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Artemis Project
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<h2 id="overview">Overview</h2> <p>The <i>Reference Mission</i> was designed to provide enough infrastructure to create a small lunar base.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:8" href="#fn:8"><sup>8</sup></a> No flight hardware was built. </p> <h3>Mission hardware</h3> <h4>Lunar transfer vehicle</h4> <p>The Lunar transfer Vehicle concept consisted of a single <a href="/facts/Spacehab/9NvjVomA">Spacehab</a> module with communications equipment, <a href="/facts/Solar_panels/gufbEu8n">Solar panels</a> and an added booster stage. The Lunar Transfer Vehicle would have carried the crew as they travel from the Earth to the Moon. It would have been left in <a href="/facts/Lunar_orbit/486BxvD6">Lunar orbit</a> as the crew descend to the lunar surface. </p> <h4>Lunar base habitat</h4> <p>The lunar habitat concept consisted of three <a href="/facts/Spacehab/9NvjVomA">Spacehab</a> modules and a descent stage. It also would have contained other equipment such as <a href="/facts/Solar_panels/gufbEu8n">solar panels</a>, <a href="/facts/Radiators/W592jFf2">radiators</a> and communications equipment. </p> <h4>Ascent stage</h4> <p>The ascent stage concept was to have been used by the crew to return to a lunar orbit from the surface of the Moon. Unlike the <a href="/facts/Lunar_Module/XtvQS5K5">Lunar Module</a> of the <a href="/facts/Apollo_Program/IC1Ek1Ao">Apollo Program</a>, the ascent stage was not to have maintained a breathable <a href="/facts/Atmosphere/oUpLaGRF">atmosphere</a>. Because of this, a protective <a href="/facts/Space_suit/dtqNGHUP">space suit</a> would have to be worn throughout the flight to protect the <a href="/facts/Astronaut/HB1bd6Lz">astronaut</a> from the harsh conditions of <a href="/facts/Space/tq6LUM3C">space</a>. </p> <h3>Mission profile</h3> <p>The main mission hardware components would have been assembled in a <a href="/facts/Low_Earth_Orbit/rq1TwayJ">low Earth orbit</a>. Then the <i>stack</i> would have boosted to a lunar orbit. The <a href="/facts/Astronaut/HB1bd6Lz">astronauts</a> would have transferred from the lunar transfer vehicle to the ascent stage. After a deorbit and braking burn, the lunar base habitat and the ascent stage would have been landed on the lunar surface. Following this, the crew would have unpacked and set up the new lunar base for future operations. Once the lunar operations were completed, the crew was to transfer to the ascent stage, where they were to enter into a lunar orbit and dock with the lunar transfer vehicle where they would have remained for the journey back to <a href="/facts/Earth/HLLmDfj0">Earth</a>. </p> <h2 id="future-plans">Future plans</h2> <p>Once a base had been built on the Moon it was intended that a lunar hotel would have been established.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:9" href="#fn:9"><sup>9</sup></a> However it is not known how economically feasible this would have been because low-cost access to space (possibly involving <a href="/facts/SSTO/4qPbu35V">single-stage-to-orbit</a> or <a href="/facts/TSTO/rD0nmgs0">two-stage-to-orbit</a> vehicles) had yet to be developed. </p> <h2 id="see-also">See also</h2> <ul><li><a href="/facts/Colonization_of_the_Moon/Sc13PEu3">Colonization of the Moon</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Moon_Society/S7Yu3Lod">Moon Society</a></li></ul> <h2 id="notes">Notes</h2> <h2 id="external-links">External links</h2> <h2 id="references">References</h2> <ol> <li id="fn:1"><p>Gregory Bennett, "The Artemis Project: Selling the Moon," Analog Science Fiction and Fact, January 1995. <a href="#fnref:1" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:2"><p>"The_Artemis_Project_Frequently_Asked_Questions". islandone.org. Archived from the original on 2008-05-13. Retrieved 2008-02-07. <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080513011311/http://www.islandone.org/Settlements/ArtemisFAQ.html" target="_blank">https://web.archive.org/web/20080513011311/http://www.islandone.org/Settlements/ArtemisFAQ.html</a> <a href="#fnref:2" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:3"><p>"The Lunar Resources Company". tlrc.com. Archived from the original on 7 February 2009. Retrieved 2009-02-07. <a href="http://www.tlrc.com" target="_blank">http://www.tlrc.com</a> <a href="#fnref:3" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:4"><p>"§ 8.3.7 Artemis Project and the Lunar Resources Company (LRC)". permanent.com. Archived from the original on 25 February 2008. Retrieved 2008-02-07. <a href="http://www.permanent.com/m-artlrc.htm" target="_blank">http://www.permanent.com/m-artlrc.htm</a> <a href="#fnref:4" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:5"><p>Gregory Bennett, "The Artemis Project: Selling the Moon," Analog Science Fiction and Fact, January 1995. <a href="#fnref:5" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:6"><p>Kokh, Peter; Kaehny, Mark; Armstrong, Doug; Burnside, Ken (November 1997). "Europa II Workshop Report". Moon Miner's Manifesto (110). Archived from the original on 2019-06-07. Retrieved 2016-01-19. <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20190607102248/http://asi.org/adb/06/09/03/02/110/europa2-wkshp.html" target="_blank">https://web.archive.org/web/20190607102248/http://asi.org/adb/06/09/03/02/110/europa2-wkshp.html</a> <a href="#fnref:6" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:7"><p>"Humans on Europa: A Plan for Colonies on the Icy Moon". Space.com. 6 June 2001. Retrieved 19 January 2016. <a href="http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/chat/691006/posts" target="_blank">http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/chat/691006/posts</a> <a href="#fnref:7" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:8"><p>"Brief_Overview_of_the_Artemis_Project_Reference_Mission". asi.org. Archived from the original on 13 March 2008. Retrieved 2008-02-07. <a href="http://www.asi.org/adb/01/03/brief-overview.html" target="_blank">http://www.asi.org/adb/01/03/brief-overview.html</a> <a href="#fnref:8" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:9"><p>"Your Vacation on the Moon". asi.org. Archived from the original on 16 February 2008. Retrieved 2008-02-07. <a href="http://www.asi.org/adb/01/02/moonvac.html" target="_blank">http://www.asi.org/adb/01/02/moonvac.html</a> <a href="#fnref:9" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> </ol>