The American space agency NASA recently marked the 50th anniversary of the 1969 Apollo 11 moon landing. For some people, the celebrations were a reminder that NASA is not currently sending astronauts into space from the United States. NASA aims to change that soon.
NASA’s plans are taking shape in places like Huntsville, Alabama. That is where you will find NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center. Inside, engineers and other experts are working on building and testing a new Space Launch System, or SLS.
Jody Singer is the center’s director. “The Space Launch System is the only rocket capable of sending a fully equipped Orion, the astronauts, the supplies and the systems to the moon in one launch, and taking us deep into space,” Singer said. The Orion is one of NASA’s spacecraft. Mike Nichols is a lead testing engineer at the center. He has worked with NASA for over 20 years. On one recent day, he spoke with VOA about testing a new liquid hydrogen tank. Nichols said, “In order to prove that it’s strong enough to survive launch, they build this structural test article and send it to us, then we install it in the test end.”
NASA’s new moon program is called “Artemis.” The first mission is set for next year, without a crew. Artemis 2 plans to send astronauts around the moon in 2022. Artemis 3 is expected to touch down on the moon’s south pole in 2024.
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