NASA announced that it will send the first woman ever, and first man in five decades, to the Moon in a mission codenamed ‘Artemis’ by 2024, thanks to budget increases brought in under the Trump administration.
“I think it is very beautiful that 50 years after Apollo, the Artemis program will carry the next man and the first woman to the Moon,” NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine said. “I have a daughter who is 11 years old, and I want her to be able to see herself in the same role as the next women that go to the Moon.”
“The first woman will be an American on the surface of the Moon in five years,” Bridenstine said in April. All 12 people who have walked on the lunar surface have been American men.
Some poked fun at the apparent lack of originality with the “Greek pantheon” naming convention for NASA’s missions, but the majority of commenters online applauded the announcement.
US President Donald Trump announced on Monday that he would be adding $1.6 billion to NASA’s budget so that the US could “return to Space in a BIG WAY!”
Trump reportedly challenged the agency to land on the lunar south pole by 2024 – Trump’s last year in office should he be re-elected in next year’s presidential race.
The new lunar mission’s codename is Artemis, the Greek goddess of the Moon and the twin sister of Apollo. On July 20, 1969, the Apollo 11 mission successfully landed the first humans on the Moon.
However, NASA is still awaiting congressional approval for its new budget, so while the news is promising for now, there are still many hurdles to overcome.
The actual Artemis program also has a long way to go, as it will require all new hardware for the lunar landers in addition to major testing of the new crew capsule for the mission.
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Source : RT - Daily news
NASA to send first WOMAN to the Moon by 2024 thanks to Trump budget increase
NASA to send first WOMAN to the Moon by 2024 thanks to Trump budget increase
