Project Artemis: Back to The Moon (2022) Movie Script
1
"kennedy space center
merritt island, (florida)"
All cameras, mark.
Take one.
- Is that too loud?
- No, that's good.
I can't imagine
what it's going to feel like
and I try not
to think about it too much.
I can't believe we're
actually going to do this.
It's exciting for all of us
that we may be the next person
who may set foot on the Moon.
Lift off.
NASA's Artemis program
intends to land astronauts
on the Moon
four years earlier
than originally planned.
Cleared for test.
Artemis, hopes
of having the first woman
land on the Moon.
It's either gonna be me
or it's going to be
one of my best friends.
This time it's going to
be different than before.
We're going to establish
a sustainable presence
on the Moon.
And then we can take
the next step and get to Mars.
But first the most
complex rocket in history
has to work...
We can add about a half inch.
As this rocket
and capsule launch
for a critical test flight.
Artemis I.
Artemis I will take us
further from Earth
than any human-capable
spacecraft has ever gone.
This will pave the way
for future missions
that will transform
our relationship with space.
But it's gonna be
fraught with perils
and challenges along the way.
Here we go!
There are risks
but it is worth it.
The pressure's on for
that test flight to go well.
"Project Artemis Back To The Moon"
We've got some breaking news.
Space policy one
orders NASA to lead a program
that sends astronauts
back to the Moon.
The goal is to have
two astronauts
land on the moon by 2024.
There are thousands
of people out there
that could be doing this job.
But there are really
about 50 of us right now
that have the privilege
of doing it.
A bunch of us live over here.
There's a nickname for it.
We call it family land.
Oh, man,
Jonny's gonna try to kill me.
Ho-ho! Jonny Kim!
Victor! Thanks for coming out.
- This is nice!
- My little sanctuary.
I was just thinking maybe
easy short circuit.
Sweet.
I'm NASA astronaut
Victor Glover.
We've got the rope climb,
some bikes.
Good grief.
I couldn't tell you exactly when
staring up in the sky
and being curious started.
I think it's just
a part of how I'm wired.
Do you wanna just go
through the round lightly?
You're gonna be on that
and I'll be on this.
Let's do it! Come on.
It's good,
we're getting a practice run.
It's good NASA philosophy
right there.
Always try a driver.
When I was a kid,
I found the moon fascinating.
I love this picture.
I'm young, fresh-faced
and I've got hair,
I've got a lot of hair!
I had hair once.
That's a round.
I had the fortune of being
a pilot
for the crew one mission to
the International Space Station
flying SpaceX's Crew Dragon.
I spent 108 days in space.
- Good job, Victor!
- You too, man! Nice job.
I'm Jonny Kim.
I have not been to space.
I'm what they call a rookie.
On the space station,
you go up there thinking,
"I'm going to stretch
my quads and my hammies,"
and doing what you do on Earth
and it just doesn't work
the same.
Space has got some stuff that
it's like, "Do it like this."
Put aside what you think
you know
and just let weightlessness
teach you.
All right, two down.
I had the iconic photo
of the Apollo 11 crew
over my bed
and I thought it was
just the coolest thing.
But I never once thought
I could be one of them.
I didn't identify with anyone
that I saw there.
Until now.
Growing up,
my family and friends,
they called me space girl.
This is my favorite spot.
Nobody sees you.
You can just go unnoticed here.
I've had one mission to the
International Space Station.
It lasted 205 days
and it was absolutely
the highlight of my whole life
thus far.
You are go for egress.
Feels like home already.
Amazing.
My name is Jessica Meir.
I grew up in a small town in
northern Maine called Caribou.
My mom is from Sweden.
My father's family were
Iraqi Jews.
So I was a first-generation
and growing up in a small town
was a really wonderful
experience for us.
In the first grade, when we were
asked what we wanted to be,
I remember drawing
an astronaut standing
on the surface of the Moon
in a spacesuit
next to the American flag.
It is difficult to believe
that childhood dream
actually could come true.
Victor Glover.
Jessica Watkins.
Make way, Apollo era.
In 2020, this is what
the right stuff looks like.
The heroes of the future
who will carry us back
to the Moon.
NASA has selected 18 astronauts
for the Artemis program
that could establish
a sustainable presence
on the Moon.
The Artemis generation!
Jessica Meir.
Anne McClain.
The first woman
to walk on the Moon
will come from this group.
And NASA intends for one of them
to become a space first.
I'm either going to walk
on the Moon
or one of my friends is
gonna walk on the Moon.
I studied Aerospace engineering.
I spent a significant portion
of my career
flying the scout attack
helicopter.
I became a test pilot
for the army
and I'm now a NASA astronaut.
This is Anne McClain in 1982.
This is my first day
of preschool
and the lunchbox that I was
holding when I looked at my mom
and said, "I'm going to school
to learn to be an astronaut."
That little girl, I think
she would be really proud.
I'm really proud of her too
because there's a lot of times
that she could have given up.
And then we wouldn't be
sitting here today.
But she kept going.
So here we are.
Five, four, three...
Iconic and daunting.
Artemis is a series
of increasingly complex
- lunar missions.
- - Lift off.
Going back to the Moon
is gonna be very challenging
and so Artemis is
a major campaign.
The first mission, Artemis I.
Artemis I is
an uncrewed test flight
of the entire system.
It's going to go farther
faster than any human vehicle
has ever gone before.
40,000 miles beyond the Moon.
If that's successful,
then we'll have a crewed test,
Artemis II.
In May 2024.
We'll send four crew
members into lunar orbit.
They'll orbit the Moon
for several days
before it heads back to Earth.
Then we'll have Artemis III.
NASA's hoping
Artemis III, a Moon landing,
happens sometime in 2025.
It's going to get
four crew into lunar orbit.
Two people will go
into the lunar lander
and for then,
for the first time in 50 years,
humankind will once again
have boots on the surface
of the Moon.
I can't imagine
what it's going to feel like
and I try not to think about it
too much because...
I have no idea
if that's in my future.
houston, (texas)"
We all want to go
to the Moon, that's a given.
But none of us really know
our space destiny.
That'll work.
We don't have specific people
assigned
to the Artemis missions yet.
There's a lot of really
important decisions
going on right now
on who it's gonna be.
Initial test timer
on blue umbilical.
NASA will try to find
the right mix of skills
and experience and personality
to make that mission a success.
Getting selected would be
an immense honor
but also responsibility.
My number one thought would be,
"Don't mess this up,
don't mess up."
It's a mixture
of excitement, nervousness.
You know that it would be
an amazing adventure
but it's going to be fraught
with perils
and challenges along the way.
Through the night
it was checklisted,
double checked,
electronically monitored.
The astronauts suiting up.
NASA hasn't attempted
anything like this in decades.
35 seconds and counting
from the Apollo 11 lift off.
We are still go with Apollo 11.
There is nothing easy
about sending humans to space.
Everything is risky.
The Eagle has landed.
I'm Swapna Krishna
and I'm a science, space
and technology journalist.
One small step for man,
one giant leap for mankind.
The last time
humans went to the Moon
was the Apollo program.
Apollo was a huge triumph
for NASA
but it wasn't without
its fair share of losses.
Fire in the spacecraft
during a launch-pad exercise
took their lives.
On the first crewed
space flight of the program,
the three astronauts died
before the mission
even launched.
Houston, we have a problem.
Standby, 13.
We're looking at it.
Apollo 13 was a huge near-miss.
We celebrate it as a triumph
but it could have very easily
ended badly.
Lift off.
And at the time,
NASA had further
Apollo missions slated
and then budget cuts
cancelled them one by one.
So Apollo 17 was the last time
humans went to the Moon.
We leave as we came.
God willing we shall return.
After Apollo, there
is some expectations of hope
that we would be returning
to the Moon relatively soon.
My name is Margaret Weitekamp.
I'm a curator
and department chair
of the Smithsonian's
National Air and Space Museum.
What actually happens
is NASA really goes to focus
on low-Earth orbit, a matter
of just hundreds of miles,
not the 200,000 miles plus
that it is to get to the Moon.
So we have
the Space Shuttle program
and eventually the
International Space Station.
Velocity 257 feet per second.
So the goals were
in some ways less ambitious
but it's still hard.
Oh, my God!
Space Shuttle Challenger.
Never in 25 launches
of a space shuttle
had a life been lost.
Today that record went down
in flames.
Breaking news,
the remnants of Space Shuttle
Columbia hurtling toward Earth.
After the loss of Columbia,
it was the recommendation
of the Columbia Review Board
that the shuttle program
be retired.
And the last flight was in 2011.
NASA didn't send humans
to space for a decade.
Instead they had to pay
for a seat on Russia's capsule
to the Space Station.
For the last few decades,
that's as far as we've gone.
We've been confined
to low-Earth orbit until now.
We know that this is going to be
a very high-risk operation.
There's a lot going on
and so many things
that have to go well.
Is it worth it?
To be able to inspire
the next generation,
yes, I do think
it's worth the risk.
- Morning.
- Morning.
- Your leg behind you.
- Yes, please.
One more push.
I'm part of the Artemis team,
training for our program
to return to the Moon.
I have a better feeling
of my environment...
I always like being
in the space suit.
But you have to be
very thoughtful
because you're in
a pressurized environment
and for every single motion
you make
you expend a lot of effort.
Today I'm in
the Neutral Buoyancy Lab.
The Neutral Buoyancy Lab
is the largest swimming pool
in North America.
It contains a full-size replica
of the Space Station.
And this is where all astronauts
start to train for spacewalks.
Jonny, see any threads
inside of there?
I do.
It's a little crooked.
- Copy. Let's go first.
- OK.
Spacewalks are the riskiest
thing that we do
and really the most challenging
thing that we do.
Outside, in the vacuum of space.
It's hard to describe
those moments.
Anne, you're on your way.
Copy, Anne.
I come out and
I'm holding onto a railing.
And it was, "What am I doing?
This is crazy."
My mom would be telling me
to get down off there.
You never forget
that first moment.
I look down and I saw my feet
dangling there.
And then there's
nothing but blackness
between your feet
and the Earth spinning below.
I liken it to if you've
ever been on the top of a cliff
or the top of a high building.
And you come just over the tip
where you're looking down
maybe a thousand feet.
And then perform brain surgery.
We have some problems here.
We're going to need
some help to get this bag down.
It's mentally challenging
and it requires
a lot of teamwork.
The bolt itself is in the way.
Got it.
And you have
a finite amount of resources,
a finite amount of battery,
a finite amount of air.
Space is challenging, period.
And we have had humans
safely in low-Earth orbit
for over 21 years on the
International Space Station.
But now we want to go
beyond that.
We're going back to the Moon
and it's going to be different
than before.
- Perfect.
- There you go.
During the Apollo program
the goal was to demonstrate
that you can get human beings
to the lunar surface
and get them home safely.
The difference with
the Artemis program is the idea
that this will be
a sustained presence.
My name is Jim Free.
I develop the architecture
for our Moon and Mars
exploration.
Initially the astronauts
will go to the surface,
going further and to different
areas on the Moon.
Then we'll have Gateway,
our orbiting outpost
that gives us access to
the entire surface of the Moon.
Eventually, we'll have
some type of habitation
and learn to live
for extended durations.
When we achieve those objectives
our goal is to go on to Mars.
Artemis is the most
ambitious program
NASA has ever attempted.
This is NASA reclaiming
the status they used to have
at the forefront
of human exploration.
We need the Artemis program
not because it's fun and cool
and romantic
but because it's deeply
in our national interest.
I'm Scott Pace.
I'm the Director
of the Space Policy Institute,
Washington DC.
We face a fundamental challenge.
We are very dependent upon
space for all kinds of reasons,
security, economics.
But there's an increasing
global interest
and increasing global
capabilities in space.
China wants to have
its space station
fully operational
by the end of next year.
Its goal, a Chinese
base on the moon by 2030.
There absolutely is,
in the back of people's mind,
I think, a concern
that another country
might beat us to the Moon.
This is the new space race.
Also we've got the rise
of commercial space flight
over the last decade and that's
really changed the game.
There's fierce competition,
not between nations
but between billionaires.
Blue Moon.
There has been an
explosion in the space industry
and it's worth $350, approaching
$400 billion dollars.
Oh, yeah, look at her go!
There is so much
going on right now
in the commercial space sector.
Companies like Blue Origin
owned by Jeff Bezos.
They're manufacturing
rocket engines,
they're looking
at space stations.
Now the company
appears to be shifting
its focus to the Moon
and rival company SpaceX.
Lift off.
SpaceX has already
successfully launched
29 Falcon 9 rockets
and also has its eyes
on the Moon.
Look at 'em go!
SpaceX is definitely
the flashiest
of all the commercial
spaceflight companies,
headed by Elon Musk.
They eventually want to set
up a settlement on Mars.
Let's make this real!
Any questions?
On one hand NASA
depends on these companies
and contracts out
to these companies.
Go NASA! Go SpaceX!
Godspeed!
On the other hand,
the rise of private companies
wanting to send people out
in the Solar System
does put some pressure on NASA
because, let's face it,
NASA does wanna be first.
For the first time
in nearly half a century
NASA is preparing
its first new Moon rocket
that can send astronauts
back to the Moon.
Inside NASA's
Vehicle Assembly Building
NASA'S stacking a mega rocket
piece by piece.
Everything's kinda running
around
and we've got our travel works
still going on,
finishing all the little touches
on the vehicle.
I'm Chris Cianciola.
I'm the deputy program manager
for the Space Launch System,
the SLS.
Could you just bring
it back to that spot?
- How did I do?
- Brilliant.
Hit an imaginary spot in space.
That's what we're trying to do
with this rocket.
Escaping Earth's gravity?
It's a hard problem.
You need a big rocket.
The first thing we do
when we start stacking
is the rocket boosters
on both sides.
And then we've got
the core stage.
It's mainly composed of two
large tanks of our propellants,
liquid hydrogen
and liquid oxygen.
The core stage, 212 feet long,
arrived by barge.
Some people ask, "Why
does NASA need a big rocket?"
"Why don't you just go
with what the commercial sector
has produced?"
The reason we need a big rocket
is because we want to go far
fast.
I'm Charles Bolden.
I spent eight years
as the NASA administrator
and before that I spent
14 years flying
on the Space Shuttle.
With shuttle we had to get up
to a speed
of about 18,000 miles an hour
so that we stay in that orbit,
going around Earth.
When we go to the Moon,
we want to break that bond
and overcome gravity,
which means I've got to go
a lot faster.
About 25,000 miles an hour.
And that means you've got
to have a lot of power.
Together the solid rocket
boosters and the core stage
provides about five million
pounds of thrust at lift-off,
meaning SLS will be the most
powerful rocket
in the world ever built.
But it was a hard
challenge to get to this point.
Everything we're doing,
we're going through
a learning curve.
T minus ten.
There have been a number
of criticisms
but building
this scale of a vehicle
designed to launch humans
is difficult.
Clear for test.
You're sitting
on top of a bomb, right?
You're sitting on top of things
that are designed to react.
You're bringing oxygen
and hydrogen together and...
Fire.
Ignite it, and you get
a lot of forceful steam
coming out the back end.
And we have to make sure
that it's controlled,
knowing that if you don't
do something right
the people on top of that
could get hurt.
Systems are go for static test.
It's been super busy on geology.
They basically took all
the Apollo tools to update them
and we were looking
at suit integration,
"Can you get
your gloved hand on this,
that OK when you are
pressurized?"
That's awesome.
I want to do some of that.
I'm Kate Rubins. I'm
one of the Artemis astronauts.
I first thought I was working
with NASA in third grade.
Our teacher had told us
we were working with an alien
substance that NASA had found
and they were contracting out
to the schools.
This was, of course,
cornstarch and water.
Nobody else believed it
but I took it really seriously
and came home that day
and told my parents
that our elementary school had
gotten some work from NASA.
They had to break it to me
pretty gently
that actually this was
just part of the exercise.
We're going to walk you
through...
We invented these tool docks.
It's basically your bayonet
fitting but just simplified
and it works
with lunar regolith.
How are folks feeling
about with the arm joint?
I'm working to develop the
next generation of spacesuits
and all of the different pieces
that are involved
in going back to the Moon.
These are sample bags,
very similar to what Apollo did.
We're evaluating what
we're going to do
on the lunar surface.
We have data from Apollo
but the actual area that we've
explored on the Moon
is very, very small.
Holey smoley!
- Boy, are we on a slope.
- You OK?
Apollo missions landed
around the equator.
The Artemis generation is going
to be going
to an entirely different part
of the Moon...
The South Pole.
It's much more complicated
to land on the South Pole
so we're going to a place
that's more difficult
and a very harsh environment.
At the South Pole, the Sun never
gets very far above the horizon
so we're going to be looking
at long shadows
of complete darkness.
We actually talk about
having to survive
and hop between oases of light
because the temperature
variation could be significant.
But I can't even describe
how exciting it is
to somebody like myself.
My name is Jacob Bleacher.
I always did like wearing
the gear, right?
And now I'm the chief
exploration scientist
for human exploration at NASA.
We're going to the South Pole
because we think that there
are resources out there
that could help us.
A major discovery on the Moon.
Water and lots of it.
And that could help
make it easier for us
to fly there and back
or even stay a while.
That's a gamechanger for us.
Water is made up, dominantly,
of hydrogen and oxygen.
So those are two components
that we could use
to produce fuel.
And we think that
there are other elements there
as well.
That's where that human presence
is going to be
critically important
because humans can really
process information
and cover distances in a way
that robots can't.
And so the extension handle
would connect onto that.
We are in a brand-new space era.
We're on the cusp of
discoveries and capabilities
that have never existed before.
This historic moment,
the Orion spacecraft is headed
to the most powerful rocket
in the world.
Have a good night.
Hey, Travis.
What's it look like up there?
We're just static
one down right now.
And where are we?
About an inch north
and an inch west.
Today we're trying to stack
the astronaut capsule
on top of SLS.
When you see Orion
coming over here,
you know it's time
to finish the rocket
and put the spacecraft together.
It's just emotional to know
that you've got to this point.
The Orion capsule carries
four people.
It has the capability
to operate on its own
for 21 days in deep space.
My name's Dean Stonerook,
crane tech in the Space Center.
I'm ground control.
Travis Palmer.
Crane door platform tech.
I'm in the crane cab.
There's a lot of angst
around lifting Orion,
our payload, that high up in
the Vehicle Assembly Building.
In the crane, they can't
see, it's 500 feet in the air.
So we have observers down below
and we use handheld radios
to talk to them.
All right, Travis,
you guys ready?
Standing by.
Artemis will ensure the
future of human spaceflight.
We have a green light.
Ready to operate.
I tell the guys
this is when the commitment
that's required of you
is serious.
This cannot fail.
Come down about a half inch.
Floating down half inch.
We're moving the crane
at phenomenally low speeds,
50,000ths of an inch per minute.
We're talking about
hundreds of feet of wire rope
hanging off the crane.
The last thing you want to do
is have that load
going like this.
If it starts to swing
back and forth,
it could take hours
before it settles back down.
Down slow, one-eighth.
Now we're just above the flange
where the two surfaces meet.
It has to be aligned
with just a few tenths
of an inch.
That scale of alignment
that precise is tough.
When you come down
you got to hit
this small little hole
that's only an inch bigger
than it. It's nerve-racking.
Got about
an inch left. Slow.
I brought it down
to within
a half an inch of that flange.
And from there
we have to slow down.
Continue down slow.
And stop.
And we get it to the point
where they're ready
to start putting bolts in.
And then to just gaze
at the whole thing,
finished stack,
was just really awesome.
It's way cool.
It's just
an incredible sense of pride.
This is a big deal.
It's a major step
in our journey back to the Moon.
"ellington field
houston, (texas)"
We're getting
some flight time in.
It's part of what we call
space flight readiness training.
It's operationally realistic.
It is real, right,
it's not a sim.
It's a way to inoculate
some stress
and give you some pressures,
things that are outside
of your control.
The Artemis missions to the
Moon are going to be different
than anything any of us
have done before.
And so you have to be uniquely
capable of handling pressure.
The T-38 airplane
is one of our best
training systems.
There are so many aspects
that are directly relatable
to human spaceflight.
Number one is
that it has real risks.
Ooh, got a little fog up here.
If we fly into bad weather,
if a system on the aircraft
breaks, we have to handle it.
You can't pull over
to the side of the road
and turn on the hazards.
All right, 2,000 feet,
here we go, I'm coming up.
We do aerobatics where
we really do complex maneuvers
to experience the different
forces and accelerations
on your body.
Pull up. Pull up.
- Copy the...
- Pull up.
When you launch
into space, G forces build up.
I remember that feeling.
My chest being heavy
and being pushed back
in the seat
and feeling like my face
was going to peel off.
It's intense and Artemis is
going to be even more so.
It's a bigger rocket,
it's enormous,
and it's going to be a different
experience for the crew inside.
But there is a lot of work
to do between here and there.
Right now the rocket is
ready, the spacecraft is ready,
and before we put
astronauts on board
we have to conduct
an uncrewed flight test.
This is a picture
of my brother Jim and I.
I'm the boy in blue here.
Two farm kids that never had
an idea that we'd go work
in the space program.
And here I am,
the Artemis mission manager,
and my brother works training
astronauts. We did OK.
Artemis I will take us
further from Earth
than any human-capable
spacecraft has ever gone.
It is a stress test of
the spacecraft
to ensure
that it's safe to fly on.
We'll launch
the Space Launch System rocket.
And on the first orbit,
we'll push Orion out of
Earth's primary gravity field.
And then we're gonna
slingshot Orion
around the far side of the Moon
to this point
where we enter what we call
a distant retrograde orbit.
We enter a racetrack
about the Moon.
And at its farthest point,
we'll be about 270,000 miles
from Earth,
some thousand times farther
than the International
Space Station is.
And on board we're going to have
two high-tech crew members.
I am Ramona Gaza.
Ramona Gaza.
That's me when I was
12, 13 years old,
in Transylvania, Romania.
That's where I'm from.
So you already see
we have phantoms lying over
there in slices.
Today we are at
the German Aerospace Center
to work on the phantoms.
The two models known as phantoms
simulate the soft tissue,
bones and organs
of the female body.
This is the full
set-up here of Zohar
and you see here...
Each of the two females
are split
in 38 different slices.
The phantoms will be equipped
with more than 6000
radiation detectors.
These will help NASA figure out
how to keep its astronauts safe
from one of the
least-understood dangers
of space travel.
My name is Tara Ruttley.
I'm associate chief scientist
for exploration
and human research at NASA.
If we want to go and live
on the Moon longer
and ultimately go to Mars,
radiation is
the number-one concern
that we need to address.
Stars, and our sun is
a star, are like a big furnace.
So they're burning
different elements,
constantly releasing energy,
and that energy
is basically radiation.
And it can affect our
electronics and our astronauts.
Once you get to the Moon,
those doses from the sun,
those galactic cosmic rays,
they're more intense.
And then there are events,
flares
or coronal mass ejections,
that release more radiation.
Apollo got lucky.
In between
two of the Apollo missions
there was a large solar event.
And so there is speculation
that had that occurred
while the astronauts were
actually
on their way to the Moon,
it would have had an impact.
Radiation can cause
different type of damage
to different organs.
And we have so many positions
within each slice
so that we can see
an overall dose mapping
of the human body.
A woman has not been in
that environment before
so it will be the first time
we get actual data
on what's happening with women's
bodies beyond low-Earth orbit.
When we're ready to come home,
we'll slingshot ourselves past
the far side of the Moon...
targeting the Earth
from a quarter million
miles away.
When we re-enter
the Earth's atmosphere,
it's going to be one
of the more intense moments.
We'll hit the atmosphere
at Mach 32
or 245,000 miles an hour.
That friction of the spacecraft
re-entering
the Earth's atmosphere
creates a plasma field
about 5,000 degrees Fahrenheit.
You can see the flame
right outside of your window.
My name is Kjell Lindgren.
I have the privilege of being
assigned to the Artemis team.
Back in 2015
I had the opportunity to fly
on a Russian Soyuz rocket
to the International
Space Station.
Re-entry is a spectacular
physical and emotional
experience.
You are riding a fireball
back down to the Earth.
Those temperatures are so high
that the capsule
would be compromised
without the protective
heatshield.
That heatshield can absorb
that heat,
protect and insulate
the capsule.
For Orion,
a new heatshield was designed
using a newly developed material
that allows
for a higher temperature range.
So with Artemis I,
testing that heatshield
is one of the primary objectives
because the next time it's used
there'll be crew riding
behind it.
Artemis I is a major milestone
that has to be successful
before we launch crew.
My fear is if Artemis
doesn't succeed we will quit.
We'll lose our conviction
and we'll give up.
So we need to gut it out.
I think we all
have been dreaming of the day
of our return to the Moon.
And this Artemis I mission
represents
that very first,
very real, tangible step
on that path.
Artemis I is very
exciting for our office
because it starts
a 24-month clock.
And when you're 24 months out
from a mission,
then you start putting
names into seats.
It's very exciting,
we're so close to launch
at this point.
Today is an important day,
launch sim day.
In the firing room we work
through all the procedures
that we're going to use
on launch day.
The Artemis I launch is unique.
Many of the things that we're
pulling together are brand new.
The procedures, the methodology,
how our team is set up.
Everything looks good today.
Everything is normal,
our OTV is functioning well.
My name is Jeremy Graeber.
I'm the assistant
launch director.
Launch is very challenging
because it's a complex
set of steps
that have to be done
in a very specific order.
You want these
volatile materials
to come together to poof,
to make a fire,
but you've
got to keep them apart
until just the right time.
So it's a delicate dance
between safety
and getting to what you want.
This is our launch team
certification of Artemis I.
There is quite a bit
of risk involved
with committing
a vehicle to launch.
All personnel,
T-minus ten minute hold.
It's gonna be a good day.
And as the mission
management team chair,
I consult with the team.
Is the rocket ready,
is the spacecraft ready,
is the ground system ready?
Do you want
a second set of eyes?
It's always safer
to stay on the ground.
And so if we see something
that is not to our liking,
we're gonna make sure
that we understand it
before we try and fly with it.
All per the timeline,
everything is on schedule.
And only if everything is
per the script
it's a green light condition
and we're go.
At the base of the core stage
you'll see
the main engines light.
Then you'll see the solid
rocket boosters light.
All of the umbilical arms
separate from the vehicle.
And you'll see the vehicle
start to fly.
It does require
intestinal fortitude to do it
and there are plenty of examples
out there of people
that didn't make
fully informed risk
and paid the consequences.
That's why we plan ahead.
That's why we train.
The next time we do this,
it's going to be
on day of launch
and we're going to be ready.
Witness history in the making.
Today rolling out of the VAB,
that right there is the world's
most powerful rocket
and on top, the Orion spacecraft
that will return us to the Moon.
I can visualize it now,
the countdown to launch.
I'll probably have more anxiety
then
than when we have
Orion on the crane hook.
I won't admit to shedding a
tear, but it'll probably happen.
It's just monumental for me.
For all of us.
This is kind of like turning
onto the first page of a book
that you know
is going to be exciting.
There are real
parallels with the late 1960s,
which were a time of great
strife, great division
and the Apollo program provided
hope in that moment.
Coming on the heels
of this worldwide pandemic
and political unrest,
Artemis has the potential
to be that same kind of moment.
Thousands of people
all over the country,
all over the world, have worked
so hard to get us here.
And as we begin humankind's
journey back to the Moon,
hopefully somebody's next to
them and will shake their hand
and say, "Thank you
for your service."
The definition of success
is that in a hundred years
when our grandchildren look back
at this period of time,
they're proud of what we did.
And they said it brought us
humankind closer together.
"kennedy space center
merritt island, (florida)"
All cameras, mark.
Take one.
- Is that too loud?
- No, that's good.
I can't imagine
what it's going to feel like
and I try not
to think about it too much.
I can't believe we're
actually going to do this.
It's exciting for all of us
that we may be the next person
who may set foot on the Moon.
Lift off.
NASA's Artemis program
intends to land astronauts
on the Moon
four years earlier
than originally planned.
Cleared for test.
Artemis, hopes
of having the first woman
land on the Moon.
It's either gonna be me
or it's going to be
one of my best friends.
This time it's going to
be different than before.
We're going to establish
a sustainable presence
on the Moon.
And then we can take
the next step and get to Mars.
But first the most
complex rocket in history
has to work...
We can add about a half inch.
As this rocket
and capsule launch
for a critical test flight.
Artemis I.
Artemis I will take us
further from Earth
than any human-capable
spacecraft has ever gone.
This will pave the way
for future missions
that will transform
our relationship with space.
But it's gonna be
fraught with perils
and challenges along the way.
Here we go!
There are risks
but it is worth it.
The pressure's on for
that test flight to go well.
"Project Artemis Back To The Moon"
We've got some breaking news.
Space policy one
orders NASA to lead a program
that sends astronauts
back to the Moon.
The goal is to have
two astronauts
land on the moon by 2024.
There are thousands
of people out there
that could be doing this job.
But there are really
about 50 of us right now
that have the privilege
of doing it.
A bunch of us live over here.
There's a nickname for it.
We call it family land.
Oh, man,
Jonny's gonna try to kill me.
Ho-ho! Jonny Kim!
Victor! Thanks for coming out.
- This is nice!
- My little sanctuary.
I was just thinking maybe
easy short circuit.
Sweet.
I'm NASA astronaut
Victor Glover.
We've got the rope climb,
some bikes.
Good grief.
I couldn't tell you exactly when
staring up in the sky
and being curious started.
I think it's just
a part of how I'm wired.
Do you wanna just go
through the round lightly?
You're gonna be on that
and I'll be on this.
Let's do it! Come on.
It's good,
we're getting a practice run.
It's good NASA philosophy
right there.
Always try a driver.
When I was a kid,
I found the moon fascinating.
I love this picture.
I'm young, fresh-faced
and I've got hair,
I've got a lot of hair!
I had hair once.
That's a round.
I had the fortune of being
a pilot
for the crew one mission to
the International Space Station
flying SpaceX's Crew Dragon.
I spent 108 days in space.
- Good job, Victor!
- You too, man! Nice job.
I'm Jonny Kim.
I have not been to space.
I'm what they call a rookie.
On the space station,
you go up there thinking,
"I'm going to stretch
my quads and my hammies,"
and doing what you do on Earth
and it just doesn't work
the same.
Space has got some stuff that
it's like, "Do it like this."
Put aside what you think
you know
and just let weightlessness
teach you.
All right, two down.
I had the iconic photo
of the Apollo 11 crew
over my bed
and I thought it was
just the coolest thing.
But I never once thought
I could be one of them.
I didn't identify with anyone
that I saw there.
Until now.
Growing up,
my family and friends,
they called me space girl.
This is my favorite spot.
Nobody sees you.
You can just go unnoticed here.
I've had one mission to the
International Space Station.
It lasted 205 days
and it was absolutely
the highlight of my whole life
thus far.
You are go for egress.
Feels like home already.
Amazing.
My name is Jessica Meir.
I grew up in a small town in
northern Maine called Caribou.
My mom is from Sweden.
My father's family were
Iraqi Jews.
So I was a first-generation
and growing up in a small town
was a really wonderful
experience for us.
In the first grade, when we were
asked what we wanted to be,
I remember drawing
an astronaut standing
on the surface of the Moon
in a spacesuit
next to the American flag.
It is difficult to believe
that childhood dream
actually could come true.
Victor Glover.
Jessica Watkins.
Make way, Apollo era.
In 2020, this is what
the right stuff looks like.
The heroes of the future
who will carry us back
to the Moon.
NASA has selected 18 astronauts
for the Artemis program
that could establish
a sustainable presence
on the Moon.
The Artemis generation!
Jessica Meir.
Anne McClain.
The first woman
to walk on the Moon
will come from this group.
And NASA intends for one of them
to become a space first.
I'm either going to walk
on the Moon
or one of my friends is
gonna walk on the Moon.
I studied Aerospace engineering.
I spent a significant portion
of my career
flying the scout attack
helicopter.
I became a test pilot
for the army
and I'm now a NASA astronaut.
This is Anne McClain in 1982.
This is my first day
of preschool
and the lunchbox that I was
holding when I looked at my mom
and said, "I'm going to school
to learn to be an astronaut."
That little girl, I think
she would be really proud.
I'm really proud of her too
because there's a lot of times
that she could have given up.
And then we wouldn't be
sitting here today.
But she kept going.
So here we are.
Five, four, three...
Iconic and daunting.
Artemis is a series
of increasingly complex
- lunar missions.
- - Lift off.
Going back to the Moon
is gonna be very challenging
and so Artemis is
a major campaign.
The first mission, Artemis I.
Artemis I is
an uncrewed test flight
of the entire system.
It's going to go farther
faster than any human vehicle
has ever gone before.
40,000 miles beyond the Moon.
If that's successful,
then we'll have a crewed test,
Artemis II.
In May 2024.
We'll send four crew
members into lunar orbit.
They'll orbit the Moon
for several days
before it heads back to Earth.
Then we'll have Artemis III.
NASA's hoping
Artemis III, a Moon landing,
happens sometime in 2025.
It's going to get
four crew into lunar orbit.
Two people will go
into the lunar lander
and for then,
for the first time in 50 years,
humankind will once again
have boots on the surface
of the Moon.
I can't imagine
what it's going to feel like
and I try not to think about it
too much because...
I have no idea
if that's in my future.
houston, (texas)"
We all want to go
to the Moon, that's a given.
But none of us really know
our space destiny.
That'll work.
We don't have specific people
assigned
to the Artemis missions yet.
There's a lot of really
important decisions
going on right now
on who it's gonna be.
Initial test timer
on blue umbilical.
NASA will try to find
the right mix of skills
and experience and personality
to make that mission a success.
Getting selected would be
an immense honor
but also responsibility.
My number one thought would be,
"Don't mess this up,
don't mess up."
It's a mixture
of excitement, nervousness.
You know that it would be
an amazing adventure
but it's going to be fraught
with perils
and challenges along the way.
Through the night
it was checklisted,
double checked,
electronically monitored.
The astronauts suiting up.
NASA hasn't attempted
anything like this in decades.
35 seconds and counting
from the Apollo 11 lift off.
We are still go with Apollo 11.
There is nothing easy
about sending humans to space.
Everything is risky.
The Eagle has landed.
I'm Swapna Krishna
and I'm a science, space
and technology journalist.
One small step for man,
one giant leap for mankind.
The last time
humans went to the Moon
was the Apollo program.
Apollo was a huge triumph
for NASA
but it wasn't without
its fair share of losses.
Fire in the spacecraft
during a launch-pad exercise
took their lives.
On the first crewed
space flight of the program,
the three astronauts died
before the mission
even launched.
Houston, we have a problem.
Standby, 13.
We're looking at it.
Apollo 13 was a huge near-miss.
We celebrate it as a triumph
but it could have very easily
ended badly.
Lift off.
And at the time,
NASA had further
Apollo missions slated
and then budget cuts
cancelled them one by one.
So Apollo 17 was the last time
humans went to the Moon.
We leave as we came.
God willing we shall return.
After Apollo, there
is some expectations of hope
that we would be returning
to the Moon relatively soon.
My name is Margaret Weitekamp.
I'm a curator
and department chair
of the Smithsonian's
National Air and Space Museum.
What actually happens
is NASA really goes to focus
on low-Earth orbit, a matter
of just hundreds of miles,
not the 200,000 miles plus
that it is to get to the Moon.
So we have
the Space Shuttle program
and eventually the
International Space Station.
Velocity 257 feet per second.
So the goals were
in some ways less ambitious
but it's still hard.
Oh, my God!
Space Shuttle Challenger.
Never in 25 launches
of a space shuttle
had a life been lost.
Today that record went down
in flames.
Breaking news,
the remnants of Space Shuttle
Columbia hurtling toward Earth.
After the loss of Columbia,
it was the recommendation
of the Columbia Review Board
that the shuttle program
be retired.
And the last flight was in 2011.
NASA didn't send humans
to space for a decade.
Instead they had to pay
for a seat on Russia's capsule
to the Space Station.
For the last few decades,
that's as far as we've gone.
We've been confined
to low-Earth orbit until now.
We know that this is going to be
a very high-risk operation.
There's a lot going on
and so many things
that have to go well.
Is it worth it?
To be able to inspire
the next generation,
yes, I do think
it's worth the risk.
- Morning.
- Morning.
- Your leg behind you.
- Yes, please.
One more push.
I'm part of the Artemis team,
training for our program
to return to the Moon.
I have a better feeling
of my environment...
I always like being
in the space suit.
But you have to be
very thoughtful
because you're in
a pressurized environment
and for every single motion
you make
you expend a lot of effort.
Today I'm in
the Neutral Buoyancy Lab.
The Neutral Buoyancy Lab
is the largest swimming pool
in North America.
It contains a full-size replica
of the Space Station.
And this is where all astronauts
start to train for spacewalks.
Jonny, see any threads
inside of there?
I do.
It's a little crooked.
- Copy. Let's go first.
- OK.
Spacewalks are the riskiest
thing that we do
and really the most challenging
thing that we do.
Outside, in the vacuum of space.
It's hard to describe
those moments.
Anne, you're on your way.
Copy, Anne.
I come out and
I'm holding onto a railing.
And it was, "What am I doing?
This is crazy."
My mom would be telling me
to get down off there.
You never forget
that first moment.
I look down and I saw my feet
dangling there.
And then there's
nothing but blackness
between your feet
and the Earth spinning below.
I liken it to if you've
ever been on the top of a cliff
or the top of a high building.
And you come just over the tip
where you're looking down
maybe a thousand feet.
And then perform brain surgery.
We have some problems here.
We're going to need
some help to get this bag down.
It's mentally challenging
and it requires
a lot of teamwork.
The bolt itself is in the way.
Got it.
And you have
a finite amount of resources,
a finite amount of battery,
a finite amount of air.
Space is challenging, period.
And we have had humans
safely in low-Earth orbit
for over 21 years on the
International Space Station.
But now we want to go
beyond that.
We're going back to the Moon
and it's going to be different
than before.
- Perfect.
- There you go.
During the Apollo program
the goal was to demonstrate
that you can get human beings
to the lunar surface
and get them home safely.
The difference with
the Artemis program is the idea
that this will be
a sustained presence.
My name is Jim Free.
I develop the architecture
for our Moon and Mars
exploration.
Initially the astronauts
will go to the surface,
going further and to different
areas on the Moon.
Then we'll have Gateway,
our orbiting outpost
that gives us access to
the entire surface of the Moon.
Eventually, we'll have
some type of habitation
and learn to live
for extended durations.
When we achieve those objectives
our goal is to go on to Mars.
Artemis is the most
ambitious program
NASA has ever attempted.
This is NASA reclaiming
the status they used to have
at the forefront
of human exploration.
We need the Artemis program
not because it's fun and cool
and romantic
but because it's deeply
in our national interest.
I'm Scott Pace.
I'm the Director
of the Space Policy Institute,
Washington DC.
We face a fundamental challenge.
We are very dependent upon
space for all kinds of reasons,
security, economics.
But there's an increasing
global interest
and increasing global
capabilities in space.
China wants to have
its space station
fully operational
by the end of next year.
Its goal, a Chinese
base on the moon by 2030.
There absolutely is,
in the back of people's mind,
I think, a concern
that another country
might beat us to the Moon.
This is the new space race.
Also we've got the rise
of commercial space flight
over the last decade and that's
really changed the game.
There's fierce competition,
not between nations
but between billionaires.
Blue Moon.
There has been an
explosion in the space industry
and it's worth $350, approaching
$400 billion dollars.
Oh, yeah, look at her go!
There is so much
going on right now
in the commercial space sector.
Companies like Blue Origin
owned by Jeff Bezos.
They're manufacturing
rocket engines,
they're looking
at space stations.
Now the company
appears to be shifting
its focus to the Moon
and rival company SpaceX.
Lift off.
SpaceX has already
successfully launched
29 Falcon 9 rockets
and also has its eyes
on the Moon.
Look at 'em go!
SpaceX is definitely
the flashiest
of all the commercial
spaceflight companies,
headed by Elon Musk.
They eventually want to set
up a settlement on Mars.
Let's make this real!
Any questions?
On one hand NASA
depends on these companies
and contracts out
to these companies.
Go NASA! Go SpaceX!
Godspeed!
On the other hand,
the rise of private companies
wanting to send people out
in the Solar System
does put some pressure on NASA
because, let's face it,
NASA does wanna be first.
For the first time
in nearly half a century
NASA is preparing
its first new Moon rocket
that can send astronauts
back to the Moon.
Inside NASA's
Vehicle Assembly Building
NASA'S stacking a mega rocket
piece by piece.
Everything's kinda running
around
and we've got our travel works
still going on,
finishing all the little touches
on the vehicle.
I'm Chris Cianciola.
I'm the deputy program manager
for the Space Launch System,
the SLS.
Could you just bring
it back to that spot?
- How did I do?
- Brilliant.
Hit an imaginary spot in space.
That's what we're trying to do
with this rocket.
Escaping Earth's gravity?
It's a hard problem.
You need a big rocket.
The first thing we do
when we start stacking
is the rocket boosters
on both sides.
And then we've got
the core stage.
It's mainly composed of two
large tanks of our propellants,
liquid hydrogen
and liquid oxygen.
The core stage, 212 feet long,
arrived by barge.
Some people ask, "Why
does NASA need a big rocket?"
"Why don't you just go
with what the commercial sector
has produced?"
The reason we need a big rocket
is because we want to go far
fast.
I'm Charles Bolden.
I spent eight years
as the NASA administrator
and before that I spent
14 years flying
on the Space Shuttle.
With shuttle we had to get up
to a speed
of about 18,000 miles an hour
so that we stay in that orbit,
going around Earth.
When we go to the Moon,
we want to break that bond
and overcome gravity,
which means I've got to go
a lot faster.
About 25,000 miles an hour.
And that means you've got
to have a lot of power.
Together the solid rocket
boosters and the core stage
provides about five million
pounds of thrust at lift-off,
meaning SLS will be the most
powerful rocket
in the world ever built.
But it was a hard
challenge to get to this point.
Everything we're doing,
we're going through
a learning curve.
T minus ten.
There have been a number
of criticisms
but building
this scale of a vehicle
designed to launch humans
is difficult.
Clear for test.
You're sitting
on top of a bomb, right?
You're sitting on top of things
that are designed to react.
You're bringing oxygen
and hydrogen together and...
Fire.
Ignite it, and you get
a lot of forceful steam
coming out the back end.
And we have to make sure
that it's controlled,
knowing that if you don't
do something right
the people on top of that
could get hurt.
Systems are go for static test.
It's been super busy on geology.
They basically took all
the Apollo tools to update them
and we were looking
at suit integration,
"Can you get
your gloved hand on this,
that OK when you are
pressurized?"
That's awesome.
I want to do some of that.
I'm Kate Rubins. I'm
one of the Artemis astronauts.
I first thought I was working
with NASA in third grade.
Our teacher had told us
we were working with an alien
substance that NASA had found
and they were contracting out
to the schools.
This was, of course,
cornstarch and water.
Nobody else believed it
but I took it really seriously
and came home that day
and told my parents
that our elementary school had
gotten some work from NASA.
They had to break it to me
pretty gently
that actually this was
just part of the exercise.
We're going to walk you
through...
We invented these tool docks.
It's basically your bayonet
fitting but just simplified
and it works
with lunar regolith.
How are folks feeling
about with the arm joint?
I'm working to develop the
next generation of spacesuits
and all of the different pieces
that are involved
in going back to the Moon.
These are sample bags,
very similar to what Apollo did.
We're evaluating what
we're going to do
on the lunar surface.
We have data from Apollo
but the actual area that we've
explored on the Moon
is very, very small.
Holey smoley!
- Boy, are we on a slope.
- You OK?
Apollo missions landed
around the equator.
The Artemis generation is going
to be going
to an entirely different part
of the Moon...
The South Pole.
It's much more complicated
to land on the South Pole
so we're going to a place
that's more difficult
and a very harsh environment.
At the South Pole, the Sun never
gets very far above the horizon
so we're going to be looking
at long shadows
of complete darkness.
We actually talk about
having to survive
and hop between oases of light
because the temperature
variation could be significant.
But I can't even describe
how exciting it is
to somebody like myself.
My name is Jacob Bleacher.
I always did like wearing
the gear, right?
And now I'm the chief
exploration scientist
for human exploration at NASA.
We're going to the South Pole
because we think that there
are resources out there
that could help us.
A major discovery on the Moon.
Water and lots of it.
And that could help
make it easier for us
to fly there and back
or even stay a while.
That's a gamechanger for us.
Water is made up, dominantly,
of hydrogen and oxygen.
So those are two components
that we could use
to produce fuel.
And we think that
there are other elements there
as well.
That's where that human presence
is going to be
critically important
because humans can really
process information
and cover distances in a way
that robots can't.
And so the extension handle
would connect onto that.
We are in a brand-new space era.
We're on the cusp of
discoveries and capabilities
that have never existed before.
This historic moment,
the Orion spacecraft is headed
to the most powerful rocket
in the world.
Have a good night.
Hey, Travis.
What's it look like up there?
We're just static
one down right now.
And where are we?
About an inch north
and an inch west.
Today we're trying to stack
the astronaut capsule
on top of SLS.
When you see Orion
coming over here,
you know it's time
to finish the rocket
and put the spacecraft together.
It's just emotional to know
that you've got to this point.
The Orion capsule carries
four people.
It has the capability
to operate on its own
for 21 days in deep space.
My name's Dean Stonerook,
crane tech in the Space Center.
I'm ground control.
Travis Palmer.
Crane door platform tech.
I'm in the crane cab.
There's a lot of angst
around lifting Orion,
our payload, that high up in
the Vehicle Assembly Building.
In the crane, they can't
see, it's 500 feet in the air.
So we have observers down below
and we use handheld radios
to talk to them.
All right, Travis,
you guys ready?
Standing by.
Artemis will ensure the
future of human spaceflight.
We have a green light.
Ready to operate.
I tell the guys
this is when the commitment
that's required of you
is serious.
This cannot fail.
Come down about a half inch.
Floating down half inch.
We're moving the crane
at phenomenally low speeds,
50,000ths of an inch per minute.
We're talking about
hundreds of feet of wire rope
hanging off the crane.
The last thing you want to do
is have that load
going like this.
If it starts to swing
back and forth,
it could take hours
before it settles back down.
Down slow, one-eighth.
Now we're just above the flange
where the two surfaces meet.
It has to be aligned
with just a few tenths
of an inch.
That scale of alignment
that precise is tough.
When you come down
you got to hit
this small little hole
that's only an inch bigger
than it. It's nerve-racking.
Got about
an inch left. Slow.
I brought it down
to within
a half an inch of that flange.
And from there
we have to slow down.
Continue down slow.
And stop.
And we get it to the point
where they're ready
to start putting bolts in.
And then to just gaze
at the whole thing,
finished stack,
was just really awesome.
It's way cool.
It's just
an incredible sense of pride.
This is a big deal.
It's a major step
in our journey back to the Moon.
"ellington field
houston, (texas)"
We're getting
some flight time in.
It's part of what we call
space flight readiness training.
It's operationally realistic.
It is real, right,
it's not a sim.
It's a way to inoculate
some stress
and give you some pressures,
things that are outside
of your control.
The Artemis missions to the
Moon are going to be different
than anything any of us
have done before.
And so you have to be uniquely
capable of handling pressure.
The T-38 airplane
is one of our best
training systems.
There are so many aspects
that are directly relatable
to human spaceflight.
Number one is
that it has real risks.
Ooh, got a little fog up here.
If we fly into bad weather,
if a system on the aircraft
breaks, we have to handle it.
You can't pull over
to the side of the road
and turn on the hazards.
All right, 2,000 feet,
here we go, I'm coming up.
We do aerobatics where
we really do complex maneuvers
to experience the different
forces and accelerations
on your body.
Pull up. Pull up.
- Copy the...
- Pull up.
When you launch
into space, G forces build up.
I remember that feeling.
My chest being heavy
and being pushed back
in the seat
and feeling like my face
was going to peel off.
It's intense and Artemis is
going to be even more so.
It's a bigger rocket,
it's enormous,
and it's going to be a different
experience for the crew inside.
But there is a lot of work
to do between here and there.
Right now the rocket is
ready, the spacecraft is ready,
and before we put
astronauts on board
we have to conduct
an uncrewed flight test.
This is a picture
of my brother Jim and I.
I'm the boy in blue here.
Two farm kids that never had
an idea that we'd go work
in the space program.
And here I am,
the Artemis mission manager,
and my brother works training
astronauts. We did OK.
Artemis I will take us
further from Earth
than any human-capable
spacecraft has ever gone.
It is a stress test of
the spacecraft
to ensure
that it's safe to fly on.
We'll launch
the Space Launch System rocket.
And on the first orbit,
we'll push Orion out of
Earth's primary gravity field.
And then we're gonna
slingshot Orion
around the far side of the Moon
to this point
where we enter what we call
a distant retrograde orbit.
We enter a racetrack
about the Moon.
And at its farthest point,
we'll be about 270,000 miles
from Earth,
some thousand times farther
than the International
Space Station is.
And on board we're going to have
two high-tech crew members.
I am Ramona Gaza.
Ramona Gaza.
That's me when I was
12, 13 years old,
in Transylvania, Romania.
That's where I'm from.
So you already see
we have phantoms lying over
there in slices.
Today we are at
the German Aerospace Center
to work on the phantoms.
The two models known as phantoms
simulate the soft tissue,
bones and organs
of the female body.
This is the full
set-up here of Zohar
and you see here...
Each of the two females
are split
in 38 different slices.
The phantoms will be equipped
with more than 6000
radiation detectors.
These will help NASA figure out
how to keep its astronauts safe
from one of the
least-understood dangers
of space travel.
My name is Tara Ruttley.
I'm associate chief scientist
for exploration
and human research at NASA.
If we want to go and live
on the Moon longer
and ultimately go to Mars,
radiation is
the number-one concern
that we need to address.
Stars, and our sun is
a star, are like a big furnace.
So they're burning
different elements,
constantly releasing energy,
and that energy
is basically radiation.
And it can affect our
electronics and our astronauts.
Once you get to the Moon,
those doses from the sun,
those galactic cosmic rays,
they're more intense.
And then there are events,
flares
or coronal mass ejections,
that release more radiation.
Apollo got lucky.
In between
two of the Apollo missions
there was a large solar event.
And so there is speculation
that had that occurred
while the astronauts were
actually
on their way to the Moon,
it would have had an impact.
Radiation can cause
different type of damage
to different organs.
And we have so many positions
within each slice
so that we can see
an overall dose mapping
of the human body.
A woman has not been in
that environment before
so it will be the first time
we get actual data
on what's happening with women's
bodies beyond low-Earth orbit.
When we're ready to come home,
we'll slingshot ourselves past
the far side of the Moon...
targeting the Earth
from a quarter million
miles away.
When we re-enter
the Earth's atmosphere,
it's going to be one
of the more intense moments.
We'll hit the atmosphere
at Mach 32
or 245,000 miles an hour.
That friction of the spacecraft
re-entering
the Earth's atmosphere
creates a plasma field
about 5,000 degrees Fahrenheit.
You can see the flame
right outside of your window.
My name is Kjell Lindgren.
I have the privilege of being
assigned to the Artemis team.
Back in 2015
I had the opportunity to fly
on a Russian Soyuz rocket
to the International
Space Station.
Re-entry is a spectacular
physical and emotional
experience.
You are riding a fireball
back down to the Earth.
Those temperatures are so high
that the capsule
would be compromised
without the protective
heatshield.
That heatshield can absorb
that heat,
protect and insulate
the capsule.
For Orion,
a new heatshield was designed
using a newly developed material
that allows
for a higher temperature range.
So with Artemis I,
testing that heatshield
is one of the primary objectives
because the next time it's used
there'll be crew riding
behind it.
Artemis I is a major milestone
that has to be successful
before we launch crew.
My fear is if Artemis
doesn't succeed we will quit.
We'll lose our conviction
and we'll give up.
So we need to gut it out.
I think we all
have been dreaming of the day
of our return to the Moon.
And this Artemis I mission
represents
that very first,
very real, tangible step
on that path.
Artemis I is very
exciting for our office
because it starts
a 24-month clock.
And when you're 24 months out
from a mission,
then you start putting
names into seats.
It's very exciting,
we're so close to launch
at this point.
Today is an important day,
launch sim day.
In the firing room we work
through all the procedures
that we're going to use
on launch day.
The Artemis I launch is unique.
Many of the things that we're
pulling together are brand new.
The procedures, the methodology,
how our team is set up.
Everything looks good today.
Everything is normal,
our OTV is functioning well.
My name is Jeremy Graeber.
I'm the assistant
launch director.
Launch is very challenging
because it's a complex
set of steps
that have to be done
in a very specific order.
You want these
volatile materials
to come together to poof,
to make a fire,
but you've
got to keep them apart
until just the right time.
So it's a delicate dance
between safety
and getting to what you want.
This is our launch team
certification of Artemis I.
There is quite a bit
of risk involved
with committing
a vehicle to launch.
All personnel,
T-minus ten minute hold.
It's gonna be a good day.
And as the mission
management team chair,
I consult with the team.
Is the rocket ready,
is the spacecraft ready,
is the ground system ready?
Do you want
a second set of eyes?
It's always safer
to stay on the ground.
And so if we see something
that is not to our liking,
we're gonna make sure
that we understand it
before we try and fly with it.
All per the timeline,
everything is on schedule.
And only if everything is
per the script
it's a green light condition
and we're go.
At the base of the core stage
you'll see
the main engines light.
Then you'll see the solid
rocket boosters light.
All of the umbilical arms
separate from the vehicle.
And you'll see the vehicle
start to fly.
It does require
intestinal fortitude to do it
and there are plenty of examples
out there of people
that didn't make
fully informed risk
and paid the consequences.
That's why we plan ahead.
That's why we train.
The next time we do this,
it's going to be
on day of launch
and we're going to be ready.
Witness history in the making.
Today rolling out of the VAB,
that right there is the world's
most powerful rocket
and on top, the Orion spacecraft
that will return us to the Moon.
I can visualize it now,
the countdown to launch.
I'll probably have more anxiety
then
than when we have
Orion on the crane hook.
I won't admit to shedding a
tear, but it'll probably happen.
It's just monumental for me.
For all of us.
This is kind of like turning
onto the first page of a book
that you know
is going to be exciting.
There are real
parallels with the late 1960s,
which were a time of great
strife, great division
and the Apollo program provided
hope in that moment.
Coming on the heels
of this worldwide pandemic
and political unrest,
Artemis has the potential
to be that same kind of moment.
Thousands of people
all over the country,
all over the world, have worked
so hard to get us here.
And as we begin humankind's
journey back to the Moon,
hopefully somebody's next to
them and will shake their hand
and say, "Thank you
for your service."
The definition of success
is that in a hundred years
when our grandchildren look back
at this period of time,
they're proud of what we did.
And they said it brought us
humankind closer together.