NASA's Artemis III, once a moon landing mission, has been postponed to 2028. Instead, a dress rehearsal is in the works, where astronauts will test the rendezvous between the Orion capsule and private lunar landing systems in Earth orbit. This is to ensure safety for future lunar missions.
Scientifically, Artemis III is about more than taking pictures. Astronauts will deploy witness materials to study how human presence affects the environment, crucial for future sample return missions. They will also use their observational skills to make inferences, an area where humans outshine machines.
Robots are excellent for taking pictures, but humans excel at interpreting complex scenes and making inferences. Artemis III aims to train astronauts and ground teams to work together more effectively, using the crew's observational skills to their advantage.
The scientific questions of Artemis III are vast, but personal. Barbara Cohen is particularly interested in the age of craters on the moon, a topic that requires a human touch to interpret the complex surface.
Despite the postponement, Artemis III remains a vital mission, not just for technology and inspiration, but for the unique insights that only humans can provide.
