'Artemis' Moon flyby to take place today, ahead of US return to lunar surface

NASA's Orion spacecraft is to fly past the Moon today, marking a major milestone in the US space agency's first mission to take humans back to the lunar surface.<br><br>The uncrewed Artemis I mission began 12 days ago and will end with the spacecraft's return to Earth on 11 December.<br><br>Three mannequins  based on the average male and female body are on board to test radiation levels, acceleration and vibration.<br><br>The 100m-long rocket that is powering the mission is the most powerful ever made.<br><br>The spacecraft is expected to approach within 4,000 miles (6,400km) of the lunar surface but if successful will put humans back on the Moon for the first time in 50 years.<br><br>The European Space Agency is providing the Orion spacecraft's service module, which contains fuel, water, oxygen and electricity, and has been hit by a surprise number of small meteoroids.<br><br>'We did expect to be hit by micrometeoroids, but we didn't expect to be hit that much,' said  ESA's Ian Humphrey.<br><br>'The meteoroids that have his the service module are really tiny. They're smaller than a grain of rice.'<br><br>US President Joe Biden said last week Artemis was "on its way to making history".<br><br>Speaking at the start of the mission, NASA administrator Bill Nelson said: "We want to do a lunar base. We want to send humans to Mars."<br><br>Speaking at the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida, Jenn Gustetic, NASA’s deputy associate administrator for technology, policy, and strategy, said the mission was "a historic event".<br><br>She said: "It is a critical step in our long-term efforts to expand humanity’s presence in space.”<br><br>The mission is the first in a new programme called Artemis, which is named after Apollo’s mythological sister.<br><br>NASA said the mission was a stepping stone for achieving a human presence in deeper space.<br><br>NASAs Artemis missions plan to include the first woman and first person of colour to walk on the Moon.<br><br>The Artemis II mission will take astronauts to the Moon but not land them on it. Artemis III, which is three years behind schedule, will put astronauts on the lunar south pole.<br><br>NASA has been vague on when the mission to Mars will happen, but Brigadier General Steve Butow, who is leading the Pentagon's part in the Artemis programme, said a human mission to the red planet is not expected until the 2030s.<br><br>“Mars is in the 2030s if we start now,” said Brig-Gen Butow.<br><br>NASA says it is working with the private sector on the technology for a lunar base.<br><br>The Artemis missions are being operated by private contractors SpaceX and Lockheed Martin.