NASA astronauts practice next giant leap for Artemis – NASA

The physics remains the same, but the rockets, spacecraft, landers and spacesuits are new as NASA and its industry partners prepare for Artemis astronauts to walk on the moon for the first time since 1972.

NASA astronaut Doug “Wheels” Wheelock and Axiom Space’s Peggy Whitson donned space suits, developed by Axiom Space, to interact with and evaluate the full-scale development hardware of SpaceX’s Starship HLS (Human Landing System) that will be used to land men on the Moon under Artemis. The test, conducted on April 30, marked the first time that astronauts in pressurized spacesuits interacted with a test version of the Starship HLS hardware.

“With Artemis, NASA will go to the Moon in a completely new way, with international partners and industry partners like Axiom Space and SpaceX. These partners are contributing their expertise and providing integral parts of the deep space architecture they develop with NASA’s knowledge and oversight,” said Amit Kshatriya, NASA’s Moon to Mars program manager. Integrated tests like this, with key programs and partners working together, are essential to ensure systems run smoothly and are safe and effective for astronauts before they take the next steps to the Moon.”

The one-day test, conducted at SpaceX headquarters in Hawthorne, California, provided NASA and its partners with valuable feedback on the layout, physical design, mechanical assemblies and spaces inside the Starship HLS, as well as the suit’s flexibility and maneuverability. , known as AxEMU (Axiom Extravehicular Mobility Unit).

To begin the test, Wheelock and Whitson don the spacesuits in the full-scale airlock located on the airlock deck of the Starship. The suits were then pressurized using a system just outside the HLS airlock that provided air, electricity, cooling and communications for the astronauts. Each AxEMU also included a full-scale model of the Portable Life Support System, or “backpack,” in the back of the suits. For Artemis’ moonwalks, each crew member will wear a spacesuit with minimal assistance, so the team was eager to assess how easily the suits could be donned, removed, and stowed in the air chamber.

During the test, NASA and SpaceX engineers were also able to evaluate the deployment of mobility aids, such as handrails, for passage through the hatch. Another set of mobility aids, straps suspended from the ceiling in the airlock, aided the astronauts when entering and removing the AxEMU suits. The astronauts also practiced interacting with a control panel in the airlock, ensuring that the controls could be reached and activated while the astronauts were wearing gloves.

“Overall, I was pleased with the operation of the astronauts’ control panel and their ability to perform the difficult tasks they will have to do before entering the Moon,” said Logan Kennedy, director of surface activities at NASA’s HLS program. “The test also confirmed that the amount of space available in the airlock, on the deck and in the elevator, is sufficient for the work our astronauts plan to do.”

Suited astronauts also walk from the airlock deck of the Starship to the elevator built for testing. During the Artemis missions, the elevator will take NASA astronauts and their equipment from the deck to the lunar surface for a walk on the moon and then back again. Whitson and Wheelock practiced opening a port to access the elevator while evaluating the dexterity of the AxEMU suit’s handles and practiced lowering the ramp that the astronauts will use to take the next steps to the Moon.

The steps astronauts took in spacesuits through full-scale constructions of the Starship’s hood, airlock, airlock deck, and elevator may have been small, but they marked an important step toward preparing for a new generation walk on the moon as part of Artemis.

For the Artemis III mission, SpaceX will provide the Starship HLS that will dock with Orion in lunar orbit and take two astronauts to and from the lunar surface. Axiom Space is offering a new generation of moonwalk spacesuits designed to fit a wider range of astronauts.

With Artemis, NASA will explore more of the Moon than ever before, learn how to live and work far from home, and prepare for future human exploration of the Red Planet. NASA’s SLS (Space Launch System) rocket, exploratory ground systems, and the Orion spacecraft, along with the human landing system, next-generation spacesuits, the Gateway lunar space station, and future rovers are the foundation of NASA- s for deep space exploration.

For more information about Artemis, visit:

https://www.nasa.gov/artemis