Jump to content

Gateway: Up Close in Stunning Detail


NASA

Recommended Posts

  • Publishers
A detailed 3D animation of NASA's Gateway space station, showcasing its modules and structural components from various angles against the backdrop of deep space.
NASA/Bradley Reynolds, Alberto Bertolin

NASA and its international partners will explore the scientific mysteries of deep space with Gateway, humanity’s first space station to orbit the Moon. Starting with the Artemis IV mission in 2028, the international teams of astronauts living, conducting science, and preparing for missions to the lunar South Pole region on Gateway will be the first humans to make their home in deep space.

This artist’s computer-generated animation presents an exterior tour of Gateway in stunning detail. Depicted Gateway elements are the:

  • Power and Propulsion Element that will make Gateway the most powerful solar electric spacecraft ever flown. The module will use the Sun’s energy to power the space station’s subsystems and ionize xenon gas to produce the thrust that will maintain Gateway’s unique polar orbit around the Moon.
  • HALO (Habitation and Logistics Outpost), Gateway’s command and control nexus providing communications between Earth and the lunar surface with the Lunar Link system provided by ESA (European Space Agency). HALO will house life support systems, including exercise equipment, and science payload banks.
  • Lunar I-Hab, provided by ESA with hardware contributions from JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency), will host environmental control and life support systems, sleeping quarters, and a galley, among other features.
  • Lunar View, provided by ESA, will have refueling capabilities for the Power and Propulsion Element, cargo storage, and large windows.
  • Crew and Science Airlock, provided by the Mohammad Bin Rashid Space Centre of the United Arab Emirates, for crew and hardware transfer from Gateway’s interior to the vacuum of space.
  • Canadarm3 advanced external robotic system provided by CSA (Canadian Space Agency).
  • Deep Space Logistics spacecraft that will transport cargo to Gateway to support Artemis missions.
  • Initial Gateway science payloads that will study solar and cosmic radiation, a little-understood phenomenon that is a chief concern for people and hardware traveling through deep space, including Mars. The payloads visible in this video are ERSA (European Radiation Sensors Array), provided by ESA, attached to the Power and Propulsion Element, and the NASA-led HERMES (Heliophysics Environmental and Radiation Measurement Experiment Suite) is attached to HALO. A third radiation science payload, IDA (Internal Dosimeter Array), provided by ESA and JAXA, will be inside of HALO.

This video also depicts:

  • The Orion spacecraft docked to the Crew and Science Airlock. Orion will transport international teams of astronauts and three modules (Lunar I-Hab, Lunar View and the Crew and Science Airlock) to the Gateway space station.
  • Government-reference Human Landing System (HLS) that will ferry astronauts to and from the lunar South Pole region. SpaceX and Blue Origin are on contract to provide the Starship HLS and Blue Moon HLS, respectively.

Gateway is part of the Artemis architecture to return humans to the lunar surface for scientific discovery and chart a path for human exploration further into the solar system, such as to Mars and beyond.

Share

Details

Last Updated
Jun 25, 2024
Editor
Briana R. Zamora
Contact
Briana R. Zamora

View the full article

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

  • Similar Topics

    • By NASA
      Technicians carefully install a piece of equipment to house Gateway’s xenon fuel tanks, part of its advanced electric propulsion system. Gateway’s Power and Propulsion Element, which will make the lunar space station the most powerful solar electric spacecraft ever flown, recently received the xenon and liquid fuel tanks for its journey to and around the Moon.
      Technicians in Palo Alto, California carefully install a piece of equipment that will house the tanks. Once fully assembled and launched to lunar orbit, the Power and Propulsion Element’s roll-out solar arrays – together about the size of an American football field endzone – will harness the Sun’s energy to energize xenon gas and produce the thrust to get Gateway to the Moon’s orbit where it will await the arrival of its first crew on the Artemis IV mission.
      The Power and Propulsion Element will also carry the European Radiation Sensors Array science experiment provided by ESA (European Space Agency) and JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency), one of three Gateway science experiments that will study solar and cosmic radiation. The little understood phenomenon is a chief concern for humans and hardware journeying to deep-space destinations like Mars and beyond.
      The Power and Propulsion Element is managed out of NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio and built by Maxar Space Systems of Palo Alto, California.
      Hardware for the Gateway space station’s Power and Propulsion element, including its primary structure and fuel tanks ready for assembly, are shown at Maxar Space Systems in Palo Alto, California.Maxar Space Systems An artist’s rendering of the Gateway space station’s Power and Propulsion Element.NASA/Alberto Bertolin A type of advanced electric propulsion system thruster that will be used on Gateway glows blue as it emits ionized xenon gas during testing at NASA’s Glenn Research Center.NASA An artist’s rendering of European Radiation Sensor Array science experiment that will study both radiation and lunar dust.  NASA Learn More About Gateway Share
      Details
      Last Updated Nov 20, 2024 ContactDylan Connelldylan.b.connell@nasa.govLocationJohnson Space Center Related Terms
      Gateway Space Station Artemis Earth's Moon Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate Gateway Program Glenn Research Center Johnson Space Center Explore More
      3 min read Gateway: Centering Science
      Gateway is set to advance science in deep space, bringing groundbreaking research opportunities to lunar…
      Article 3 weeks ago 1 min read Gateway Stands Tall for Stress Test
      The Gateway space station’s Habitation and Logistics Outpost has successfully completed static load testing in…
      Article 2 months ago 3 min read Gateway: Up Close in Stunning Detail
      Witness Gateway in stunning detail with this video that brings the future of lunar exploration…
      Article 5 months ago Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA
      Space Launch System (SLS)
      Orion Spacecraft
      Gateway
      Human Landing System
      View the full article
    • By USH
      Throughout the years, reports of alien abductions have emerged from all corners of the globe. 
      An alien abduction is generally described as an event in which individuals report being taken against their will by extraterrestrial beings, often undergoing various forms of physical and psychological experimentation. 

      Some argue that these experiences could simply reflect the subconscious mind at work or suggest that the abductees may have unknowingly been subjects of classified military experiments. Nonetheless, many abductees share accounts with such remarkable detail and consistency that some researchers feel the phenomenon deserves serious consideration. 
      Over time, I’ve shared numerous articles on cases of alleged alien abductions, which you can explore under the "alien abduction" tag below the article. 
      Here are two more intriguing cases in which abductees recount their experiences in vivid detail, prompting us to seriously consider the possibility that people may actually be taken by aliens. 
      The Betty Andreasson Alien Abduction: A Strange Encounter in 1967 
      One of the most detailed and haunting accounts of alien abduction began on January 25, 1967, in South Ashburnham, Massachusetts. That evening, Betty Andreasson’s family experienced a power outage, followed by an eerie red light outside. Peering out, Betty’s father saw five strange beings approaching who soon entered the house, seemingly passing through solid walls. They communicated telepathically and temporarily froze the family in place. 
      These beings had distinctive appearances, with pear-shaped heads, wide eyes, and a calm, almost friendly aura. Betty was led to a spacecraft in her backyard and taken aboard, where she underwent strange tests and experienced an otherworldly vision. Hours later, she was returned home, and the aliens left her family unharmed. Initially, Betty viewed her experience through a religious lens, but over time, she came to see it as an alien encounter. 
      Years later, her story caught the attention of Dr. J. Allen Hynek, a leading UFO researcher. Under hypnosis, Betty’s fragmented memories resurfaced, revealing consistent details corroborated by her daughter, who had also been briefly unfrozen by the beings. After extensive testing and interviews, investigators concluded that Betty was credible and sincerely believed in what she described. The Betty Andreasson abduction remains one of the most compelling cases in UFO lore.
      The 1974 Medicine Bow National Forest Abduction: Carl Higdon's Astonishing Encounter 
      Carl Higdon's hunting trip to Wyoming’s Medicine Bow National Forest in October 1974 took a surreal turn when he experienced one of the most bizarre UFO abduction cases on record. Aiming at an elk, Higdon was stunned to see his bullet slow mid-air and drop, seemingly defying physics. Moments later, he noticed an unusual figure—a tall being in a black jumpsuit with rod-like appendages instead of hands—who offered him pills, claiming that one would sustain him for days. 
      Higdon, inexplicably compliant, swallowed a pill and suddenly found himself in a transparent structure with two more beings and five frozen elk. He was told they were traveling 163,000 light-years away to the aliens' home planet, which he described as filled with towering structures and an intensely bright sun. 
      Two and a half hours later, Higdon was back in Medicine Bow, disoriented and missing his elk. Later medical tests revealed inexplicably high vitamin levels and the disappearance of old lung scars. Adding credibility to his story, other witnesses reported seeing strange lights in the area. Higdon’s experience remains a mysterious case. 
      View the full article
    • By NASA
      3 min read
      Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater)
      Stephanie Dudley, Gateway’s mission integration and utilization manager, sits inside a high-fidelity HALO (Habitation and Logistics Outpost) mockup at NASA’s Johnson Space Center.NASA/Josh Valcarcel Stephanie Dudley sits at the intersection of human spaceflight and science for Gateway, humanity’s first lunar space station that will host astronauts and unique scientific investigations.
      Gateway’s mission integration and utilization manager, Dudley recently posed for this photo in a high-fidelity mockup of the space station’s HALO (Habitation and Logistics Outpost), where astronauts will live, conduct science, and prepare for missions to investigate the lunar South Pole region. Dudley works with NASA’s partner space agencies and academia to identify science opportunities on Gateway.
      HALO will host various science experiments, including the Heliophysics Environmental and Radiation Measurement Experiment Suite, led by NASA, and the Internal Dosimeter Array, led by ESA (European Space Agency) and JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency). The heliophysics experiment will fly on HALO’s exterior, and the dosimeter will be housed inside Gateway in a series of racks, mockups of which are shown to the right of Dudley in the image above. Both experiments will study solar and cosmic radiation to help the science community better understand how to protect astronauts and hardware during deep space travels to places like Mars.
      “We are building [Gateway] for a 15-year lifespan, but definitely hope that we go longer than that,” Dudley recently said on Houston We Have a Podcast. “And so that many years of scientific study in a place where humans have never worked and lived long-term, Gateway is going to allow us to do that.”
      Dudley pulls double duty as a deputy director for the Exploration Operations Office within NASA’s Moon to Mars Program, a role that connects her to Artemis science beyond Gateway, including science investigations on the Orion and Human Landing System spacecraft and lunar terrain vehicle.
      “My work…is helping to make sure that across all of the six [Artemis] programs, including Gateway, we’re all focusing on utilization in the same way,” Dudley said.
      Dudley’s team coordinates science payloads for Artemis II, the first mission to send humans to the Moon since 1972, and Artemis III, the first landing in the lunar South Pole region that is of keen interest to the global science community.
      Gateway’s HALO will launch with the space station’s Power and Propulsion Element ahead of the Artemis IV mission in 2028, the first lunar mission to include an orbiting space station.
      “Gateway sounds so science fiction, but it’s real,” Dudley recently said. “And we’re building it. And in a few years, it’s going to be around the Moon and that’s when the real work, the fun work in my opinion, is going to begin and science will never be the same.”
      Gateway is humanity’s first lunar space station as a central component of the Artemis campaign that will return humans to the Moon for scientific discovery and chart a path for the first human missions to Mars.
      Gateway’s HALO (Habitation and Logistics Outpost), one of four Gateway modules where astronauts will live, conduct science and prepare for lunar surface missions.Thales Alenia Space An artist’s rendering of the Heliophysics Environmental and Radiation Measurement Experiment Suite, or HERMES, one of the three Gateway science experiments that will study solar and cosmic radiation.NASA An artist’s rendering of HALO in lunar orbit. The HERMES science experiment is shown on the top right corner of the space station element.NASA/Alberto Bertolin, Bradley Reynolds Learn More About Gateway Share
      Details
      Last Updated Oct 29, 2024 EditorBriana R. ZamoraContactDylan Connelldylan.b.connell@nasa.govLocationJohnson Space Center Related Terms
      Gateway Space Station Artemis Earth's Moon Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate Gateway Program Humans in Space Johnson Space Center Science & Research Explore More
      2 min read Gateway: Life in a Lunar Module
      Article 7 days ago 1 min read Gateway Stands Tall for Stress Test
      The Gateway space station’s Habitation and Logistics Outpost has successfully completed static load testing in…
      Article 4 weeks ago 2 min read Through Astronaut Eyes, Virtual Reality Propels Gateway Forward  
      NASA astronauts are using virtual reality to explore Gateway. When they slip on their headsets,…
      Article 7 months ago Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA
      Space Launch System (SLS)
      Orion Spacecraft
      Gateway
      Human Landing System
      View the full article
    • By NASA
      Teams from NASA and ESA (European Space Agency), including NASA astronaut Stan Love (far right) and ESA astronaut Luca Parmitano (far left) help conduct human factors testing inside a mockup for the Gateway lunar space station. Thales Alenia Space Teams at NASA, ESA (European Space Agency), and Thales Alenia Space, including astronauts Stan Love and Luca Parmitano, came together in Turin, Italy, this summer for a test run of Gateway, humanity’s first space station to orbit the Moon.
      The group conducted what is known as human factors testing inside a mockup of Lunar I-Hab, one of four Gateway modules where astronauts will live, conduct science, and prepare for missions to the Moon’s South Pole region. The testing is an important step on the path to launch by helping refine the design of spacecraft for comfort and safety.
      Lunar I-Hab is provided by ESA and Thales Alenia Space and is slated to launch on Artemis IV. During that mission, four astronauts will launch inside the Orion spacecraft atop an upgraded version of the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket and deliver Lunar I-Hab to Gateway in orbit around the Moon.
      ESA, CSA (Canadian Space Agency), JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency), and the Mohammad Bin Rashid Space Centre of the United Arab Emirates are providing major hardware for Gateway, including science experiments, the modules where astronauts will live and work, robotics, and life support systems.
      International teams of astronauts will explore the scientific mysteries of deep space with Gateway as part of the Artemis campaign to return to the Moon for scientific discovery and chart a path for the first human missions to Mars and beyond.
      A mockup of ESA’s Lunar I-Hab module, one of four elements of the Gateway space station where astronauts will live, conduct science, and prepare for missions to the lunar South Pole Region.Thales Alenia Space An artist’s rendering of ESA’s Lunar I-Hab module in orbit around the Moon, one of four elements of the Gateway space station where astronauts will live, conduct science, and prepare for missions to the lunar South Pole Region.NASA/Alberto Bertolin, Bradley Reynolds Learn More About Gateway Share
      Details
      Last Updated Oct 22, 2024 EditorBriana R. ZamoraContactDylan Connelldylan.b.connell@nasa.govLocationJohnson Space Center Related Terms
      Gateway Space Station Artemis Artemis 4 Earth's Moon Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate Gateway Program Humans in Space Johnson Space Center Explore More
      1 min read Gateway Stands Tall for Stress Test
      The Gateway space station’s Habitation and Logistics Outpost has successfully completed static load testing in…
      Article 3 weeks ago 6 min read NASA’s Artemis IV: Building First Lunar Space Station
      Article 7 months ago 2 min read Gateway: Energizing Exploration
      Discover the cutting-edge technology powering Gateway, humanity's first lunar space station.
      Article 2 months ago
      Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA
      Space Launch System (SLS)
      Orion Spacecraft
      Gateway
      Human Landing System
      View the full article
    • By NASA
      1 min read
      Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater)
      Gateway’s Habitation and Logistics Outpost stands vertically inside a Thales Alenia Space facility in Turin, Italy, after completing static load testing. Thales Alenia Space Major Gateway hardware recently crossed an important testing milestone on its path to launch to the Moon, where it will support new science and house astronauts in lunar orbit.
      Gateway’s HALO (Habitation and Logistics Outpost) successfully completed static load testing,  a rigorous stress test of how well the structure responds to the forces encountered in deep space. Thales Alenia Space, subcontractor to Northrop Grumman, conducted the testing in Turin, Italy. Static load testing is one of the major environmental stress tests HALO will undergo, and once all phases of testing are complete, the module will be ready to move from Italy to Gilbert, Arizona, where Northrop Grumman will complete final outfitting.
      HALO is one of four pressurized Gateway modules where astronauts will live, conduct science, and prepare for missions to the lunar South Pole region. It will launch with Gateway’s Power and Propulsion Element on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket to lunar orbit.
      Gateway is humanity’s first lunar space station supporting a new era of exploration and scientific discovery as part of NASA’s Artemis campaign that will establish a sustained presence on and around the Moon, paving the way for the first crewed mission to Mars.
      Gateway’s Habitation and Logistics Outpost stands vertically inside a Thales Alenia Space facility in Turin, Italy, after completing static load testing. Thales Alenia Space Learn More About Gateway Share
      Details
      Last Updated Oct 03, 2024 ContactBriana R. Zamorabriana.r.zamora@nasa.govLocationJohnson Space Center Related Terms
      Gateway Space Station Artemis Earth's Moon Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate Gateway Program Humans in Space Johnson Space Center Explore More
      2 min read Artemis IV: Gateway Gadget Fuels Deep Space Dining
      Learn about the handy device NASA is developing to help astronauts rehydrate their meals aboard…
      Article 4 weeks ago 2 min read Gateway: Energizing Exploration
      Discover the cutting-edge technology powering Gateway, humanity's first lunar space station.
      Article 1 month ago 3 min read Gateway: Up Close in Stunning Detail
      Witness Gateway in stunning detail with this video that brings the future of lunar exploration…
      Article 3 months ago Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA
      Gateway
      Built with international and commercial partners, Gateway will be humanity’s first space station around the Moon as a vital component…
      Orion Spacecraft
      Space Launch System (SLS)
      Human Landing System
      View the full article
  • Check out these Videos

×
×
  • Create New...