The next chapter in space exploration is set to take off in the first half of 2024 with the Artemis 2 mission and a Venezuelan aerospace engineer, Nathalie Quintero is playing a crucial role in its success.
Meet Nathalie Quintero: The Venezuelan Aerospace Engineer Leading Operations for the Artemis 2 Mission
As part of the mission Quintero will lead and supervise the Core Stage 1 operations team, the centerpiece of the “Orion” spacecraft that will be manned by four astronauts.
Nathalie Quintero, Venezuelan and aerospace engineer is a fundamental part of what will be the Artemis 2 mission which aims to make the “Orion” spacecraft (manned by 4 astronauts) fly over the lunar surface and then return to Earth in a maximum of 21 Earth days.
Quintero, a 2015 graduate with a degree in Aerospace Engineering from Embry-Riddle (Daytona Beach, Florida) is tasked with the mission to supervise and lead the Core Stage 1 operations team, the rocket’s centerpiece.
Last November 2022 Quintero saw the last 7 years of studies reflected when she had to launch the same rocket in 8 minutes in the Artemis 1 mission, whose objective was to test it without crew, prior to the second mission with astronauts inside the spacecraft.
The Venezuelan tells that this was a moment of great tension where there was emotion and tears.
“So far everything we had done was the theory but now we had to see it in practice”, explained Quintero, about this first mission that successfully orbited the moon.
Artemis 2 is scheduled for launch in the first half of 2024 and will be the first manned spacecraft to travel beyond low Earth orbit since Apollo 17 in 1972.
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About Artemis 2 Mission
The NASA Artemis program has taken a significant step forward with the announcement of the Artemis 2 mission scheduled for launch in 2024. Artemis 2 will be the first crewed flight to orbit the Moon since the Apollo 17 mission in 1972.
Artemis 2 is an important precursor to the program’s ultimate goal of landing humans on the Moon in 2024. The mission will carry a crew of four. The crew will include the first woman to fly to the Moon. They will fly aboard the Orion spacecraft which will be launched on the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
Orion will spend 10 days in lunar orbit testing critical systems and procedures. The craft will carry advanced life support, deep space navigation and communications systems, and other technologies essential for long duration human missions to the Moon and eventually Mars.
In addition Artemis 2 will provide NASA with the opportunity to conduct important scientific research including lunar surface mapping, lunar soil exploration and lunar radiation environment studies.
The Artemis program is a significant investment in the future of human space exploration and the Artemis 2 mission is an important step forward in achieving that goal. With a strong commitment to innovation and exploration NASA is poised to make significant advances in our understanding of the Moon and beyond.
Visit the official Artemis 2 mission page on NASA’s website
