Gateway: Life in a Lunar Module

By Madman on 2024/October/22 in Solar system

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.

Full-scale mock-up of ESA’s Lunar I-Hab habitation module for Gateway. The cylindrical structure is set up in a testing facility, with stairs leading to access points on the module. Engineers use this low-fidelity model to finetune interior design for astronaut safety and functionality.

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

This artist’s rendering of Gateway’s Lunar I-Hab module shows a detailed view of the element with Orion attached. The module and spacecraft are illuminated against the backdrop of outer 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