Artemis – Back to the Moon and on to Mars!
I was fortunate enough to work on the NASA Artemis Program the last eight years and was excited to see the vehicle finally stacked in the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) and roll out to the Pad for launch last November! Go Artemis!
With Artemis missions, NASA will land the first woman and first person of color on the Moon, using innovative technologies to explore more of the lunar surface than ever before. We will collaborate with commercial and international partners and establish the first long-term presence on the Moon. Then, we will use what we learn on and around the Moon to take the next giant leap: sending the first astronauts to Mars.
The next giant leap! Stay tuned for more on Artemis as we approach Artemis II, a manned fly-by of the Moon, possibly as early as 2024 or 2025.
Some pictures taken inside the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) shortly before roll-out to Launch Complex 39B.
The entrance to the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB)
A view the fully stacked Artemis Rocket on the Mobile Launcher.
Boosters and the Core Stage as seen from the Mobile Launcher Deck
Its a long way up to the Orion Capsule
About the Author and Photographer: Alden Pitard has over 40 years experience working in the Aerospace Industry at Cape Canaveral, The Kennedy Space Center (KSC) and Boeing locations throughout the country. He has supported the Space Shuttle Program, International Space Station, 787 Dreamliner and most recently the Artemis Program. During his time at "The Cape" he photographed a majority of the Launch Sites at KSC and Cape Canaveral. As the Space Shuttle program was coming to a close in 2011, the author decided to bike to all the Launch Complexes he could and capture the Space Center and Cape Canaveral as it was - thus "Biking through Space Ruins".