Business · Associated Press Technology
Apollo vs. Artemis: What to know about NASA's return to the moon
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Key facts
- It took NASA eight years to go from putting its first astronaut in space to putting Apollo 11’s Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin on the moon in 1969, beating President John Kennedy’s end-of-decade
- Astronauts landed six times from 1969 through 1972, with the longest surface stay lasting 75 hours
- Frank Borman, Jim Lovell and Bill Anders became the first humans to launch to the moon in 1968
- During next year’s revamped Artemis III, astronauts will stick closer to home the same way Apollo 9 did in 1969
Summary
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — NASA’s Apollo moonshots are a tough act to follow, even after all this time. As four astronauts get set to blast off on humanity’s first trip to the moon in more than half a century, comparisons between Apollo and NASA’s new Artemis program are inevitable. Another key difference: Artemis reflects more of society, with a woman, person of color and Canadian rocketing away. While Artemis builds on Apollo and pays homage to it, “there is no way we could be that same mission or ever hope to even be,” said NASA astronaut Christina Koch, part of the Artemis II crew. Here’s the lowdown on Apollo vs. Artemis, the twin sister of Apollo in Greek mythology, as NASA targets the first six days of April for liftoff.