Back to the moon



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In the last half century, several countries have taken bribes on the moon and landed (or, in some cases, crushed) payloads on the lunar surface. But only the United States has landed men on the moon: a dozen of them in six pairs, starting with the historic Apollo 11 mission from July 20, 1969 to December 1972.

The fact that only men have visited the moon remains an accurate statement, though unfortunate. Although the female astronauts traveled in an orbit close to Earth, none of them ventured to Earth's closest neighbor.

That could change in just five years if NASA's Artemis moon landing program could meet the schedule. Artemis (in Greek mythology the twin sister of Apollo) would land on the lunar surface a pair of astronauts, one supposed to be a woman, in 2024, thus ending a 55-year-old absence for humanity.

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Explaining why humans had to go to the moon was an easier task for President John F. Kennedy in 1962. The Cold War between the United States and the then Soviet Union was at its peak. The political systems were put to the test: who could best accomplish this monumental task: a democracy based on free enterprise and free debate or a secret autocracy, closed and downward demanding results? The American approach won the race easily – and with it the admiration of an astonished world.

But why go back? The scientific answer is simple: there is still much to learn. Artemis would land near the south pole of the moon, unexplored by humans. It is thought to have ice deposits that could be used to power a permanent lunar base that could be occupied by 2028.

Of course, everything depends on the political and financial support provided to Artemis. The Trump administration has asked Congress for an additional $ 1.6 billion for NASA. But if budget lapses between the White House and Congress continue, it may be difficult to secure increased funding for space exploration.

A recent tweet by President Donald Trump has darkened the political atmosphere by declaring that Mars, and not the moon, was the key destination of the United States. It seemed like a return to the position of the Obama administration, which had decided to get around the moon and focus on the red planet.

In his famous "speech on the moon" of 1962, President Kennedy clearly explained why it was urgent that the United States go to the moon.

The attempt, he said, would not be made because it would be easy, but because it would be difficult and it would "measure the best of our energies and skills …", a- he entrusted to a Houston public. "We have set sail for this new sea because there is new knowledge to acquire and new rights to win. They must be earned and used for the progress of all. "

If Artemis were to bring humanity back to the moon, she would have a clear vision and leadership to get her off the launch pad.

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