Image source: topwar.ru
NASA is looking for a variety of options to prepare astronauts for a new conquest of the moon. The tests are carried out as part of the Artemis program, following which the crew will have to land on the Earth's natural satellite. This will happen approximately 54 years after the last manned lunar mission.
To conduct the "basic" training of a new group of "lunar" astronauts, NASA has certified a special course in the mountains of Colorado. Moreover, preparations for the landing of the lunar module for astronauts are carried out using helicopters. The astronauts themselves call it an "interesting decision."
And so the program is commented on by the press service of the American Aerospace Administration.:
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Helicopter pilots must work according to a specific program so that during the training process "they have the opportunity to coordinate their actions and communicate, solving emerging problems."
Deputy Director for Flight Operations of the Space Center named afterLyndon Johnson's Paul Felker stated that special attention is paid to stress tolerance in the preparation process.
Astronauts themselves pilot helicopters. Mark Vande Hei and Matthew Dominik have passed the relevant certification. According to NASA, these astronauts take turns flying helicopters as part of the program, "in the created landing conditions near the South Pole of the Moon." The CH-47 Chinook heavy transport helicopters are also used for training.
Image source: topwar.ru
Witty conspiracy theorists, commenting on such a training program, write that "in the end, why go to the moon at all if the mountains in Colorado create lunar visual illusions."
A couple more such comments from skeptics:
