This Elevator Should Take Astronauts From The Top Of Their Lander To The Lunar Surface
The idea of an elevator between the Earth and the Moon has been circulating in the minds of the wildest dreamers for a long time. We are still a long way from it, but NASA could nevertheless use a lunar elevator system to transport astronauts from their spacecraft to the surface of our satellite during the Artemis III mission, reports Phonandroid.
Artemis III is the mission that will allow the first woman and first person of color to walk on the Moon. The astronauts will travel aboard the Orion capsule, then be transported from orbit to the lunar surface by SpaceX’s Starship HLS lander, a modified version of the vehicle SpaceX plans to use for interplanetary travel.
Feasibility tests
To ensure the safety of passengers, an elevator could thus be manufactured to bring them from the upper part of the lander to the ground. Concretely, this system would take the form of a platform resembling a basket. It would slide along a vertical rail attached to the side of the vehicle.
The idea is being studied at NASA. A combined simulation exercise was recently conducted by astronauts Nicole Mann and Doug Wheelock at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas (United States). The objective of this test was to evaluate the mobility and comfort of the crew, as well as the practicality of the equipment, whether it be the door locks, the ramp or even movement along of the rail.
In view of this future moon landing, the first since 1972, NASA is also developing numerous other innovations, including new space suits capable of combating lunar dust using an electric field. Before Artemis III, the Artemis II mission will take place in 2024, a first manned mission during which four astronauts will fly over the Moon.
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Source: www.20minutes.fr
