Why NASA Named Its Moon Program After Artemis

“NASA doesn’t often choose a name by chance, especially not for a return to the Moon after five decades.” This is especially important for this mission because it not only represents NASA’s Apollo program, but it also represents a new era in space exploration, one which will have a different approach, scope, and crew roster, one which will not represent anything like the space age of the 1960s. In Greek mythology, Artemis was the twin sister of Apollo, the goddess of wilderness, hunting, and the Moon. Apollo and Artemis are twin gods, making this especially significant for NASA’s past and future.

The symbolism was not lost on the NASA administration. When NASA was attempting to come up with a unifying name for their Moon program in 2019, they decided to forgo the somewhat mundane “Exploration Mission 1” in favor of something a bit more mythical, something which would have cultural significance. According to Jim Bridenstine, former NASA Administrator, The first time humanity went to the Moon, it was under the name Apollo. It turns out Apollo had a twin sister, Artemis. She happens to be the goddess of the Moon.

In terms of mythology, Artemis is a much more complex figure than the title of ‘moon goddess’ might imply. In terms of meaning, however, the title is also associated with birth and protection. This is a reminder that the ancient Greeks were not so inclined to think in neat little boxes. In terms of meaning, however, the title that NASA has given to this new program is far more down-to-earth. In this case, Artemis II is going to send four astronauts into orbit around the Moon. This is going to be a mission that will last about 10 days. This is going to be the first manned mission that goes beyond low Earth orbit since the last mission of the Apollo program, which was Apollo 17. This mission is also significant because it comes on the heels of the uncrewed mission that the agency sent to the Moon. This mission orbited the Moon and traveled 1.4 million miles before plunging back into Earth’s atmosphere at a speed of 24,581 mph.

The mission is significant because it is testing out the technology that they have named after the moon goddess. However, this mission is going much further than simply flying by the Moon. In terms of specifics, this is a mission that is part of a sustainable presence on the lunar surface, scientific investigation in the lunar south polar region, and development of the necessary technologies for sending the first woman and the next man to the Martian surface.

There is also a cultural aspect that made the decision stick. Artemis became the symbol of the stated goal to send more representative crews to deep space missions, including women and international astronauts. The crew of the first Artemis mission also represents the change in the selection of the astronauts, including four astronauts chosen for the mission to fly by the moon: Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen of Canada.

So, in fact, the true answer to the question of who Artemis is depends on where you are. In Greek mythology, Artemis is a wild woman, an archer, a protector, and a twin sister of Apollo. In space exploration, Artemis is a word NASA is using to tell the world that the Moon is no longer just a memory.