Gateway HALO unit to support vital space science on lunar missions

Written by Copernical Team Thursday, 31 October 2024 06:41

font size decrease font size increase font size
Print
Email

Write a comment

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Oct 30, 2024

Stephanie Dudley, who leads mission integration and utilization for NASA's Gateway, is at the forefront of merging human space exploration and science aboard the upcoming lunar orbiting outpost. Set to serve as humanity's first space station orbiting the Moon, Gateway will offer a platform for astronauts to live, perform experiments, and prepare for extended missions, particularly targeting the

Gateway HALO unit to support vital space science on lunar missions
by Clarence Oxford
Los Angeles CA (SPX) Oct 30, 2024

Stephanie Dudley, who leads mission integration and utilization for NASA's Gateway, is at the forefront of merging human space exploration and science aboard the upcoming lunar orbiting outpost. Set to serve as humanity's first space station orbiting the Moon, Gateway will offer a platform for astronauts to live, perform experiments, and prepare for extended missions, particularly targeting the lunar South Pole region.

Pictured recently in a high-fidelity mockup of Gateway's HALO (Habitation and Logistics Outpost) module, Dudley works closely with partner space agencies and the academic community to identify and implement scientific opportunities aboard Gateway. HALO will be equipped to host essential experiments, including NASA's Heliophysics Environmental and Radiation Measurement Experiment Suite and ESA's (European Space Agency) and JAXA's (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) Internal Dosimeter Array.

The heliophysics experiment will be mounted on HALO's exterior to analyze solar activity, while the dosimeter will be stationed inside, providing critical insights into radiation levels within Gateway. These studies are expected to inform long-term strategies for astronaut protection during deep-space missions, particularly for future journeys to Mars.

"We are building [Gateway] for a 15-year lifespan, but definitely hope that we go longer than that," Dudley explained on "Houston We Have a Podcast." "And so that many years of scientific study in a place where humans have never worked and lived long-term, Gateway is going to allow us to do that."

Beyond her work on Gateway, Dudley serves as a deputy director in NASA's Exploration Operations Office within the Moon to Mars Program. This dual role enables her to support a cohesive science agenda across the Artemis program, ensuring synchronization in research objectives across various elements, including Gateway, the Orion spacecraft, the Human Landing System, and the lunar terrain vehicle.

"My work...is helping to make sure that across all of the six [Artemis] programs, including Gateway, we're all focusing on utilization in the same way," Dudley said.

Under Dudley's guidance, NASA is preparing science payloads for Artemis II, which will mark humanity's return to lunar orbit, and Artemis III, which will include the first lunar landing near the South Pole. Gateway's HALO module, set to launch with the Power and Propulsion Element, is scheduled for deployment ahead of Artemis IV in 2028. This milestone mission will be the first to utilize an orbiting lunar station.

"Gateway sounds so science fiction, but it's real," Dudley said. "And we're building it. And in a few years, it's going to be around the Moon and that's when the real work, the fun work in my opinion, is going to begin and science will never be the same."

As an essential part of NASA's Artemis campaign, Gateway will support the return of humans to the Moon and establish a foundation for humanity's first missions to Mars, heralding a new era of lunar and interplanetary scientific exploration.