NASA has revealed that the agency’s 2024 crewed mission to the moon is to be called Artemis. The announcement also revealed that the Artemis crew will include the first woman to set foot on the lunar surface.
In Greek mythology, Artemis is the twin sister of Apollo and goddess of the Moon. The name, as a result, pays homage to the 1960s programme while embracing a future that includes women in humanity’s exploration of the solar system. Curiously, in the mythology, Artemis is also responsible for killing Orion, the name given to the crew capsule that will be used for the 2024 mission.
In addition to the announcement of the mission’s name, President Donald Trump revealed that NASA’s budget would receive a $1.6 billion boost.
“Under my Administration, we are restoring NASA to greatness and are going back to the Moon, the Mars,” tweeted President Trump. “I am updating my budget to include an additional $1.6 billion so that we can return to Space in a BIG WAY!”
Although the budget increase represents a boost of more than 10%, many have expressed concern that it’s still not nearly enough to fund the ambitious mission. Before the announcement of the increase, proposals had estimated that a minimum of $6 billion more would be needed each year to adequately fund it.
