What did going to the Moon achieve, really?
July 20, 1969, was without a doubt a monumental moment in human history–the landing of the first human beings on the surface of the Moon. In 1972, the final mission of NASA's Apollo program touched down on the lunar surface. Apollo revolutionized and accelerated space technology along with our ability to live and work in space. But what else did these epic voyages beyond our own planet achieve? While the Space Race pretty much ended with the conclusion of the Apollo program, interest in lunar exploration did not. Over the decades there have been fewer attempts to put human beings on the moon's surface, but many attempts to develop technology that will allow us to further understand and explore the moon. American aerospace company Intuitive Machines successfully performed a historic moon landing on Thursday, Feb. 22. Their unmanned M-1 lander, named Odyssey or “Odie” for short, became the first commercial spacecraft to soft-land on the moon. It was also the first American-made aircraft to land on the moon since the Apollo mission over 50 years ago. Intuitive Machines is collaborating with NASA in the development of Odyssey, as the government agency intends to buy their landers to scout the moon in preparation for their next manned mission. NASA will send astronauts to the moon for the first time since 1972 through the Artemis program. They intend to carry out this mission by the end of the decade. “Today for the first time in more than a half-century, the US has returned to the moon,” said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. “Today is a day that shows the power and promise of NASA’s commercial partnerships.” Click through and find out how Moon missions changed our modern world.
2023-12-07T12:03:15Z