For the first time in more than 50 years, humans are preparing to travel beyond low-Earth orbit and return to the Moon.
Artemis II, NASA’s first crewed test flight in its return-to-the-Moon program, is set to blast off at 5:24 CDT on Wednesday.
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Four astronauts are slated to orbit the moon in their Orion capsule before heading back to Earth.
This is the first time human beings have gone so far into space since the Apollo-era.
Ahead of Wednesday’s historic launch, we are taking a look back at some of the most important missions of NASA.
Apollo 11
What better place to start this list than to look back at the very first time humans set foot on the moon.
At the time, the United States and the Soviet Union were engaged in a Space Race, constantly working to outpace and outperform the other world power in terms of achievements and innovation.
After the shock of the Soviets launching the first artificial satellite with Sputnik-1 in 1957 and cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin becoming the first human in space on April 12, 1961, President John F. Kennedy presented a bold plan to Congress.
“First, I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to the earth,” President Kennedy said to Congress on May 25, 1961.
The United States committed itself to President Kennedy’s vision and the Apollo program was dedicated to Kennedy’s goal.
Fast forward to July 1969, three astronauts, Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins, the Apollo 11 crew, blasted off towards the moon.
On July 20, Armstrong made history, becoming the first human being to step foot on the moon’s surface.
“That’s one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind,” he said as millions of people watched the historic moment on television.
Over the next three and a half years, 10 other astronauts would follow in the crew of Apollo 11’s footsteps and also step foot on the moon.
Hubble Space Telescope
Launched and deployed by the space shuttle Discovery in 1990, the Hubble Space Telescope has changed and challenged humans understanding of the cosmos.
According to NASA, Hubble has made more than 1.7 million observations over the course of its lifetime. Over 22,000 peer-reviewed science papers have been published on its discoveries, and every current astronomy textbook includes contributions from it.
The images Hubble has captured in space are stunning and beautiful, but are much more than just pretty pictures.
Hubble has captured both the birth and death of stars. detected planets outside our solar system, observed evidence of black holes, and so much more.
To dive deep into all the discoveries Hubble has been responsible for would be impossible to do with an article like this. For this reason alone, it deserves to be talked about as one of the most important missions and scientific achievements NASA has been responsible for.
The Space Shuttle Program
NASA’s space shuttle program had its first launch on April 12, 1981 and continued through 2011.
Space Shuttles Columbia, Challenger, Discovery, Atlantis and Endeavor carried people into orbit, recovered and repaired satellites, launched the Hubble Space Telescope, and helped build the International Space Station.
The spacecrafts became platforms for scientific research and its legacy of being a reusable spacecraft with an innovative design will continue to endure because of the achievements it made not just for a singular country, but the world.
However, its discoveries and achievements were shadowed by the loss of both Columbia and Challenger.
On January 28, 1986, Space Shuttle Challenger exploded 73 seconds into its flight, killing all seven crew members.
On February 1, 2003, Space Shuttle Columbia broke apart as it re-entered the earth’s atmosphere. All seven crew members aboard perished.
Despite the losses, the space shuttles flew a combined 135 missions until they were all officially retired on July 21, 2011. It will be remembered as the vessel called upon to help build the International Space Station (ISS), the largest spacecraft ever assembled.
Apollo 13
Launched on April 11, 1970, what was meant to be the third lunar landing took a dangerous turn when an oxygen tank exploded during the Apollo 13 mission.
Astronauts Jim Lovell, Fred Haise, and Jack Swigert were on their way to the moon when the explosion occurred. The crew noticed the explosion had damaged the second oxygen tank aboard the craft and they were losing the very thing that would keep them alive.
The explosion and damage made use of the crafts fuel cells impossible and threatened the eventual loss of all electrical power and water.
Working closely with Mission Control at Houston’s Johnson Space Center, the crew of Apollo 13 was able to figure out how to return to earth safely.
Despite the disappointment with not being able to land on the moon, the mission was regarded as an “successful failure” because all three astronauts were brought back to earth safely.