Returning Americans to the Moon with Lisa Callahan

TL;DR

Lockheed Martin is helping return Americans to the Moon by building Orion, the deep-space spacecraft designed to carry humans to the Moon, Mars, and potentially beyond. Its launch abort system passed an ascent abort test in July, while the month-long, uncrewed Artemis One mission will test Orion around the Moon before re-entry. Read on to understand Orion’s safety systems, testing process, and role in NASA’s sustainable lunar program.

Transcript

hello welcome all right back to space that's great so I think one of the interesting things that we were talking about is a lot of the technology that that Lockheed has built actually like enables a lot of the consumer technologies that we hear about with geolocation and stuff like that so like talk a bit about kind of the breadth of Lockheed's bus... Read More

Key Insights

• 🏛️ Lockheed Martin is involved in building satellites for military, intelligence, and commercial applications, as well as spacecraft for solar system exploration.
• 🚀 The Orion spacecraft has achieved significant milestones, including successful testing of the launch abort system, and is now ready for future missions.
• 👾 NASA's Artemis program aims to return humans to the moon in a sustainable way by 2024, which will serve as a foundation for future deep space missions.
• 👾 SpaceX and other private companies are contributing to the excitement and innovation in space exploration, creating a new space age.
• 👾 The government's investment in space technologies not only benefits space exploration but also has practical applications on Earth, such as GPS and water purification systems.
• 👾 NASA is working with commercial partners and startup companies to accelerate the development of new technologies and infrastructure for space exploration.
• 👾 The development of a sustainable space economy requires investments in infrastructure and the ability to leverage existing technologies for space applications.

Questions & Answers

Q: How is Lockheed Martin helping return Americans to the Moon?

Lockheed Martin is building Orion, a deep-space spacecraft intended to take humans to the Moon, Mars, and potentially beyond. The company has also developed Orion’s crew life-support system, equipment, displays, and controls, which Lisa Callahan says could be transferred to the lunar lander.

Q: What is Orion’s launch abort system, and how does it protect the crew?

The launch abort system sits above Orion’s crew capsule and activates if an accident occurs on the launch pad or during ascent. It pulls the crew module away from the rocket, jettisons itself, and allows the capsule to deploy parachutes and land softly in the ocean.

Q: What Orion safety milestone was completed in July?

In July, the team completed an ascent abort test of Orion’s launch abort system. Combined with an earlier pad abort test, it proved the emergency system and made it ready to fly.

Q: What will the Artemis One mission test?

Artemis One is an uncrewed mission planned to last about a month while Orion orbits the Moon. It will test the spacecraft’s systems in the radiation environment, the heat shield during atmospheric re-entry, parachute deployment, and procedures for retrieving the crew after return.

Q: What happens to Orion before the Artemis One launch?

The completed crew module is stacked on a service module supplied by the European Space Agency. It will undergo environmental testing in the large thermal-vacuum chamber at NASA’s Plum Brook Station before being placed on the Space Launch System rocket.

Q: Why does the Artemis program aim for a sustainable return to the Moon?

The goal is not simply to visit the Moon and stop, but to remain there sustainably and use the experience to prepare for missions farther into the solar system, including Mars. Deep-space crews will require greater self-sufficiency, autonomy, and AI because communication delays prevent immediate help from Earth.

Q: What conditions did Lisa Callahan identify for reaching the Moon by 2024?

Callahan said the 2024 goal was extremely doable if two conditions were met. The program needed sufficient funding and had to reuse technology that had already been developed.

Q: What kinds of space technology does Lockheed Martin build besides Orion?

Lockheed Martin builds satellites for military, intelligence, and commercial applications. Its commercial communications satellites provide connectivity around the world, while other spacecraft explore the solar system robotically.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Lockheed Martin is involved in building satellites for various applications, including military, intelligence, and commercial communications.

• They are developing spacecraft that explore our solar system, both robotically and potentially with humans on board.

• The Orion spacecraft has reached key milestones, such as successful testing of the launch abort system, and is now ready to fly.