ARTEMIS: First Human Base Camp on moon’s south pole by 2024.

  • It is $1.6 billion project of NASA to send the next man and first woman to the moon by 2024.
  • This project is first of its kind as no country has launched a stay mission to the moon.
  • The project is carried out in collaboration with European Space Agency, Canadian Space Agency, Japan Space Agency and Australian Space Agency.

ARTEMIS

  • ARTEMIS stands for “Acceleration, Reconnection, Turbulence and Electrodynamics of the Moon’s Interaction with the Sun”.
  • ARTEMIS is made up of two probes P1 and P2. 
  • These probes were originally members of the successful mission THEMIS in Earth orbit studying Earth’s aurora, but were redirected to the moon in an effort to save the two probes from losing power in Earth’s shade.

PURPOSE

  • Through this new mission scientists look to learn more about the Earth-moon Lagrange points, the solar wind, the Moon’s plasma wake and how the Earth’s magnetotail and the moon’s own weak magnetism interact with the solar wind.
NAMING

  • The mission is named Artemis after the twin sister of Greek god Apollo.
  • In Greek mythology, Artemis was the Moon goddess.
  • Her temple Ephesus was one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. 
  • The temple is currently located in Ionia, Turkey.

OTHER FACTS 

  • Twenty-four humans have travelled from the Earth to the Moon. 
  • Twelve walked on its surface. 
  • The last human visited the lunar surface in 1972.

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