To commemorate ATI Forged Product‘s work in Cudahy helping launch the Orion spacecraft, former astronaut Doug Hurley, who is now senior director of strategy and development for Virginia-based aerospace defense company Northrop Grumman, visited the Cudahy plant to speak with employees.
Hurley was part of NASA space shuttle missions 127 and 137, as well as the SpaceX Demo-2 mission. He is the recipient of the Congressional Space Medal of Honor.
He shared some insights into the next steps for space exploration, the Artemis II mission, as well as some personal anecdotes as to what space travel is really like. Here are some highlights from his Q&A with employees at ATI.
NASA’s next step is the Artemis II
The Artemis II mission will send four astronauts to the Moon, including the first female astronaut to land on the Moon, the first person of color, and the first Canadian. The crew will be in space for about 10 days to test NASA’s deep space exploration capabilities. This will be the first in a series of lunar surface missions. The Artemis II mission is tentatively scheduled to launch at the end of 2024 or early 2025.
Parts of spacecrafts burn up in transit
All of the parts that make up a spacecraft don’t return to the Earth’s surface. While some parts must withstand the extreme temperatures created by leaving and re-entering the Earth’s atmosphere, other parts are mostly needed for the launch process.
“I can tell you (for the shuttle) the boosters came back and were recovered off the coast of Florida,” said Hurley. “Our external tank burned up in the atmosphere. There were a couple other pieces that also burned up in the atmosphere.”
Your body adjusts to the lack of gravity
Hurley said after you’ve been to space multiple times, your body does start to adjust to the lack of gravity faster. If you maintain the set exercise regimen given to all astronauts while they’re in space, the transition back to Earth should be a bit easier.
“When you come back, you are definitely sensitive to the atmosphere. I actually felt pretty good and had a pizza and beer which, luckily, they had for us in the jet from Pensacola back to Houston. It was pretty special,” he said.
Astronauts are working in very tight quarters
When Hurley was on the SpaceX Demo-2 mission, with one of his closest friends Robert Behnken, the duo had just about 380 cubic feet of space within the ship’s capsule. The astronauts slated to ride within the Orion spacecraft will be in similarly cramped quarters.
“It’s probably like being in a small class CR-V. A really small one. It’s going to be really cozy for those folks (on the Artemis II). They can’t get away from each other, but they’re used to this kind thing,” he said.
