Artemis

• WISTON, England, Feb. 14, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- With its global aviation support business flying high, Artemis Aerospace is expanding stateside.
• It's an impressive show of resilience in an industry which ground to an almost complete halt during the pandemic.
• Artemis Aerospace offers an innovative approach to component solutions for the aviation sector.
• Its services include component supplies, component repairs, lessor support, flight simulation hardware support, consignment stock management and global aircraft logistics.

• Live launch coverage will air on NASA+ , NASA Television, the NASA app , and the agency's website, with prelaunch events starting Monday, Feb. 12.
• Intuitive Machines' Nova-C lander is expected to land on the Moon Thursday, Feb. 22.
• On launch day, a "tech feed" of the launch without NASA TV commentary will be carried on the NASA TV media channel.
• Launch day coverage of the mission will be available on the NASA website.

• The appointments of Ms. Deborah Diaz and Mr. James Chen are effective immediately.
• “I’m excited to strengthen the board with the additions of Deborah and James,” said Tony Aquila, Investor, Executive Chairman, and CEO of Canoo.
• Ms. Diaz currently serves on the board of directors of Archer Aviation, Primis Financial, and ZeroAvia.
• Ms. Diaz is also Chief Executive Officer of Catalyst ADV, a technology and strategic growth advisory firm.

• It is also an interesting place to research – a legitimate candidate for us to find some form of alien life.
• Since the 1960s, Mars has been a popular destination for space missions.
• Now, for the first time, NASA has invited the private sector to submit proposals on commercial Mars missions.

Modern exploration of Mars

Since 1960, there have been 50 missions with scientific and technical objectives related to Mars. Thirty-one of these have been deemed successful, which is not a bad strike rate. There have also been plenty of spectacular failures, like the crash of the Schiaparelli lander in 2016.

• These missions have returned a wealth of information about Mars – its atmosphere, orbit, geology and more.
• But such public interest shows that Mars truly occupies our imaginations.

Read more:
Our long fascination with the journey to Mars

A better way to do business?

• For decades, NASA and other space agencies around the world have spent large sums on in-house planning, development, prototyping and production for space missions.
• In the 2020s, the technologies that enable and support space exploration are increasingly being developed in the commercial world.
• Read more:
  All-UK astronaut mission shows that private enterprise is vital to the future of space exploration

Pros and cons

• Likely the bigger positive effect will be the substantial stimulus to the commercial sector.
• There is a good history of this from the development of technologies for space and from mega-science projects more generally.
• Read more:
  Humans are going back to the Moon to stay, but when that will be is becoming less clear

But should humans go to Mars?

• The number of books, songs, TV shows and movies about Mars is enormous, containing some great (and not so great) art.
• Should humans go to Mars?
• There will always be some cross-section of society wanting to live on Mars.
• Some will argue that before humans become interplanetary and start to “mess up” another planet, we should make sure Earth is looked after.

Steven Tingay does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.