MSFC Director Jody Singer stressed the importance of learning new things and inspiring the next generation.

“We really do have the responsibility to pay it forward and I know this generation and this city and our counterparts, industry partners and academia, all take it very seriously.”

Marshall Space Flight Center Director Jody Singer took the stage to talk about Marshall’s roll in both the Apollo and Artemis programs.

Singer stated that Marshall Space Flight Center is “poised and ready” to move forward, taking the projects and scientific findings of the past and applying them to the “next generation of things that are needed, the gaps that are needed, the things that are in additive manufacturing, nuclear propulsion, cryogenic fluid management…things that we have to do to solve what will enable us to go to the Moon, stay on the Moon, and then go on farther.”

“All of those things are the things that we’re working on at Marshall, and we’re trying to inspire and work with partners and inspire the next generation to want to do those things and solve the impossible tasks,” Singer continued.

Singer credited the community, the mayors, NASA’s partners, academia, and industry with its success. “It’s not just the large companies, it’s the small companies, it’s the suppliers. It’s having that business base that keeps us strong,” she said.

NASA ESDMD Associate Administrator James Free marveled at the Davidson Center’s displays, saying that it was his first time visiting and that he had been looking forward to his trip to Huntsville after a wet dress that he described as “a little dicey.”

Free credited Duke with being “the kind of person that makes me proud to be part of the NASA family…his dedication, perseverance, and patriotism show why he’s one of the best and brightest.”

According to Free, meeting Duke was a transformational experience. “I can confidently tell you that I’m going back with, like ‘I want to put the oxygen and hydrogen in that vehicle myself after hearing you talk. Thank you for the inspiration and for reminding all of us what is possible.”

Free stressed that Artemis will reflect today’s world through diversity, inclusion, and international collaboration, as well as increased commercial opportunities. “When we return to the Moon this time, we will be going with women and people of color. This most recent astronaut class represents the diversity of America, bringing a range of life experiences and skills,” he said.

“Today’s astronauts are doctors, marine biologists, veterans, mathematicians, aviators, and much more. We’ll watch a new generation of flight directors in Mission Control along with teams across the country guide and support our astronauts as they make history together.”

“We are going to land on the Moon, but we will also build a long term presence there, establishing a rhythm of missions and encouraging a lunar marketplace in which NASA is a customer among many.”

Free also discussed the wet dress rehearsal, saying that when the SLS is rolled back to the Vehicle Assembly Building, they will take advantage of the opportunity “to make some repairs while one of our offsite suppliers is upgrading their systems to get us the supplies they need.”

He reported that NASA is looking at several options as the SLS is in the Vehicle Assembly Building, “a good reminder that there is no substitute for testing in real life. Even our best models and simulations need to be verified.”

Free stated that Artemis II is on the horizon, which will be announced following a successful Artemis I mission. Next up is Artemis III, set for 2025, which will mark humanity’s return to the lunar surface.

“Our plans for Artemis IV are on track with key elements and hardware in development and under construction,” he added.

He stressed the huge economic boost brought about by the Apollo program, as well as its ability to inspire future generations to seek careers in STEM. Free cited a threefold increase in STEM PhDs between the mid 1960s to mid 1970s as evidence of its influence.

“Apollo opened the door for amazing science yet to be done,” Free continued. “With Artemis, we’ll land where humans have never gone before–the lunar south pole. Human Landing Systems will carry Artemis astronauts from orbit to the surface and back again. By collaborating with industry partners on the designs for innovative landers, NASA is encouraging healthy competition in growing the lunar economy.”

Goals for the new landing site include potentially finding water and other resources, as well as developing new technologies on the lunar surface that can ultimately be taken to Mars. In addition, there will be an orbiting laboratory gateway to focus on biology, geology, space weather, astrophysics, and climate research.

International collaboration will be a key element, involving existing relationships with the European Space Agency, the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency, and the Canadian Space Agency.

“This time when we go, we go with our international partners. More nations are eager to participate in our lunar endeavors–eighteen countries have signed the Artemis Accords committing to the peaceful and productive use of space,” Free said.

Although the first trips to the Moon will take approximately a week, they will increase to a month or more as capabilities are increased. Free emphasized that while trips to the Moon can be accomplished in a few days, a round trip to Mars will take two to three years. “There are no resupplies or shortcuts to come home, so everything we’re doing we’re doing as we’re building out these systems in the cislunar environment [to] make it safer, more reliable, and more capable.”

Free predicted that Artemis astronauts will face new challenges, both physical and mental, and scientists will be able to use data gathered from extended lunar surface missions to enable them to better analyze risks and effects. This, he explained, will be an extension of existing studies conducted on the ISS.

“Apollo changed the world, and in doing so left us with an important lesson: there were a total of 20 planned Apollo missions but after Apollo 17 we stopped. Why was Apollo cut short? How will Artemis avoid this same thing?…The simple thing is budget. The other answer is execution. But there were deeper reasons, primarily the opinion that we had already won the space race,” Free explained.

“Artemis is not a race, and as it picks up where Apollo left off, America must continue to lead the exploration of the Moon. This time it will be a shared effort among many nations who will prioritize science, exploring more of the Moon than ever before, with our commercial and international partners,” Free continued. “We can build rockets and rovers and habitats, but we must keep the focus on why we built them. We have so much to learn about our place in the solar system and our engineering must be driven by demand for knowledge. We must keep focus on why we are going.”

“Keep inspiring young people to enter careers in STEM. Stay thirsty for new discoveries that will change the way everyone on Earth perceives their place in our universe. This is how you keep Artemis alive and how we maintain the momentum to send humans to Mars,” he concluded.

Photos by Dawn Suiter, Huntsville Business Journal