HALTalk with György Madzsar

In Greek mythology, Artemis is the goddess the Moon and is the twin sister of Apollo. Today, the name “Artemis” is also synonymous with a National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) space exploration initiative with striking similarities to the former “Apollo” space program. Comparable to Apollo’s historic achievements in 1969, the Artemis plan is to return astronauts to the Moon in 2024, and then stretch well beyond the Apollo accomplishments with a human visit to Mars in the 2030’s.

The intent of this presentation is to provide a non-technical overview of NASA’s Artemis. Focusing on the upcoming lunar landing, a brief description of its mission profile will be explained. Key Artemis components, including the Space Launch System vehicle, the Orion spacecraft for Earth-Moon transit, the lunar-orbiting Gateway outpost, and the Lunar Lander that will place humans onto the surface and enable return passage, will be described.

Building upon the “what, when, and how” of Artemis, the focus will then shift to the more interesting and thought-provoking question of “why?” The multi-faceted answer is not unexpected, and is initially addressed through a contextual understanding of the geopolitical and socioeconomic foundations of the space program. This is bolstered with a consideration of the dynamic astrophysical phenomena which occur over timeframes significantly different from that of our collective human experience. The finality is cemented with the inevitability of living with a star.

Ultimately it is hoped that this presentation will lead to a better understanding of why we, as the people of this planet, have pursued and will continue to pursue space exploration as an imperative.

Speaker profile:

Madzsar György earned his Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering and Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering degrees from the Cleveland State University. Upon graduation he began his professional career as a research engineer working on advanced propulsion technologies at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Throughout his career György took on increasingly challenging assignments, leading to his current position as Program Manager responsible for NASA’s strategic infrastructure. One of his more memorable assignments was managing the agency’s Microgravity Flight Services program. This program flew a large jet aircraft modified to withstand repeated parabolic dives, during which the occupants would experience weightless conditions and free-float for up to 25 seconds per dive. An American Hungarian native of Ohio, György currently resides in Washington, DC.