Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin and NASA plan to create moon-like gravity inside the New Shepard rocket by spinning it 11 times per minute during flight to test payloads set for the Artemis mission
- NASA and Blue Origin are working to recreate gravity that is found on the moon
- The team plans to modify Blue Origin’s New Shepard rocket for the project
- The craft will act like a large centrifuge to create the artificial gravity in space
- It will 11 rotations per minute during the free-fall phase of the flight
Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin is transforming its New Shepard rocket into a moon simulator for NASA to test innovations in lunar gravity.
The team plans to update the spacecraft to use the capsule like a large centrifuge, a device that uses a rotating force to separate specific components from liquids, to create artificial gravity for payloads inside.
The capsule’s reaction control thrusters would generate a spin amounting to 11 rotations per minute during the free-fall phase of the flight, which NASA says would produce a centripetal force equivalent to the moon’s gravity.
Blue Origin’s new lunar gravity testing capabilities are set to be available in late 2022 and will be a key player in experimenting with payloads that are set to accompany the Artemis mission that is sending the first woman and next man to the moon in the mid-2020s.
Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin is transforming its New Shepard rocket into a moon simulator for NASA to test innovations in lunar gravity. The team plans to update the spacecraft to use the capsule like a large centrifuge
Although sending humans to outer space is a challenge, the real obstacle will be when space fairing heroes step foot on the lunar surface – the gravity is one-sixth that of Earth’s.
Christopher Baker, program executive for NASA’s Flight Opportunities program, said in a statement: ‘One of the constant challenges with living and working in space is reduced gravity.’
‘Many systems designed for use on Earth simply do not work the same elsewhere.’
Astronauts have training in artificial gravity here on Earth, which mostly takes place while they are submerged in water.
![The capsule’s reaction control thrusters would generate a spin amounting to 11 rotations per minute during the free-fall phase of the flight, which NASA says would produce a centripetal force equivalent to the moon’s gravity](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2021/03/11/23/40362300-9353061-image-a-60_1615505135439.jpg)
The capsule’s reaction control thrusters would generate a spin amounting to 11 rotations per minute during the free-fall phase of the flight, which NASA says would produce a centripetal force equivalent to the moon’s gravity
![Blue Origin’s new lunar gravity testing capabilities are set to be available in late 2022 and will be a key player in experimenting with payloads that are set to accompany the Artemis mission that is sending the first woman and next man to the moon in the mid-2020s](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2021/03/11/23/40361668-9353061-image-a-55_1615504839729.jpg)
Blue Origin’s new lunar gravity testing capabilities are set to be available in late 2022 and will be a key player in experimenting with payloads that are set to accompany the Artemis mission that is sending the first woman and next man to the moon in the mid-2020s
But Blue Origin and NASA’s partnership could simulate the same type of gravity crew will experience while exploring the moon
When upgraded, New Shepard will use its reaction control system (RCS) to activate a rotation of the capsule.
The RCS uses the rockets thrusters for altitude control and steering, and is capable of providing small amounts of thrust to move the craft in a desired direction or combination of direction.
Blue Origin’s first flight of this capability will target 11 rotations per minute to provide more than two minutes of continuous lunar gravity, exposing the technologies to this challenging but difficult-to-test condition.
NASA announced Wednesday that it passed a key assembly milestone with the Space Launch System (SLS) ‘megarocket’ that brings it closer to launch the Artemis crew to the moon.
The US space agency said the ten segments that make up the two booster rockets were vertically stacked over several weeks at the Kennedy Space Center.
When launched, the $18.6 billion SLS will be the most powerful rocket ever made and capable of taking cargo and astronauts to the moon in a single trip.
![NASA announced Wednesday that it passed a key assembly milestone with the Space Launch System (SLS) 'megarocket' (pictured) .The US space agency said the ten segments that make up the two booster rockets were vertically stacked over several weeks at the Kennedy Space Center.](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2021/03/11/23/40361666-9353061-image-a-56_1615504858937.jpg)
NASA announced Wednesday that it passed a key assembly milestone with the Space Launch System (SLS) ‘megarocket’ (pictured) .The US space agency said the ten segments that make up the two booster rockets were vertically stacked over several weeks at the Kennedy Space Center.
Getting the rocket off the ground for Artemis I in 2021 is critical to meet the 2024 target of landing the first woman and next man on the moon with Artemis III.
Bruce Tilleer, SLS booster manager at the Marshall Space Flight Center, said: ‘Seeing the Space Launch System solid rocket boosters stacked completely on the Mobile Launcher for the first time makes me proud of the entire team.’
‘This team has created the tallest, most powerful boosters ever built for flight, boosters that will help launch the Artemis I mission to the Moon.’
This 2023 launch will be reminiscent of Apollo 10 and is intended to act as a crewed dress rehearsal for the 2024 mission.