Ewe-ston, we have a problem: Shaun the Sheep named astronaut on NASA’s moon train | Science & Technology News
Ewe-ston we have a problem? The European Space Agency (ESA) has named the first astronaut to fly on NASA’s Artemis I Moon mission: Shaun the Sheep.
No stranger to outer space after his feats aboard a UFO in the big screen Farmageddon, the space sheep will go further than any farmmate (or human) has ever been. go before.
Shaun, who hails from Mossy Bottom Farm near Londonhas been assigned a seat on the Artemis I, and the scientists are happy about it.
The mission will see the maiden flight of NASA’s Orion spacecraft, which will orbit the Moon and return using the ESA’s European Service Module.
This mission does not carry a human crew but will instead be piloted from the ground with its covered specialist as a passenger.
Purpose is for Artemis . quest finally put the first woman and the next man on the moon.
ESA Director of Human and Robotic Exploration Dr David Parker said: “This is an exciting time for Shaun and for us at ESA.
“We’re delighted he was selected for the mission and we understand that, while it may be a small step for humans, it’s a huge leap for lambkind.”
Orion and its European Service Module will be launched by the Space Launch System from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
The spacecraft will enter low-Earth orbit before the rocket’s upper stage fires to put it into a translational orbit.
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Shaun will make a flyby of the Moon, with his craft using the Moon’s gravity to gain speed and propel itself 70,000 kilometers (43,496 miles) beyond the Moon, nearly half a million miles from Earth. km – farther than any man or sheep has ever traveled. .
Not unprepared, Shaun began his astronaut training and familiarization program with the Orion spacecraft and its European Service Module in 2020, traveling to various locations across Europe and the United States to see different aspects of the mission.
He even experienced weightlessness on a special Airbus ‘Zero G’ A310 during one of its parabolic flights.
Lucy Wendover, marketing director at Aardman, said: “Aardman is excited to join ESA in making history by launching the first ‘sheep’ into space.
“As one of the first astronauts on the Artemis mission, Shaun is leading the way in lunar exploration, a great honor for our creeper!
“The year 2022 marks the 15th anniversary of Shaun’s first TV series, so a better way to celebrate is to travel further than any sheep have gone before.”
