Universo curioso de la NASA · National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Artemis I: Vamos a la Luna

·26 min·2 clips

A Spanish engineer shares why returning to the Moon after decades fulfills his dream of helping humanity explore deep space.

This episode details NASA's Artemis I mission, an uncrewed test flight marking humanity's return to lunar exploration. Host Noelia González is joined by NASA engineers Carlos García Galán and Yvette Rivera Aponte, along with research scientist Luis Zea, who explain the mission's goals and their personal roles. Their perspectives highlight the international and diverse team behind this historic program. Artemis I will test the powerful Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and the Orion spacecraft, which includes a European Service Module providing propulsion and life support. The mission aims to validate these systems for future crewed flights to lunar orbit and the surface. A key objective is establishing a sustainable presence on the Moon, focusing on the unexplored South Pole to utilize resources like water ice. The program plans to build the Gateway, a lunar-orbiting space station, and land the first woman and first person of color on the Moon. Engineer Yvette Rivera Aponte specifically contributed to the crew access arm for the SLS, a critical walkway with new emergency egress capabilities. Carlos García Galán manages the integration of the European Service Module, which enables Orion's long-duration deep space travel with its solar panels and radiators. The Orion capsule will carry three manikins—Commander Moonikin Campos, Helga, and Zohar—equipped with sensors to gather data on vibration, acceleration, and radiation exposure. An experiment led by Luis Zea will study yeast cells' DNA repair mechanisms under deep-space radiation using an autonomous hardware box called PLASM. Another experiment, Biosentinel, will also study radiation effects on yeast via a small CubeSat satellite deployed during the mission. The crew access arm's design connects to historical precedent, as similar structures were used for Apollo and Space Shuttle programs. The SLS rocket, assembled in the historic Vehicle Assembly Building, reuses RS-25 engines from the Space Shuttle era. Commander Moonikin Campos is named for Arturo Campos, a Mexican-American engineer who helped save the Apollo 13 mission. Luis Zea notes that controlled biological studies beyond Earth's protective Van Allen belts haven't been conducted since Apollo 17 in 1972. The episode emphasizes that Artemis is a foundational step toward future crewed missions to Mars. The speakers express that seeing a diverse team leading Artemis missions is a point of personal and professional pride. Engineer Yvette Rivera Aponte describes an emotional moment seeing the fully assembled rocket and her contribution after years of design work. Carlos García Galán shares that witnessing a Space Shuttle launch inspired his career path to NASA. The episode argues that the Artemis generation's work will inspire future scientists and engineers currently in school. The tone is educational, inspirational, and conversational, blending technical explanations with personal narratives from the professionals involved. It adopts a forward-looking and hopeful perspective on space exploration's future. This episode is ideal for space enthusiasts interested in the engineering details and human stories behind NASA's lunar return. Listeners seeking critical analysis of the program's budget or political context might find the episode less comprehensive.

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