NASA’s first crewed moon mission in more than 50 years is underway, bringing back memories of when I was a youngster growing up at Nolan.
I can recall the early space programs in the 1960s.
Project Mercury was the first human spaceflight program of the United States, running from 1958 through 1963. An early highlight of the “Space Race” was to put a man into Earth orbit and return him safely before the Russians.
The Apollo program was the United States’ spaceflight program led by NASA that landed the first humans on the moon in 1969.
I can recall watching some of the early rocket launches on our old black-and-white television. How cool it was, and I became a fan of the early astronauts.
I can remember with fondness watching with my family that summer of 1969 when the Americans landed on the moon.
The goal was accomplished on the Apollo 11 mission, when astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed their Apollo Lunar Module on July 20, 1969 and walked on the lunar surface, while Michael Collins remained in lunar orbit in the command and service module.
I am sure many of you can recall Armstrong’s first words as he stepped off the ladder and down onto the moon surface, “That’s one small step for man. One giant leap for mankind.”
All three landed safely back on Earth in the Pacific Ocean on July 24. Approximately 650 million people worldwide watched this first landing on television
Now, after more than 50 years, NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Christina Koch and Victor Glover, and Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen launched this past Wednesday evening on a 10-day journey to circle Earth, orbit the moon and slingshot back.
We have had the space shuttles and other unmanned spaceflights over the years, but this new Artemis program plans to put astronauts back on the moon in 2028. There have even been talks of building a facility on the lunar surface. This would help the U.S. eventually send astronauts to Mars!
Like the race we had with the Soviet Union in the 1960s, now we are doing the same with China. They are also planning to land men on the moon, the first since the U.S. did it in the early 1970s.
Again, I recall checking out books from the “Bookmobile,” which made stops every couple of weeks at Nolan Grade School, about the space program and the early astronauts. This fascinated me and I guess like other young boys, I dreamed of becoming an astronaut too.
The launch of the Artemis II mission was the first time that NASA’s Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft carried human passengers into orbit.
As I am writing this column, those four astronauts are traveling through space towards the moon. It is incredible if you think about it.
Their next major milestone came on Monday, when they ventured farther from Earth than any humans had before, surpassing the distance record of 248,655 miles set by the Apollo 13 astronauts in 1970.
As the astronauts swing around the moon, they will become the first to see parts of the lunar surface with human eyes. That is because the far side of the moon always faces away from Earth.
I believe our schools should still teach some of the early history of the space programs. Names like Alan Shepard and John Glenn, a couple of the first astronauts, should be remembered as heroes and pioneers.
We should feel a sense of pride that our country and NASA have accomplished this feat and will continue to pioneer into space.
Aluminum-lithium, produced at the Constellium plant in Ravenswood, West Virginia, was used to fabricate rocket plates for the mission. So that is a unique connection we have with the latest rocket launch. Something made in the Mountain State helped with the entire Artemis II mission.
The Artemis space program is seen as a significant boost to U.S. morale.
The upcoming Artemis II mission, which aims to return humans to the moon, is expected to inspire excitement and national pride. This mission not only represents a technological achievement but also symbolizes America’s leadership in space exploration, especially in the context of global competition, particularly with China.
The program is viewed as a unifying endeavor that can uplift spirits and foster a sense of shared purpose among Americans.
Until next time.
(Kyle Lovern is a longtime journalist in the Tug Valley. He is now a retired freelance writer and columnist for the Mountain Citizen.)