Kristine Ramos: On The Importance of NASA's Artemis I Mission

After a second delay on September 3rd, 2022, Artemis I was rescheduled to a September 27th launch. Being the first mission to the moon since the 70’s, Artemis I, along with the subsequent Artemis II and III missions, present an exciting opportunity for space exploration. The missions will be the first time humans have walked on the moon since 1971, and will be necessary in NASA’s goal of establishing a permanent lunar base. 

During an interview with ABC news, Kristine Ramos, the systems engineer for the mission, explained the technological advancements that have occurred over NASA’s fifty year hiatus from moon missions. The core piece of the SLS (Space Launch System) has been described by Ramos as being “completely different” from previous core pieces, being able to contain twice as much fuel as its contemporaries. Artemis I’s primary mission is to perform reconnaissance on the lunar surface, and in order to do so effectively it will have to travel incredibly long distances, hence the need for large amounts of fuel. 

Ramos put emphasis on the amount of collaboration and planning that goes into missions like these, saying that the launch has been the result of ten years of hard work and planning, and that there is plenty more preparation to come for Artemis II and III.She says how “we need to get back out there” reflecting on NASA’s, and by extension humanities need to explore deeper into space. She explains that NASA’s ambitions reach far beyond the moon, and that Artemis will be an important first step in the exploration of the other planets and, eventually, interstellar space.

Although optimism for the mission is high, Ramos admits that there are some substantial challenges that will have to be overcome to ensure that the mission succeeds. One of these issues relates to the ship’s re-entry into Earth’s atmosphere. Artemis I’s primary goal, she says, is to test how much these issues will affect the effectiveness of the mission, and tweak the second and third missions based on the information acquired. After all, Artemis III will be an incredibly sensitive mission, as it will carry several astronauts on board. 

While Artemis I will only be the foundation of NASA's greater mission to explore the solar system, Ramos’s words clarify how much of a technological advancement the Artemis l mission is, and how important it will be for NASA’s future. 

By Christopher Eckl