When Artemis II launched in April, sending astronauts across the moon for the primary time in additional than 50 years, the mission broke information — and can assist scientists perceive undiscovered secrets and techniques, together with the historical past of Earth and our photo voltaic system.
As lunar science lead for NASA’s Artemis II mission, Kelsey Young, ’12 MS and ’14 PhD in geological sciences, led the staff that developed the lunar science plan and educated the crew to check the moon.
In this mission, the crew carried out scientific observations of the moon’s floor, together with the far aspect and an enormous crater referred to as the Orientale Basin that wasn’t noticed throughout the Apollo missions.
The launch made historical past as the primary crewed flight to the moon in over 50 years, breaking the space file beforehand held by Apollo 13 for the farthest people have traveled from Earth.
This mission additionally will assist get the U.S. prepared for the large second of touchdown people on the moon once more in Artemis IV, in addition to for deep area exploration, together with paving the best way for going to Mars.
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ASU alumna Kelsey Young is the lunar science lead for NASA’s Artemis II mission.
Photo credit score: Robert Markowitz/NASA
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Test topics Kelsey Young and Tess Caswell consider lunar subject geology duties as a part of the Exploration Extravehicular Activity (xEVA) evening operations improvement assessments carried out at Johnson Space Center’s Rock Yard.
Photo credit score: Norah Moran/NASA – Johnson Space Center
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The Artemis II mission with 4 astronauts on board launched into outer area in April.
Photo credit score: Joel Kowsky/NASA
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At ASU, Young says she cultivated a love of area science. “I discovered my passion for linking what I had always seen outdoors hiking with my family to what we can see on the surfaces of other planets. It’s this analog approach to planetary science that has become the focus of my career.”
Photo courtesy Kelsey Young
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“The science officer is the senior flight controller responsible for lunar science and geology objectives during Artemis missions,” Young mentioned in a NASA article. “They will integrate with all the other console disciplines and ensure NASA’s lunar science objectives are seamlessly integrated into mission execution.”
Photo credit score: Robert Markowitz/NASA