We take a look into today’s modern spacecraft compared to Apollo Programs spacecraft designs. Here we will reveal the story behind modern spacecraft.
Today, we carry computers and cameras much more powerful than the ones Apollo astronauts had in their pockets.
Our new high-tech fibers would also likely provide spacesuits that are so much more comfortable and flexible than the Apollo astronauts had to stumble around in the good old days.
Furthermore, the Apollo command module had “millions” of dials and gauges scattered throughout its interior, and they all required miles of wires behind every instrument panel to connect each one.
So, it would be easy, in other words, to imagine how different a Moonwalk would be today compared to Apollo programs Moonwalks.
How Will Modern Moon Mission Look Compared to Apollo Missions From the 1970s?
President Donald Trump “will call for a return of manned space exploration.” And private company SpaceX announced that it’s planning to send space tourists around the Moon in the future.
And if we do make a return to the Moon, how will a modern lunar mission look compared to the previous Apollo Moon missions of the 1970s?
Remember that the last time we traveled to the lunar surface, the world was so much different from today. Astronauts Harrison Schmitt and Eugene Cernan spent three days on our trusty Moon.
They were collecting Moonrocks, taking pictures with a then high-tech grainy color camera, and repairing their lunar rover with old-fashioned duct tape.
Apollo 17 Last Manned Mission To The Moon
So, on December 14, 1972, they took off the surface of the Moon in their disposable command module. And as he climbed down the ladder of the lunar module or LM in the winter of 1972, he placed his size-10½ boot on the Earth’s only satellite. Apollo 17 astronaut Gene Cernan surveyed the desolate, silent landscape.
And over the next three days, Cernan and fellow crew member “Jack” Harrison Schmitt traipsed across the Moons surface on a mission to uncover the satellite’s geological mysteries.
Together, the astronauts spent twenty-two hours facing tight deadlines and thick dust to conduct scientific experiments, eventually collecting more than 200 pounds of rocks brought back to Earth for examination. They became the last humans ever to leave low-Earth orbit.
Todays Spacecraft are Smaller and Lighter Than The Old Apollo Spacecraft
Today, however, we have got more powerful technology that will allow more space for astronauts on a spacecraft that is much smaller and lighter than the original Apollo spacecraft.
That will mean much more space to carry their supplies and more advanced sensing and photographic equipment.
Today’s spacecraft are significantly more capable than the capsule which carried the Apollo astronauts.
One of the most significant improvements is the ability to carry astronauts on more extended missions. And it’s a requirement for potential future missions to Mars.
So, with improved radiation shielding, solar panels, and planned life support systems that will reclaim used water, we will be able to support a larger crew of astronauts for up to three weeks.
Our New Designed Spacecraft Compared to Apollo’s Design
Our new spacecraft we are planning to send to the Moon is much more advanced, and they build on the cumulative knowledge from all of our human spaceflight endeavors from all of Apollo Moon missions of the era of the 1960s and 1970s to the present day.
They combine advanced technologies to enable human spaceflight missions of far greater scope, duration, and complexity than previous Apollo missions and represents the advent of a new era of space exploration.
Our new spacecraft has its basic design harken back to the Apollo CM or command module that carried dozens of Apollo astronauts to the Moon in the 1960s and 70s.
Apollo Module Designed like a Warhead
Furthermore, the Apollo module was designed to look like a warhead. It was a shape that would maximize the amount of drag for slowing down the system in the atmosphere and limiting shockwaves from harming the crew inside. And the design worked so well that NASA is returning to it even today.
Today’s crew-carrying command modules will also use the same style of heat shield used by the Apollo missions to get astronauts safely back to Earth.
New Parachute System
Our new spacecraft will use parachutes to slow its fall and will land in the ocean. And this is the same basic system used in the Apollo program.
But today’s parachute system is designed to be much safer and are deployed at higher altitudes to keep the craft more stable.
New Future Ventures Into Space?
It isn’t our technological capabilities, but our divergent visions about what space travel should look like that will influence our next trajectory into space once again.
Some people say humans should build a base on the Moon and obtain experience in the long-term settlement before heading to Mars.
While others say, it’s unnecessary to spend time and money on a Moon landing, when we’ve already been there.
Still, others argue that, with advances in robot technology, it’s unnecessary to jeopardize lives for future space explorations.
And hopefully, in a year or so, we’ll find out which one of these gets to take the first US astronauts to the surface of the Moon in a very long time later in the decade. So best of luck to all the teams.
That’s it, and I hope you enjoyed this article. Please check out this article: Summary of Apollo 11 Events.
The new book ‘How We Got to the Moon’ will reveal a stunning look at Apollo 11 Mission to the Moon.