Men landed on the Moon fifty years ago, on April 16, 1972. Three American astronauts launched into earth orbit from Launchpad 39A at Kennedy Space Center on the big Saturn V rocket. A second engine burn of 5+ minutes sent them coasting to the Moon.
After three days of coasting at the speed of 24,229 miles per hour, they went into orbit around the moon and then the lunar module took them to the Moon's surface on April 21.
All of this was accomplished without internet, laptops, smart phones, and everything science has discovered since then -- in short, with what (to us now) is 50-year-old technology.
No human has returned to the Moon since 1972. But it looks like we're going to do that. Progress seems to be advancing, subject to delays as usual. An update on the "Artemis" mission, tomorrow.
from NASA
(cont'd tomorrow)
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