color on the Moon, “paving the way for a long-term lunar presence and serving as a steppingstone to send astronauts to Mars.”

Ten shoebox-size secondary payloads, called CubeSats, are hitching a ride to space on Artemis I’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, and several other investigations are flying inside the Orion spacecraft during the flight test. Each of the payloads will perform science and technology experiments in deep space, expanding understanding of lunar science, technology developments and deep space radiation.

NASA also will provide livestream coverage of Artemis I’s move to the launch pad ahead of its targeted no earlier than Monday Aug. 29 liftoff. Audio of all three briefings will livestream on NASA’s website.

The briefings include (all times Eastern):

Monday, Aug. 15

5 p.m. – Lunar science payloads teleconference with the following participants:

Dr. Jacob Bleacher, NASA chief exploration scientist

Craig Hardgrove, principal investigator, NASA LunaH-Map

Tatsuaki Hashimoto, project manager for OMOTENASHI, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)

Ryu Funase, project manager for EQUULEUS, JAXA

Ben Malphrus, NASA principal investigator, Lunar IceCube

Joseph Shoer, architect for Small Sat missions, Lockheed Martin

Tuesday, Aug. 16

Noon – Technology demonstration and solar system science payloads teleconference with the following participants:

Patrick Troutman, strategy and architectures liaison for NASA’s Moon to Mars Architecture Development Office

Dustin Gohmert, Orion crew survival systems project manager, NASA’s Johnson Space Center
Raffaele Mugnuolo, ArgoMoon program manager, Italian Space Agency

Rob Chambers, director of commercial civil space strategy, Lockheed Martin
Wesley Faler, team lead, Team Miles

Julie Castillo-Rogez, NASA principal science investigator, NEAScout
Les Johnson, NASA principal technology investigator, NEA Scout

Wednesday, Aug. 17

Noon – Radiation secondary payloads teleconference with the following participants:

Ramona Gaza, MARE science team lead, NASA

Thomas Berger, Helga and Zohar principal investigator, German Aerospace Center

Oren Milstein, chief executive officer, StemRad

Ye Zhang, plant biology program scientist, NASA Biological and Physical Sciences
Sergio Santa Maria, BioSentinel lead scientist, NASA

Mihi I. Desai, CuSP principal investigator, NASA