{"id":844345,"date":"2026-08-05T11:36:19","date_gmt":"2026-08-05T11:36:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/844345\/"},"modified":"2026-08-05T11:36:19","modified_gmt":"2026-08-05T11:36:19","slug":"meet-the-airbus-engineers-taking-humanity-back-to-the-moon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/844345\/","title":{"rendered":"Meet the Airbus engineers taking humanity back to the Moon"},"content":{"rendered":"

This year\u2019s Artemis II mission<\/a> sent four astronauts around the Moon and home again, the first crewed lunar flight since Apollo visited Earth\u2019s only natural satellite. Artemis intends to move in. \u201cThe motto of the Artemis programme is \u2018this time to stay,\u2019\u201d Simpson told crowds at FOS Future Lab.\u00a0 <\/p>\n

The plan reads like science fiction, only with a delivery date: 3D-printing habitats from moon dust and harvesting water at the lunar South Pole, which is one reason the missions are aiming in that direction.<\/p>\n

Made in Europe<\/p>\n

\u201cA lot of people don\u2019t realise 50 per cent of that Orion spacecraft was built in Europe,\u201d said Cleaver, and the UK, as a member of the European Space Agency, has a stake in it.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The European Service Module is the part Cleaver works on: the section providing the astronauts\u2019 power, water, air and propulsion. It is, in effect, the life-support engine room bolted beneath the crew capsule, \u201cwhich is what takes us there and back again.\u201d Tolkien would approve.<\/p>\n

There are currently six service modules in various stages of build, with two already at the Kennedy Space Center being integrated and tested.<\/p>\n


\n \"future
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\n Image credit: NASA
\n <\/p>\n

No petrol stations in space<\/p>\n

Simpson\u2019s speciality is the sums keeping astronauts alive. Around 20 per cent of the spacecraft\u2019s mass is propellant \u2014 roughly 5,000 kilograms of it \u2014 and the margin for error is essentially zero. \u201cOne of the biggest challenges for us is that there are no gas stations in space. We have to take exactly what we need.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hence the industry\u2019s most repeatable mantra. \u201cWe live and die by \u2018test like you fly\u2019,\u201d said Simpson, a former NASA propulsion test engineer. \u201cWe need to bring the astronauts home, so everything needs to be predictable.\u201d Every system has a backup; the team will not launch until they are sure. It\u2019s why space launches get scrubbed so often, and why nobody minds.<\/p>\n

Even AI gets the same treatment. The engineers use it daily to build tools and speed up calculations, but, Simpson noted, \u201cit definitely still needs the human in the loop.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"new<\/p>\n

Inside New Frontiers \u2014 deep sea, outer space, and missions to Mars<\/p>\n

Read more<\/p>\n

Flip it like a pancake<\/p>\n

Space travel\u2019s unglamorous truths got an airing, too. To stop one side freezing while the other cooks, \u201cwe have to flip the spacecraft multiple times a day like a pancake to make sure it heats evenly,\u201d Simpson explained. \u201cAnd they have to make sure to heat the toilet lines as well, or else you\u2019ll just clog them.\u201d Artemis II\u2019s one widely reported niggle was, indeed, the toilet.<\/p>\n

The mission also flew instrumented dummies in radiation vests to measure what future crews will face, because before anyone builds houses from moon dust, the harder problem is keeping humans healthy in a place that\u2019s far from their natural habitat.<\/p>\n

\"future<\/p>\n

The only way is up\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Neither Cleaver nor Simpson followed a textbook route towards space science. Cleaver studied physics and astronomy at Edinburgh, missed out on PhD funding, and joined Airbus\u2019s graduate scheme instead \u2014 a two-year rotation that let her find her niche. Her top tip: learn a language. She now works in Germany.<\/p>\n

Simpson grew up in Los Alamos, New Mexico \u2014 infamous as the birthplace of the atomic bomb \u2014 and his first job was on oil rigs in North Dakota at minus 40 degrees. Offered a choice between submarines and space, he chose up rather than down. His advice came from his dad: \u201cYou might not have all the qualifications they\u2019re asking for. But if you\u2019re interested enough and you can show that you\u2019re willing to work hard, oftentimes people are willing to give you a shot.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"FOS<\/p>\n

FOS Future Lab<\/p>\n

Presented by Randox <\/p>\n

Randox is a global leader in diagnostics, revolutionising patient outcomes through innovative technologies, including its patented biochip technology. This pioneering diagnostic platform allows for the simultaneous detection of multiple biomarkers from a single sample, delivering faster, more accurate, and comprehensive results. Operating in over 145 countries, Randox develops advanced laboratory instruments, high-quality reagents, and innovative testing solutions to improve global healthcare.<\/p>\n

Randox Health brings this cutting-edge technology directly to individuals, offering bespoke, preventative health testing programs. With world-class laboratories and personalised health insights, Randox Health enables early detection of a wide range of conditions, helping individuals take control of their health.<\/p>\n

Together, Randox and Randox Health are redefining diagnostics and preventative healthcare. For more information, visit\u00a0www.randox.com<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0www.randoxhealth.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

The 2027 Festival of Speed will take place on 15th-18th\u00a0July 2027,\u00a0sign up for ticket alerts<\/a>\u00a0to make sure you don’t miss out. Tickets are available for GRRC Members and Fellows, you can\u00a0join the Fellowship<\/a>\u00a0today.<\/p>\n

Main image photography by Sam Stephenson.<\/p>\n

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festival of speed<\/p>\n

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fo<\/p>\n

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fos 2026<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

event coverage<\/p>\n

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future lab<\/p>\n

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fos future lab<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"This year\u2019s Artemis II mission sent four astronauts around the Moon and home again, the first crewed lunar…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":844346,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[64,63,128],"class_list":["post-844345","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-science","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-science"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/844345","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=844345"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/844345\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/844346"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=844345"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=844345"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=844345"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}