- Artemis Project
The Artemis Project was a private venture to establish a permanent, self-supporting base on the
Moon by 2002. [citeweb|title=The_Artemis_Project_Frequently_Asked_Questions|url=http://www.islandone.org/Settlements/ArtemisFAQ.html|publisher=islandone.org |accessdate=2008-02-07] It was named afterArtemis , the goddess of the Moon and twin sister ofApollo (a reference to theApollo project ). The project's creators, The Lunar Resources Company, [citeweb|title=The Lunar Resources Company|url=http://www.tlrc.com|publisher=tlrc.com|accessdate=2009-02-07] formed theArtemis Society as a non-profitNGO in 1994. [citeweb|title=§ 8.3.7 Artemis Project and the Lunar Resources Company (LRC)|url=http://www.permanent.com/m-artlrc.htm|publisher=permanent.com|accessdate=2008-02-07] They were not counting on mining or research activities as their initial revenue stream. Instead, they planned to cover the costs by exploiting the entertainment value in creating a lunar colony. They also believed that their costs would be a small fraction of what a government agency, such asNASA , would have spent.The project studied other
space colonization projects as well, including colonies on outer planet moons, such as Europa, thought to containwater oceans under their icy crusts. However, nothing ever came of this. Fact|date=May 2008Overview
The "Reference Mission" was designed to provide enough infrastructure to create a small lunar base. [citeweb|title=Brief_Overview_of_the_Artemis_Project_Reference_Mission|url=http://www.asi.org/adb/01/03/brief-overview.html|publisher=asi.org|accessdate=2008-02-07] There is no evidence to indicate if any flight hardware was built.
Mission Hardware
Lunar transfer vehicle
The Lunar transfer Vehicle consisted of a single
Spacehab module with communications equipment,Solar panels 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 inLunar orbit as the crew descend to the lunar surface.Lunar base habitat
The lunar habitat consisted of three
Spacehab modules and a descent stage. It also would have contained other equipment such assolar panels ,radiators and communications equipment.Ascent Stage
The ascent stage was to have been used by the crew to return to a lunar orbit from the surface of the moon. Unlike the
Lunar Module of theApollo Program , the ascent stage was not to have maintained a breathableatmosphere . Because of this, a protective space suit would have to be worn throughout the flight to protect theAstronaut from the harsh conditions ofspace .Mission Profile
The main mission hardware components would have been assembled in a low earth orbit. Then the "stack" would have boosted to a lunar orbit. The
astronaut s would have transferred from the lunar transfer vehicle to the ascent stage. After a deorbit and breaking 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 setup 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 toEarth .Future Plans
Once a base had been built on the moon it was hoped that a lunar hotel would have been established. [citeweb|title=Your Vacation on the Moon|url=http://www.asi.org/adb/01/02/moonvac.html|publisher=asi.org|accessdate=2008-02-07] However it is not known how economically feasible this would have been since low cost access to space (possibly involving
SSTO orTSTO vehicles) had yet to be developed.ee also
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Colonization of the Moon
*Colonization of Europa
*Moon Society Notes
External links
* [http://www.asi.org Artemis Society] Official website
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