Humanity will eventually return to the lunar surface, but NASA had to face the fact that the current approach just isn't working.

Last week, NASA announced that its Artemis II mission will be pushed to April at the earliest, due to issues with its helium tanks. Now, it’s broken the news that the Artemis III follow-up mission will totally cancel its original goal of landing astronauts on the Moon.

Instead, Artemis III—now scheduled to take place in 2027—will be another crewed flight without a landing phase, followed by Artemis IV, a crewed lander mission, hopefully in 2028.

  • Novis@lemdro.idEnglish
    9·
    3 days ago

    Happy that they’re being cautious with all this. Don’t want any more deaths on NASA’s watch. But this is also pretty humiliating. I also feel for those astronauts cause they were probably REALLY looking forward to the trip.

  • your_good_buddy@lemmy.worldEnglish
    7·
    3 days ago

    Really drives home just how much of an effort and achievement the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo programs were back in the 1960s.

  • TheAsianDonKnots@lemmy.zip
    2·
    3 days ago

    I can’t believe NASA stuck with LH2 propellant. That shit can sneak out of anything, including metal tanks. Same reason your birthday ballon is inflated but on the floor after a few days, the helium scadoodled and left the O2 behind.

    Oh sure, LH2 has more lifting power but SpaceX launches 10x as many ships with their methaLOX engines. Even Saturn V ran on LOX in the 60’s.

    At what point is it a sunk cost and NASA builds a more reliable fuel system? These delays can’t be cheap or productive.

      • TheAsianDonKnots@lemmy.zip
        2·
        3 days ago

        Yep. Both Apollo and STS had similar issues with LH2.

        Most tragically STS-107. A cryo failure weakened the heat shielding on Columbia’s belly that cracked on launch, and then failed catastrophically on re-entry. All seven souls were lost.

        Now, three programs have had the same issue and it’s like I’m the one taking crazy pills. It’s the gaskets, plumbing, and shit that shouldn’t have a freezing, highly flammable gas leaking almost ~(I said almost)~ sub atomic gas into every crevasse… then light the torch.

        I know why NASA is being cautious but like, you did this to yourself, man. Say you fucked up and stop wasting what little government funding you’re getting.