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.

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.

As humanity blasts off into a new space race, we need a model of exploration that emphasizes stewardship of other worlds, not exploitation.

Artemis might return astronauts to the moon, but only after years of delays and a price tag far exceeding the government’s projections.

The astronauts — three Americans and a Canadian — are part of the NASA mission, known as Artemis II, that aims to loop around the moon in a 10-day swing. NASA hopes the flight will be a step toward a full revival of U.S. lunar ambitions. By the end of 2030, it aims to put people on the surface of the moon for the first time since 1972.

In this podcast we'll talk about NASA's Artemis II launch, which has ushered in a new era of lunar exploration. Nature: Lift off! Artemis II mission sends humans to the Moon — opening a new era of exploration

A U.S. spacecraft carrying four astronauts was launched Wednesday for a flight around the Moon in the first manned