We're going to the Moon, this time to stay: NASA

On July 20, 1969, astronaut Neil Armstrong stepped on the Moon. It has been 50 years now and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is all set to go up for long stay on the Moon. However, this stay will also serve as the stopover or way station for astronauts traveling to Mars. Interesting! Isn’t it?

In a tweet, NASA on Friday shared a link of Question and Answer session by NASA spacesuit engineer Lindsay Aitchison, who's working on Artemis project and said, “We're going to the Moon — this time, to stay.”

Take a look:

We're going to the Moon — this time, to stay.

Jump over to @WIRED's Instagram stories to check out a Q&A with Lindsay Aitchison, one of our spacesuit engineers whose work will help #Artemis astronauts live and work safely on the lunar surface! 👨‍🚀 👩‍🚀https://t.co/n4j2LgjXBp pic.twitter.com/cbmccZmGOL

— NASA (@NASA) July 19, 2019

It is to be noted that the Artemis missions is named for Apollo’s sister in Greek mythology. Well, NASA is planning to test new human-class landers on the Moon from 2024, with the goal of sending a crew to the surface in 2028 through the Artemis missions. NASA’s Artemis program aims to bring the first woman to the moon.

In a previous statement, NASA said, “Now, for the first time in half a century, NASA’s Artemis missions will allow scientists and engineers to examine the surface from up close. This will teach us how to move safely across lunar soil, known as regolith, how to build infrastructure on top of it, and how to keep humans safe in space. The techniques scientists will develop on the Moon will make it possible for humans to safely and sustainably explore farther destinations, such as Mars.”

"From a technical standpoint, absolutely! Our workforce welcomed the challenge to accelerate our human return to the Moon by 2024," Cheryl Warner, a spokesperson at NASA's Moon to Mars Public Affairs Office told to Space.com.

"Development of the Space Launch System rocket, Orion spacecraft and ground systems at Kennedy Space Center continue and we'll test these systems twice around the Moon before we send crew to the Gateway," Warner added.

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