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At a time when the United States’ rating has plummeted around the world on account of the joint military offensives in Iran, the country has proved, once again, that it merits the status of a model to technologically-laggard countries. Since the 1st of April till the night of last Friday (April 10), the international community was agog with the trip and safe return to Earth of four astronauts that went on a 10-day Artemis II Mission in the lunar space. The crew splashed down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of San Diego, California, in about 8.07 pm (EDT). Estimates indicated that over 20 million viewers watched the livestream of the successful landing of Orion spacecraft, described by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) as a “perfect bullseye”.
The journey of conquering the space environment did not start on the D-day. It was the necessity of competing from a position of strength during the Cold War “space race” that led to the launch of the Apollo Program in 1961 under President J.F. Kennedy, which was meant to explore the outer space and boost the US ego before the end of the following decade. On the whole, the Apollo Missions (1-17) had 12 American astronauts who walked on the Moon in the six successful lunar explorations between 1969 and 1972. However, there were uncrewed test flights at initial stages including the first Apollo Mission (Apollo 1) that left frightening memories of the death of three astronauts at a pre-launch session in January 1967.
Yet, the Americas held on to the grand ambition. They understood how to change with the times. While the Apollo Program pioneered the adventure to the Moon in the heat of time and security pressures, the successor Artemis Mission was cut out for a lasting and sustainable impact that goes beyond the Moon to reaching the Mars. With more than 50 years apart, the Artemis project has significantly demonstrated how the restlessness of human mind and the endless revolution in modern science and technology can make a marked difference in visioning, smartness, accuracy, precision, safety, effectiveness, and instantaneous control and feedback. What also sets the Artemis program on a different pedestal is the hitherto unthinkable development of a lunar economy. There are market projections by PricewaterhouseCoopers that by 2040 the Moon’s resources and surface commodification would yield over US$150 billion by 2040.
Another dissimilarity from the Artemis mind-boggling enterprise is that the Apollo Command Module had the capacity to carry only three-person crew to the Moon for 10-14 days and the preference for landing was within the equatorial zones because of predictable lighting conditions, operational efficiency and safety concerns. On the other hand, the Artemis lofty dream of deep space exploration left nothing to chances. Advanced technology was the key enabler. With its Space Launch System (SLS), NASA contracted Lockheed Marthin for the manufacture of the Orion spacecraft, with a combined capacity of conveying up to four astronauts beyond Low Earth Orbit (LEO) for three weeks, as well as a multi-layered protective mechanism and elements for human survival.
Situating the two from the binoculars of business, the Apollo Program was primarily funded by the US government and had limited aspiration of squaring up with the prevailing proxy confrontations between the East and the West. But the Artemis project transcends power show off. Through public-private partnerships, Artemis has been in joint collaboration with commercial big players like SpaceX and Blue Origin for landers, and the European Space Agency (ESA), for heavy projects like the International Space Station, among others.
A prelude to the Artemis II Mission was the 25-day uncrewed spaceflight known as Artemis I which was launched at the Kennedy Space Centre and conducted between November and December 2022. It was a test-run for the Orion spacecraft and its heat shielding capacity, as subsequent Artemis’ missions would have a crew onboard. A note by the Northwest Earth and Space Sciences Pathways (NESSP), one of NASA’s activation teams observed that, “Though they didn’t carry a human crew, it was a crucial first step toward returning humans to the Moon. However, success didn’t come on the first or even the second try. Engineers and scientists faced hundreds or thousands of failures before the one shining success of Artemis I. Such huge and complex problems involve years of design, testing, and refinement. Big and small failures are part of the process, providing data to improve designs and procedures.”
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Indeed, the Artemis II lunar flyby was scary. The four astronauts: Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and the Canadian Space Agency’s astronaut, Jeremy Hansen travelled 252,756 miles from Earth, and reached the farthest distance in spaceflight in about four days. Their first day on the lunar was the “craziest.”
Before setting out to loop around and catch glimpses of far side of the Moon, they had to reassure themselves that the environmental and life support systems put in place for their survival were working. “Can it scrub our carbon dioxide? Can it keep us alive? Can we drink water? Can we go to the bathroom? All those basic human functions…We’ve got to go get those things tested before we press out to the moon,” Wiseman noted.
The crew had amazing discoveries which were either videoed or pictured. They saw the moon eclipsing the sun. They saw the dividing line between light and darkness on the Moon. They saw holes, craters, that resemble “endless, bottomless pits.” More importantly, their safe splashdown is a huge inspiration for establishing a permanent Moon base. Dr. Lori Glaze said that “Their dedication is about more than breaking records – it’s fueling our hope for a bold future.”
In all respects, knowledge is audacious. I pity countries that joke with quality education and investment in technological research & development. Nigeria and other developing countries should learn, prioritize, and appropriately fund STEM education from the cradle. There is no short cut to it. It must be a justiciable element in our development agenda.
Prioritize and fund STEM education
