Sixty years ago, NASA and astronaut John Glenn pushed the limits of possible. Three times. Once for every orbit around the earth.
Since then, NASA's every step has redefined possible, shaping the reality of what we know and what we can achieve. It started with Mercury, Gemini and Apollo, then moved to the space shuttle program and International Space Station.
Now there's Artemis, a mission on which NASA is building a new foundation for a new era of space exploration.
"Apollo was very much about how to send humans out into space," NASA Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy said in a statement. "We built on that legacy with the space shuttle, which taught us how to do science and how to stay in orbit for periods at a time. The International Space Station has taught us how to live 24/7 365 days a year and do science in space. But Artemis is going to take us out to the next step."
That's because Artemis isn't just about going to the moon. It's about staying on the moon. It's learning about the moon so we can learn to live on the moon.
Because beyond the moon is Mars. And so, so much more.
"Artemis will help us define: What are the objectives? What are the things that we had to demonstrate? What do we have to learn and understand before we go the next step to Mars?" Melroy said. "We get to practice on the moon, which is just a couple of days away from earth. It's a place where we can practice, learn and prepare ourselves for future exploration to Mars and beyond."
To live and move and explore, NASA's astronauts will need the right connections to the lunar surface. And that's where Goodyear and Michelin come in. Each of the tire makers are playing key roles on engineering teams designing lunar vehicles for the Artemis missions.