Stephanie Dudley sits at the intersection of human spaceflight and science doorHumanity’s first lunar space station that will host astronauts and unique scientific investigations.

Dudley, Gateway’s mission integration and utilization manager, recently posed for this photo in a high-fidelity mockup of the space station. Hi (Habitation and Logistics Outpost), where astronauts will live, conduct science, and prepare for missions to investigate the lunar south pole region. Dudley works with NASA’s partner space agencies and academia to identify science opportunities at the Gateway.

HALO will host a variety of science experiments, including Heliophysics Environmental and Radiation Measurement Experiment SuiteLed by NASA, and the Internal Dosimeter Array, led by ESA (European Space Agency) and JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency). The heliophysics experiment will fly on the exterior of the helo, and the dosimeters will be housed in a series of racks inside the Gateway, mockups of which are shown to Dudley’s right in the image above. Both experiments will study solar and cosmic radiation to help the science community better understand how to protect astronauts and hardware during deep space journeys to places like Mars.

“We are building [Gateway] to a lifespan of 15 years, but certainly hopefully we’ll live longer than that,” Dudley said recently. houston we have a podcast“And so many years of scientific study in a place where humans have never worked and lived long, the Gateway is going to allow us to do that.”

Dudley serves dual responsibilities as deputy director for NASA’s Exploration Operations Office Moon to Mars programA role that connects him to Artemis science beyond the Gateway, including science investigations orion And manned landing system spacecraft and lunar terrain vehicle,

“My job…is helping to make sure all six [Artemis] All programs, including Gateway, we’re all focusing on access in the same way, Dudley said.

Dudley’s team coordinates the science payloads for Artemis II, the first mission to send humans to the Moon since 1972, and Artemis III, the first landing in the lunar south pole region that is of deep interest to the global science community.

Gateway’s HALO to launch with space station power and propulsion elements next to Artemis IV mission In 2028, the first lunar mission to include an orbiting space station.

“Gateway sounds very science fiction, but it’s real,” Dudley said recently. “And we are building it. And in a few years, it’s going to be around the Moon and that’s when the real work, the fun work in my opinion, is going to begin and science will never be the same.

Gateway is humanity’s first lunar space station as a central component Artemis campaign That will return humans to the Moon for scientific exploration and pave the way for the first manned mission to Mars.