The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is collecting names to be put on a flash drive that will fly aboard Artemis I. Artemis I will be the first uncrewed flight test of the Space Launch System rocket and the Orion spacecraft. The flight paves the way toward landing the first woman and the first person of color on the Moon.’’It’s free to add your name to the flash drive,’’ said NASA spokesperson Kathryn Hambleton. “We hope this is a way to get people excited and to bring them along and inspire the next generation, the Artemis generation,” Hambleton said. Since opening the submissions earlier this month, NASA has already received over one million names, according to Hambleton. “We’re hoping to keep up this momentum of just a little over a week ago … to gather many more names and generate more excitement from people around the globe that are going to ride along virtually,” she said.The US space agency is shooting for a date in May or June. All eyes will be on the historic Launch Complex 39B when Orion and the Space Launch System (SLS) lift off for the first time from NASA’s modernized Kennedy Space Centre in Florida. The 30-foot-tall, cone-shaped piece of hardware connects the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket’s upper and lower propulsion stages. The adapter also houses the RL10 engine that powers the Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage that will send Orion on a precise trajectory to the Moon. Artemis I will be the first in a series of increasingly complex missions to build a long-term human presence at the Moon for decades to come. NASA plans to build lunar habitats and use lessons learned there for forward missions to Mars in the 2030s. Observers are encouraged that the program launched by former President Donald Trump has continued under Joe Biden, even if he hasn’t been as vocal in his support.
