With the launch of Artemis II, Jim Head — who helped train astronauts, select landing sites and analyze samples during the Apollo Moon landings nearly 60 years ago — is excited about a new chapter in lunar exploration.

Many things have changed since the 1960s. At 13:24:59 Central Standard Time on December 19 1972, the Apollo 17 command module splashed down in the Pacific Ocean, about 350 nautical miles south-east of Samoa, concluding the last mission to the Moon.

When Apollo 12, NASA's second lunar landing mission, launched from Kennedy Space Center, the space vehicle was struck by lightning— twice.

NASA has been called out on social media over the 'disappointing' Artemis II launch camera coverage that left people assuming the worst

Meet the Press broadcast from Cape Kennedy space center and welcomed the three NASA astronauts who commanded Apollo missions 8, 9 and 10 ahead of the historic launch of Apollo 11, which would land Americans on the moon.

NASA reports all systems are go as of Wednesday morning for the launch of a historic crewed mission to the moon later in the day that, if successful, will mark the first time humans have traveled to Earth’s sole satellite since the final Apollo mission in the early ‘70s.

While Artemis II will not be landing on the moon, it will pick up where Apollo 17 mission left off and set the stage for the upcoming Artemis III.