NASA has collaborated with the U.S. Army National Guard to develop a new flight training course to help train Artemis astronauts to land on the Moon’s South Pole.
High-Altitude Training for Artemis Astronauts
The agency said Monday the lunar lander simulated flight training course is being developed in the mountains of northern Colorado, particularly in the High-Altitude Army National Guard Aviation Training Site, or HAATS, in Gypsum. The training course is expected to be completed in August.
The initiative aims to prepare Artemis astronauts for crewed flights and landing on the lunar South Pole, where the terrain features craters and sloped connecting ridges and the light conditions are harsh.
During the week-long training course, astronauts will train alongside instructors from the National Guard. They will fly various aircraft, such as the LUH-72 Lakotas, CH-47 Chinooks and UH-60 Black Hawks to mountaintops and valleys. One astronaut pilots the aircraft while another charts the landing area. They will navigate increasingly complex landing zones and situations, in an effort to develop teamwork and refine communication skills.
According to NASA astronaut Doug Wheelock, the agency is building its foundational training for Artemis Moon landings using motion-based simulation, in-flight lunar landing analog training and in-flight lunar simulation.
Wheelock, who helped coordinate the training program, said, “During training flights at HAATS, astronauts can experience the visual illusions, cross-cockpit communication and degraded visibility they may experience navigating to their landing zone near the lunar south pole. Flight training opportunities like this are vital to mission success and crew safety.”
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