AvatarThe AtlanticAvatarAvatarThe Coming End of an Era at NASAverified_publisherThe Atlantic - By Marina KorenSoon, if no mission returns to the moon, no one on Earth will have set foot on another world. From 1969 to 1972, 12 men walked on the moon. Four of them are still alive. No one has been back since, and it’s unclear when anyone might return. The four moonwalkers were in their mid to late thirties when …
AvatarThe AtlanticAvatarAvatarThe Soviet Space Program Was Not Wokeverified_publisherThe Atlantic - By Marina KorenSending the first women into space isn’t the same as developing an astronaut program that values equality. About this time 50 years ago, three men returned home from a long journey. They had flown to the moon, planted an American flag in the silver regolith, and flown back. After a decade of …
AvatarThe AtlanticAvatarAvatarThe Outdated Language of Space Travelverified_publisherThe Atlantic - By Marina Koren“Manned” spaceflight doesn’t make sense anymore. Half a century ago, there was only one kind of astronaut in the United States. Men launched atop rockets to space. Men maneuvered landers down to the surface of the moon. Men guided spacecraft safely home. From start to finish, they were at the …
AvatarThe AtlanticAvatarAvatarThe Secrets of Moondustverified_publisherThe Atlantic - By Marina KorenLunar samples, untouched by Earth’s atmosphere for decades, will soon emerge from a NASA vault. There are a few rules for handling pieces of the moon collected by Apollo astronauts. Keep the samples locked in a safe. Don’t blab to everyone that you have some. Don’t destroy them, unless you’ve been …
AvatarThe AtlanticAvatarAvatarOne Small Controversy About Neil Armstrong’s Giant Leapverified_publisherThe Atlantic - By Jacob SternWhen, exactly, did the astronaut set foot on the moon? No one knows. The Apollo 11 mission was, in most respects, a feat of extraordinary precision. Traveling at a maximum velocity of about seven miles a second, the Saturn V rocket would have launched the crew far off course in the event of even a …
AvatarThe AtlanticAvatarAvatarThe Best Banter From Apollo 11verified_publisherThe Atlantic - By Marina KorenBetween the high-stakes maneuvers, the crew joked around, listened to music, and drank way too much coffee. Apollo 11 was all about the destination, but there was more to the mission than the landing itself. Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins took an eight-day-long journey punctuated …
AvatarThe AtlanticAvatarAvatarThe Moon Landing Inspired Pink Floyd’s Most Overlooked Songverified_publisherThe Atlantic - By Jason HellerA bluesy, atmospheric piece that the band improvised live on the air during the Apollo 11 mission deserves to be more than a footnote of musical history. For seven and a half minutes on the night of July 20, 1969, Pink Floyd took thousands of BBC viewers to the moon. Of course, two men were already …
AvatarThe AtlanticAvatarAvatarSometimes Even Newspapers Need Poetryverified_publisherThe Atlantic - By Joshua Benton and Nieman LabThe New York Times tapped a polymath poet to celebrate the 1969 moon landing on its front page. It is difficult to imagine a more daunting task for a newspaper editor than planning the next day’s front page when the world has just witnessed humanity’s crowning achievement: the successful landing of …
AvatarThe AtlanticAvatarAvatarApollo 11 Moon Landing: Photos From 50 Years Agoverified_publisherThe Atlantic - Alan TaylorOn July 20, 1969, the astronaut Neil Armstrong became the first human being to walk on another world, famously marking the moment with the phrase: “That’s one small step for [a] man, one giant leap for mankind.” After months of preparation, preceded by years of development and testing, the crew of …
AvatarThe AtlanticAvatarAvatarThe Apollo Engineer Who Almost Wasn’t Allowed in the Control Roomverified_publisherThe Atlantic - By Marina KorenJoAnn Morgan stood out against the sea of men in skinny ties and glasses. But she was right where she belonged. With seconds left in the countdown, JoAnn Morgan knew there was no turning back. Oh, we’re really going to do it, she thought to herself. We’re really going. The United States was about to …
AvatarThe AtlanticAvatarAvatarWhat Is the Apollo 11 Landing Site Like Now?verified_publisherThe Atlantic - By Marina KorenThe American flag is bleached white. But some of the boot prints could remain undisturbed for tens of thousands of years. About 4.5 billion years ago, according to the most popular theory of the moon’s formation, a mysterious rocky world the size of Mars slammed into Earth. From the fiery impact, …
AvatarThe AtlanticAvatarAvatarThe Most Compelling Photo of the Moon Landingverified_publisherThe Atlantic - By Rebecca BoyleAs Buzz Aldrin descended the lander’s ladder, Neil Armstrong captured the moment. Editor’s Note: This article is part of a series reflecting on the Apollo 11 mission, 50 years later. For 18 minutes and maybe 19 seconds, only one human being had ever set foot on the surface of the moon. Neil Armstrong …