“When we’re trying to answer more complex questions, then SPoC comes into the picture,” he says.Ī lot can go wrong on the way to the moon. Hernandez still uses those to answer some questions quickly, but they can’t model multi-node systems, where there are several cable junctions. The old way of doing things was to use Microsoft ® Excel ® spreadsheets. There are blocks for batteries, solar cells, and so on. He created many of the blocks in the model using Simscape Electrical™, which models the physics of electrical systems. Hernandez also uses Simulink ®, with which he’s developed a model called Spacecraft Power Capability (SPoC). If something goes wrong on the actual spacecraft, they can simulate the fault and see how the model reacts, suggesting to mission operators whether they should abort the mission or take other steps. Models also help them monitor a mission and make critical decisions. Models help the team decide the sizes of and connections between various elements. Mission success and crew survival depend on power quality-making sure all components receive voltage in the right range and avoiding significant “ripple” in the voltage. The power system includes batteries, solar panels, computers, wires, and connections (nodes). Engineers have new suites of tools that help them work smarter, streamlining the design process. The latest iPhones have a million times as much, and the computers used to develop and run the software for Artemis have much more. The computers onboard Apollo 11, which took the first humans to the moon in 1969, had 4 kilobytes of RAM. The Greek goddess Artemis was born just ahead of her twin brother Apollo, but NASA’s Artemis is younger-and smarter-than Apollo. Future Artemis missions will build infrastructure on the moon, enabling exploration, industry, innovation, and a demonstration of capabilities that could take us to Mars. And Artemis III will carry the first woman and first person of color to the lunar surface in 2024. Artemis II will repeat the journey a year later but with astronauts aboard the Orion craft. The SLS will put the Orion into lunar orbit.Īrtemis I is an important step toward moon exploration and future construction of a lunar base camp. It is designed to protect the crew from the extremes of deep space. Sitting atop the SLS, which stands more than 30 stories tall, will be Orion, capable of carrying up to six people to the moon and beyond. The SLS is the most powerful rocket ever built, generating 39.1 meganewtons (8.8 million pounds) of thrust.īut the SLS is only one part of the Artemis technology story. The uncrewed Artemis I mission will test a new rocket, the Space Launch System (SLS). NASA is currently developing the Artemis Program, named for the Greek goddess of the hunt and the moon. But if all goes as planned, we will be back in short order. Humans have not set foot on the moon since 1972, nearly 50 years ago.
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