NASA invites public to design Artemis moon mission

Science: NASA is asking the public to suggest innovative solutions to help Artemis astronauts navigate in and around the moon’s south pole. The goal of the Artemis program is to land humans on the moon for the first time since the Apollo missions successfully accomplished this feat 50 years ago. Astronauts will land near the moon’s south pole, where permanently shadowed regions may provide patches of water ice to support future missions to Mars. The Lunar Navigation Challenge, which officially began Sept. 4, is seeking ideas for a low-tech backup navigation device that could help astronauts find their way to and from a lunar lander. Creative solutions could also be found on the moon’s surface by accessing and mapping the floor of Shackleton Crater, which is about 13 miles (21 kilometers) in diameter and 2.6 miles (4.2 kilometers) deep. The Freelancer.com contest page states:

“The initial Artemis missions will face a number of new challenges. One of them will be orientation on the moon’s south pole, which is difficult due to extreme light and shadows at the low altitude of the sun. Both individuals and teams are invited to participate in the competition. Designs submitted for consideration must take into account the extreme conditions of the lunar surface and provide accuracy, ease of use (using pressurized astronaut gloves) and autonomy – meaning they do not require power, electronics or rely on internal software. According to the competition website, traveling to and mapping the Shackleton Crater, one of the largest permanently shadowed areas on the moon, would be difficult due to its complex topography, including steep crater walls, cliffs and extreme temperatures, lack of a magnetic field, extremely low atmospheric pressure and limited satellite data about the area or line of sight to other celestial or orbital bodies.