(Mark Wilson/Getty Images)
Media from across the country are gathering at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans Monday for Artemis Day: an up-close look at the core stage for NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket that will help power the first Artemis mission to the Moon.
The Artemis mission is affectionately dubbed the “twin to Apollo,” and represents a partnership between NASA and commercial and international partners to establish sustainable space exploration by 2028. The ultimate goal of the mission is to return humanity to the moon and ultimately, onward to Mars.
“Most people agree that he who leads in space will lead in the world,” NASA Deputy Administrator Jim Morhard told WIBC host Tony Katz Monday morning.
He continued: “We’re in a transformational era in space and folks like the People’s Republic of China, India, [and] Israel are all trying to land on the Moon. Why? Because there are resources on the moon that we can utilize to get further into deep space.”
In 2018, NASA’s Moon Mineralogy Mapper instrument observed definitive evidence of water ice on the Moon’s surface, opening up a new era of potential opportunity to send humankind much deeper into space than previous generations.
“The moon may be a stepping off point for deep space,” said Morhard. “We’re going to do that and demonstrate it by going to Mars.”
Click the link below to hear Tony’s full with NASA Deputy Administrator Jim Morhard.
