{"id":37901,"date":"2022-10-28T08:31:52","date_gmt":"2022-10-28T08:31:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.skyatnightmagazine.com\/?p=113068"},"modified":"2022-10-28T08:52:11","modified_gmt":"2022-10-28T08:52:11","slug":"all-you-need-to-know-about-nasas-lunar-gateway","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/rss_feed\/all-you-need-to-know-about-nasas-lunar-gateway\/","title":{"rendered":"All you need to know about NASA\u2019s Lunar Gateway"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>

By Dan Hartman\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Friday, 28 October 2022 at 12:00 am<\/p>

\n\n

The Lunar Gateway will sit in an elliptical orbit: we\u2019ll get within 10,000km of the Moon and then out to about 70,000km. And every six-and-a-half days we\u2019ll make a complete revolution.<\/p>\n

It\u2019ll be maybe one-eighth of the size of the ISS and is going to be human-tended, nominally for 30 days but we can go to 60 or 90 days.<\/p>\n

Even though it\u2019s not permanently crewed, we are going to run research on the Lunar Gateway 24\/7, 365 days a year.<\/p>\n

\"""\"<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
Artist\u2019s impression of NASA\u2019s Lunar Gateway in orbit around the Moon. Credit: NASA\/Alberto Bertolin<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

Constructing the Lunar Gateway<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The first two elements of the Gateway \u2013 the PPE (Power Propulsion Element) and HALO (Habitation and Logistics Outpost) \u2013 are planned to fly up on a Falcon Heavy rocket within the next few years, and will take about a year to get to the Moon using solar electric power propulsion.<\/p>\n

So the initial Gateway would be in place and ready to accommodate the first crew of Artemis IV in late 2026.<\/p>\n

It will have a lot of similarities with the International Space Station<\/a>: a cupola, so the crew can see out; exercise devices and sleep stations.<\/p>\n

\"""\"<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson pictured in the Cupola section of the International Space Station. Credit: NASA<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

But [for the crew] it\u2019s more of a camping trip than a six-month hotel stay like the ISS.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Artemis III is our fastest, least complex way to get a crew to the surface.<\/p>\n

Every mission after that is going to come to the Gateway. It will be an aggregation point.<\/p>\n

Ahead of a mission we\u2019ll launch the supplies, research tools, EVA suits, all those kinds of things, as well as the human landing system.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Finally, the four crew will come on an Orion. [Once on board] two crew get in a lander and go to the surface of the Moon, while two crew stay on the Gateway and do research or maintenance.<\/span><\/p>\n

Thinking forward to potential Mars missions, the Gateway offers a place to fine-tune modules before you put the crew in there to head off on an 18-month journey to Mars and back.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

We\u2019re building the Gateway to last 15 years. Just like the ISS, which extended its life based on how well it\u2019s performing, I fully envision us doing the same on Gateway.<\/p>\n

It wouldn\u2019t surprise me if we\u2019re good for 20 or 25 years.<\/p>\n

This article originally appeared in the October 2022 issue of <\/strong><\/em>BBC Sky at Night Magazine<\/strong>.<\/strong><\/em><\/p><\/body><\/html>\n

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