Apollo 8 was the first human mission to the Moon, on December 21, 1968. Three NASA astronauts, Frank Borman, Jim Lovell and Bill Anders, entered lunar orbit on Christmas Eve, December 24 of the same year . The mission was broadcast live on television until the astronauts returned to Earth – six days after leaving our planet.
Now, NASA says the Artemis II crew is planning to return to our satellite on the 55th anniversary of Apollo 8.
The three crew members of Apollo 8.
According to Wiseman, NASA’s first lunar commander for almost two generations, Artemis II intends to follow the same route planned by Apollo 8, in 2024.
This time, instead of three astronauts, there will be four who will travel to lunar orbit. It is worth noting that the last time we were there, on the Apollo 17 mission, was 51 years ago.
Despite the similarities with the Apollo 8 mission, Wiseman says that Artemis II will mark our history: the pilot, Victor Glover, is the first African-American to leave low Earth orbit; The mission specialist, Christina Koch, is the first woman to make this trip; and, Jeremy Hansen, Canadian and also mission specialist, is the first “non-American” to do so. Another giant leap for humanity.
The crew of Artemis II.
2023-12-26 19:01:14
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