After years of development and countless tests of the crew’s rocket and capsule, NASA has almost all the equipment it needs to send astronauts back to the moon.
For the first time since the Apollo program, NASA is buying a new lander for its Artemis program.
“When I see this, it just gives me goosebumps,” Lisa Watson-Morgan, who runs the show, told CBS News’ Mark Strassmann as he walked past the Apollo Lander on display at the US Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville. , Alabama.
The lunar Apollo module, built by Grumman, was actually two spaceships in one. The lower half, the descent stage, lowered the vehicle and its crew to an easy landing.
When it came time to go home, the boarding stage carried the crew back to their orbiting capsule.
“We are definitely building Apollo. We say, “Okay, let’s see what they did, okay, we live in another age. What makes sense to us today, what makes sense to NASA, and what will help us have a more sustained presence? Watson-Morgan said.
Unlike Apollo, NASA will not own the Artemis landing system. Instead, he will buy a landing service, choosing from three dramatically different proposals. space agency is expected to choose this month from three models.
One of these proposals is from Blue Origin, founded by Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos. He leads a team of aerospace companies that came up with an integrated design.
Brent Sherwood, vice president of advanced development programs at Blue Origin, told Strassmann, “The goal is to learn how to operate there permanently.” That’s why the Blue Origin propulsion system is water-based because ice at the south pole of the moon it could one day be turned into rocket fuel.
“Both hydrogen and oxygen are available on month in the form of ice in the polar regions. And our vision is based on developing monthly resources in the future to make these systems reusable instead of bringing everything from Earth, “Sherwood said.
Elon Musk’s SpaceX proposes a lander based on its Starship design. The company is now testing it in Texas. Outside, an elevator-like system would bring astronauts to the surface.
There is another approach to Dynetics, based in Huntsville, Alabama. It has a horizontal layout, tilted down and the crew sunk just eight meters above the ground.
“It’s one of the most notable aspects of our design … We like to say when Neil Armstrong came out of the lander and said, ‘A small step for man, a huge leap,’ he didn’t really want to be a huge leap forward, “said Dynetics executive Jonathan Pettus.
He gave CBS News a tour inside his company’s layout.
“And what else would Neil and Buzz not recognize about that?” Strassmann asked.
“Well, first of all, they wouldn’t recognize so much space. It’s double what they had,” Pettus said.
“If you win, what would it mean for the company,” Strassmann asked.
“Sure, it’s great from a business perspective, but ultimately the ability to have a role in this kind of nation’s treasure, the space program … you know, you can’t put a price on it,” Pettus replied.
Lander Apollo successfully delivered a dozen Americans a month. Now NASA has to choose: What design will land on the next moonwalkers in America?
“How do you balance your sticking with a formula that you know works, as opposed to being open to new ways of doing things? Strassmann asked.
“Well, because if you’ve always done what you’ve done, you’ll always get what you have!” Watson-Morgan said. “I mean, you know, we have to try new things … Surely, I mean, it would be non-American not to try something new, right?”