About F–king Time.
Mission Commander Reid Wiseman
Pilot Victor Glover
Mission Specialist Christina Koch
Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen
These are the four astronauts taking humanity back to the Moon for the first time since the Apollo 17 Lunar Mission in 1972.
Specialist Koch will make additional history by becoming the first woman astronaut to fly around the Moon on the partially solar-powered Artemis II Orion Capsule.
Pilot Glover will be the first Black Man to accomplish the feat.
I was six years old the last time humanity went to the Moon.
Hopefully, today’s six-year-olds will not have to wait 54 years for the next one.
Hopefully, by that time, lunar colonies will have been established and humanity will have set foot on Mars.
The mission will take ten days to go around the Moon and return to Earth with Artemis II planning to splash down in the Pacific Ocean.
Arizona Senator and former N.A.S.A Astronaut Mark Kelly was in Florida to watch the Artemis II Launch.
In his posts from the last couple of days, the Senator marveled at the technological innovation behind making the launch possible.
Hours before the launch, he said:
“In later years, we’re going to send Americans back to the surface of the moon, hopefully ahead of the Chinese, and establish a lunar presence with people on the surface of the moon. It’s inspiring, but it also pushes technology forward, and I think that’s really an important thing for the American people to understand. It does take a lot of resources to do programs like this, but it is really only here in the United States of America that we’re able to marshal those resources, that technical talent, the engineers and scientists we need to do this, to do hard things, and when we do hard things, we get a lot out of it.“
After the launch, Senator Kelly posted:
“When I look up at that rocket and the four astronauts sitting on top of it, I see America at its very best. Our country is deeply divided, and we have real challenges. But I’d encourage everyone to watch this launch today and be proud of our country and what we’re capable of when we work together.”
Senator Kelly is right. This is America at its best and shows what can be accomplished when differences can be put aside (Trump and Biden Administration officials pursued this return to the Moon) to further humanity’s dreams and aspirations for progress.
God Speed Artemis II.
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