moon landing

The dust is settling on the fly-by of the Moon of Artemis-2, and NASA is planning to take a big step this week toward the launch of the next missions, called Artemis-3. These new Moon flights begin with blastoff aboard an Alabama built rocket called the “Space Launch System.”

Now that the first lunar travelers in more than a half-century are safely back in Houston with their families, NASA has Artemis III in its sights. One question for this plan appears to be, where’s Apollo 10?

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.

The astronauts aboard Artemis-2 are preparing for a fly-by of the moon as part of the mission in space. The trip began with a ride to Earth orbit aboard NASA’s Alabama built new moon rocket called the “Space Launch System,” or SLS. Three of the Artemis astronauts are space veterans. But, none of the crew members flew aboard NASA’s space shuttle which uses solid rocket boosters for blastoff. They shared thoughts on the ride.

NASA is looking back on a bit of space history today while a University of Alabama astronaut is focusing on the future. It was on this date back in 1972 when the crew of Apollo 17 returned to Earth. That was NASA’s last manned lunar mission. Astronaut, and UA grad, Bob Hines is supporting the flight of Artemis Two, which will soon send people back to the moon.

NASA is going over data from its Orion crew capsule before declaring the mission a success. The Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville is managing the spacecraft and the new rocket that launched it to Earth orbit.

NASA is already looking ahead to the next chapter in its plan to send astronauts back to the Moon. The agency’s Orion crew capsule successfully splashed down in the Pacific Ocean after its mission on autopilot around the moon and back.

NASA’s Orion space capsule set a personal record. The spacecraft was built and managed by the Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville.

A NASA space capsule built and managed by Alabama’s Marshall Space Flight Center is set for a major milestone today. The unmanned Orion capsule is scheduled to arrive at the Moon. The maneuver is part of its mission to test the vehicle that was launched aboard the new Artemis one rocket.

Alabama Public Radio is observing forty years on the air in 2022. The APR news team is diving into our archives to bring you encore airings of the best of our coverage. So far this month, we’ve featured stories with a space theme. July was the month, back in 1969, when Apollo 11 landed on the moon. Not all of APR’s NASA related coverage has been upbeat. This archive story by Pat Duggins from last year involves a former astronaut and the death of two sisters in Tuscaloosa.