NASA's Artemis III mission will serve as a critical test of systems needed for future lunar landings, according to former astronauts Capt. Winston Scott and Dr. Charles Camarda, who discussed the program Wednesday on Newsmax.
NASA this week announced the crew for Artemis III, a mission scheduled for launch in 2027. The crew includes NASA astronauts Randy Bresnik, Andre Douglas, and Frank Rubio, along with European Space Agency astronaut Luca Parmitano.
Scott told Newsmax's "Wake Up America Early" that the mission's primary objective is to test key components that will eventually be used to transport astronauts between lunar orbit and the moon's surface.
"This mission is primarily piloting," Scott said. "It's going to test the ability of the Orion space capsule to rendezvous, fly in close proximity to, and dock with the human landing system."
Scott said Artemis II did not test the portion of the architecture designed to carry astronauts from lunar orbit to the moon's surface and back.
"What was not done on Artemis II was to test the part of the system to take astronauts from lunar orbit to the surface and from the surface back to lunar orbit to come home," he said. "So that part is going to be tested here in low Earth orbit next year. And the four astronauts named yesterday are going to fly that test flight."
Camarda said Artemis is following a "building block approach" similar to the Apollo program but with broader long-term goals.
"When we return to the moon, we're going to be there to stay," Camarda said. "We're looking at entrepreneurs like [Elon] Musk, [Jeff] Bezos, and others that are really looking to commercialize space to actually produce products on space that are going to be of use to us in the United States."
Camarda said the mission will involve multiple spacecraft and launch systems.
"It's a very ambitious mission," he said. "There'll be three different launch vehicles, several different orbital vehicles, two different landers. And so they really got their work cut out for them. In those two weeks, they'll be in space."
The discussion also turned to recent claims about extraterrestrial life. Asked whether the world would be prepared if evidence of non-human intelligence were confirmed, Scott said he believes life likely exists elsewhere in the universe but remains skeptical of government cover-up claims.
"I believe in the odds," Scott said. "And with the billions and billions of planets out there, I believe that there's life someplace else in the universe."
He added: "What I'm not sure of in my own mind is that there are extraterrestrial bodies here on Earth someplace, and the government is covering up. We have too many leakers and too many opportunities to get this stuff out. If it were true, I think we would know about it, and we would know for sure."
Reflecting on his spaceflight experience, Camarda said his strongest memory was not viewing Earth from orbit, but working closely with fellow astronauts and support teams following the Columbia disaster.
"We flew right after the Columbia accident," Camarda said. "Our mission was jam-packed with testing, new technology, and procedures that we would fly in space to keep the space shuttle flying safe."
Although he said fellow astronaut Andy Thomas occasionally reminded him to take in the view, Camarda said teamwork left the greatest impression.
"The thing I remember most was really the teamwork," he said. "Working together with the team that I flew with, my crew, and the team on the ground, we did some amazing things during that mission."
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