Apollo 11

Artemis II’s astronauts returned from the moon with a dramatic splashdown in the Pacific on Friday to close out humanity’s first lunar voyage in more than a half-century. One of the four space shuttle engines used during the upcoming launch of Artemis-3 next year comes from the final launch of the shuttle in 2011.

Drawing ever closer to Earth, the Artemis II astronauts tidied up their lunar cruiser for the upcoming “fireball” return and reflected on their historic journey around the moon, describing it as surreal and profound. This is the end of their journey, which began aboard NASA's new "Space Launch System" rocket which was designed, built, tested, and managed at the Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville.

NASA is counting down the hours before the first trip around the moon by astronauts since 1972. The mission of Artemis two begins with a ride to space aboard a rocket made here in Alabama. Some of the engineers who made the Apollo lunar missions possible are still in the Huntsville area and NASA knows it.

The U.S. Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville will be hosting a large watch party tomorrow, as thousands are expected to gather to view the launch of the Artemis II mission around the moon.The trip is designed to begin with the blastoff of the Alabama built “Space Launch System” rocket, based on technology from the retired Space Shuttle program.

Supporters of Wednesday’s planned launch of an Alabama built rocket on the first crewed trip to the moon since 1972 can sink their teeth in an edible souvenir at their local Krispy Kreme. The donut outlet, on Tuesday, is debuting a limited-edition Artemis II Doughnut, launching just in time for this historic moment in space exploration.

In the latest setback to return astronauts to the moon, NASA delayed the highly anticipated flight yet again after a new problem cropped up with the rocket. April is now appears the earliest that the four Artemis II astronauts could fly to the moon. The new super rocket poised to carry the astronauts off the launch pad and onto their way was designed, built, tested, and managed at the Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville.

Ever tried to explain a rotary phone to a 10-year-old? Archiving the history of how we talk to each other is more than just collecting old gadgets—it’s about preserving our connection to the past. Volunteer archivist Brad Clasgens with Signals Museum of Information Explosion in Huntsville knows a thing or two about that. He's the latest guest on Quick-Fire Quips and has the full download from scrolling to streaming to syncing up. Plus, the history of fun and unusual devices!

NASA has delayed the launch of an rocket designed, built, and tested in Alabama on a mission around the moon. The four astronauts’ upcoming trip is being postponed because of near-freezing temperatures expected at the launch site. The first Artemis moonshot with a crew is now targeted for no earlier than Feb. 8, two days later than planned. NASA was all set to conduct a fueling test of the 322-foot moon rocket on Saturday, but called everything off because of the expected cold.

NASA began demolishing part of its own history over the weekend. Crews at the Marshall Space Flight Center are removing the Propulsion and Structural Test Facility and the Dynamic Test Facilities. These structures prepared the engines for the space shuttle and the Apollo moon missions. Now, Artemis-2 awaits.

One exhibit at the Marshall Space Flight Center’s Davidson Center for Space Exploration is the Apollo 16 Command Module “Casper.” This aging spacecraft is more poignant this week as the nation mourns the loss of Ken Mattingly, the astronaut who helped Apollo 13 crew return safely home. He died at the age of 87. Mattingly flew in that vehicle on the Apollo 16 lunar landing mission in 1972.