NASA's first moon mission in over 50 years is wrapping up, with the Artemis I Orion spacecraft is set to touch down in the Pacific Ocean Sunday afternoon.
The mission got off to a rocky start after technical problems and a tropical storm that delayed the launch by nearly three months. Artemis I eventually blasted off on Nov. 16 and while the spacecraft didn't have any human passengers, it's the first step in NASA's Artemis program, which includes plans to send a manned mission to the moon and eventually establish a lunar base to facilitate a future mission to Mars.
Here are the some of the key takeaways from the historic spaceflight:
A RECORD-BREAKING FLIGHT
On Nov. 26, Orion broke the record for the farthest distance travelled from Earth in a spacecraft designed to carry humans, after it passed the 400,171-kilometre mark that Apollo 13 reached back in 1970.
Orion would reach its maximum distance from the Earth on Nov. 28, when it reached a distance of 432,210 kilometres away from Earth, as the craft went around the far side of the moon during its orbit.
CANADA'S CONTRIBUTIONS
Canadian technology is making major contributions to the Artemis project. NASA and its counterparts in Europe, Japan and Canada plan to launch the Lunar Gateway into the moon's orbit in 2024. The Gateway will also be home to one of Canada鈥檚 biggest contributions to this stage of space exploration: the third iteration of the iconic Canadarm.
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The Canadarm 3 will actually be smaller and lighter than previous versions at 8.5 metres in length, but it is planned to boast artificial intelligence, six 4K cameras and other cutting-edge technology.
Artemis II is also set to take off in 2024 and a Canadian astronaut will be one of the four who will fly as part of a manned mission around the moon's orbit. A Canadian astronaut is also guaranteed to be on another flight in the future to the Gateway, planned for 2027.
FROM MANNEQUINS TO MICRO-SATELLITES
While no humans were on board for this space flight, the seats were occupied by three high-tech mannequins.
These mannequins were equipped with sensors, designed to measure how a journey to the moon would affect the human body. The mannequin torsos are made of materials that mimic the soft tissue, organs and bones of a woman. The two torsos have more than 5,600 sensors and 34 radiation detectors to measure how much radiation exposure occurs during the mission.
The Orion spacecraft also launched 10 CubeSats, which are low-cost cereal-box-sized satellites. Some CubeSats were designed to capture detailed photos and vidoes, while others are intended to measure radiation levels in deep space.
Because of the launch delays, there were concerns over whether the CubeSat batteries would be able to hold a charge. NASA did recharge the batteries for some of the CubeSats, but others were out of reach and would've delayed the launch further if they were removed.
So far, four of the 10 CubeSats have lost communication with Earth and are likely dead. However, some of the surviving CubeSats have already returned some .
THE DAWN OF A NEW SPACE AGE?
The last time humans reached the moon was 1972, during the Apollo 17 mission.
During the Apollo program, which ran from 1961 to 1972, the U.S. was deadlocked in a space race against the Soviet Union, as both countries pushed the boundaries of space exploration and spaceflight technology.
After the Cold War ended, the U.S.'s space ambitions also slowed. Apollo 17 was not only the last manned moon mission, it was also the last time humans travelled beyond the Earth's orbit.
But the Artemis missions are a part of a significant ramp-up in space activity from the U.S., including the first moon mission in 50 years and the eventual goal of reaching Mars.
Meanwhile, China has been ramping up its space programs at a time when tensions between Beijing and Washington are high over Taiwan, the South China Sea, trade and technology.
Last week, China sent a new crew to its Tiangong space station, Beijing's rival to the NASA-led International Space Station, that only launched last year. China's Mars rover also landed on the red planet last year and the country has previously launched rovers to the moon.
At the same time, private spaceflight companies have also started to welcome tourists, finally realizing the dream of commercial spaceflight. Last year, Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic and Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin made their maiden voyages past the Karman line, also known as the edge of where space begins. Elon Musk's SpaceX also launched a civilian crew into orbit in September 2021 and has plans to take tourists to the moon in 2023.
With files from 麻豆影视' Alexandra Mae Jones, CNN and The Associated Press
