DANIELLE SMOOT
WASHINGTON — Morehead State University is being praised as the “savior” of NASA’s recent lunar landing.
During a hearing April 17 on Capitol Hill, U.S. Rep. Harold “Hal” Rogers (KY-05) and NASA Administrator Bill Nelson commended MSU for resolving critical communication challenges during the Odysseus robotic moon landing at the moon’s south pole.
Rogers highlighted MSU’s contribution as a decisive factor in the mission’s success, stating, “Morehead State University staff and students stepped up to help NASA when it mattered most. Their ability to establish a command bridge was crucial in overcoming the landing challenges.” This intervention by MSU, involving intense efforts, including overnight coding sessions led by Dr. Ben Malphrus, executive director of MSU’s Space Science Center, ensured that the mission did not falter.
Nelson expressed his gratitude.
“Morehead State was the savior of our historic mission to the moon,” he said. “Their dual ability to communicate commercially and through our Deep Space Network is symbolic of effective collaboration between commercial entities and government.”
Rogers and Nelson recognized Dr. Malphrus during the hearing.
“I’m really proud of our students and our staff at Morehead State,” Dr. Malphrus said. “We were actively writing code in the middle of the night to restore communications with the lunar lander, Odie, ensuring that this important mission on the moon’s south pole did not fail. It is an honor for our Space Science program to be recognized on Capitol Hill. We’re doing incredible work with NASA and private aerospace leaders to keep America on the forefront of space exploration.”
Congressman Rogers recently secured two community project funding earmarks to support space science programs in Eastern Kentucky, including $650,000 for STEM education programs at the Challenger Learning Center of Kentucky in Hazard and nearly $10 million for Morehead State University to improve its Space Tracking Stations that provide support for NASA programs. The funding was signed into law in March.