HAMPTON, Va. — One of the most significant days for science and space exploration in history is July 20.
On that day, 53 years ago this Wednesday, Neil Armstrong took “One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind” by being the first human to step foot on the moon.
Mission control and the epicenter of that Apollo 11 mission was at the NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. But getting the Eagle to land safely never would have happened without work done right here in Hampton Roads.
The NASA Langley Research Center in Hampton played a critical role in testing equipment and training astronauts for the mission. The Lunar Landing Research Facility is what Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin used to practice their descent to the surface of the moon.
That’s why it’s not surprising that Langley is once again playing an important role in bringing us back to the moon and beyond for the first time in 50 years.
The Artemis missions will eventually send the first woman and person of color to the moon.
Hundreds of locally-based technicians, researchers, and scientists have been working on the space launch system that will get the astronauts to the moon and back: the very work they did back in the 1960s ahead of the Apollo 11 mission.
Our next close encounter with the moon isn’t far away either. It all starts sometime in August with Artemis I, a test flight around the moon using the new SLS moon rocket.
In 2024, Artemis II will be a manned voyage around the far side of the moon and back.
Then, if all goes as planned, Artemis III will have astronauts walking on the moon in 2025, for the first time since 1972.
The Artemis missions aren’t just about getting us to the moon, either.
The idea is to establish a sustainable presence there so we can prepare for future missions to Mars.