Jim Bridenstine, the NASA administrator has revealed that the success of the Artemis lunar mission will be the stepping stone to achieve the ultimate goal of Mars colonization. Bridenstine claimed that the upcoming lunar mission will be completed using modern technologies, and it will allow humans to visit the moon time and time again.
"We will go to the Moon this time using modern technology and systems in ways that will allow us to return time and time again. This too is different from the Artemis generation – we will see the long-term robotic and human exploration of our nearest neighbor. Then we will take what we learn at the Moon, and head to Mars," said Jim Bridenstine, Express.co.uk reports.
NASA's Artemis program is planning to explore the moon from 2020 to 2028. In the initial stages of this mission, NASA will land robots on the moon, and later, the space agency will land humans on earth's own natural satellite.
If everything goes well, the space agency will send humans to the moon in 2024 using the Space Launch System (SLS) and Orion spacecraft. Through these missions, NASA is aiming to make a sustainable presence on the lunar surface that will aid humans to materialize future Mars missions.
Bridenstine also made it clear that a woman will land first on the moon next time.
"Artemis is the twin sister of Apollo and a goddess of the Moon. And she now personifies our path forward in more ways than one. With the Artemis program, we will land the first woman and next man on the Moon," added Bridenstine.
A few days back, Chang'e-4 Chinese lunar probe had discovered a mysterious jelly-like substance on the far side of the moon. The jelly-like substance had a weird color, and scientists still know much about the origin and nature of this material.
