Artemis II. More than a mission to the moon and back, a symbol of hope and inspiration. Once again, space travel has captivated the public with not only astounding technical milestones, but personal stories of preparation, trust and teamwork. An engineering triumph. And behind the scenes, overcoming decades of political, financial and scientific challenges. It was 57 years ago that Neil Armstrong stepped onto the moon.
Traveling in the Orion spacecraft, four astronauts went deeper into space than any other human has gone. Could this achievement be the start of humanity’s next chapter? The Artemis II mission is NASA’s deliberate step toward a sustained human presence on the moon. Think about a Lunar Gateway Station, a human-inhabited outpost that will serve as a launchpad for crewed missions to go further into space. Exploration. Discovery. Trailblazing.
The south pole of the moon is beckoning. It is the major focus for global space exploration. Many nations, such as India, China and Russia have plans to go there. The future Artemis III mission aims to land humans there by 2028. What’s so special about the lunar south pole? Water. Ice found in permanently shadowed regions of the south pole offers resources for drinking water, oxygen and fuel. There are also peaks of eternal light that can offer solar power for the outposts.
What do you take into space? How about a plush toy designed by a California secon-grader named Lucas Ye. The 8-year old’s official moon mascot was chosen out of 2,600 entries from over 50 countries. The white moon plush is called “Rise” and wears an Earth cap with a brim that highlights the galaxy and rockets. The design was inspired by the famous Earthrise photo taken during the Apollo 8 mission in 1968.
Artemis II is an ambitious endeavor, from the Space Launch System to the Orion spacecraft, robotic landers and next-generation space suits for launch, entry and surface exploration. This all takes scientific and engineering discoveries, as NASA considered every possible safety consequence, for the astronauts and the broader environment. There were space-capsule issues to solve, like extremely high temperatures and intense acceleration forces.
“Houston, we have a problem.” Some folks made fun of a $90 billion space program that ends up with a broken toilet on board the Orion within two hours of launching. Hey, things happen. At least it was fixed. It might not have been the crew’s No. 1 concern, but it was a concern for going No. 1. The situation was handled perfectly when ground control gave explicit instructions to the crew to correct the “potty problem.”
With future plans for space travel, come missions that seem impossible. Dream big. Then launch. Go where no one else has gone before. A teenage boy watching the Orion launch live in Florida was asked by a reporter why he was there. His answer? “Because this is a big freakin’ deal. And now all the math and physics that I have been learning, seems to make sense.”
Once again, the song, “Fly Me To The Moon,” has become a hit.
Around the Bluhmin’ Town
Judy Bluhm is a writer and local Realtor. Have a story or a comment? Email Judy at judy@judybluhm.com