Celebrating Apollo 11

We’re currently having loads of fun over at Discovery Space, celebrating mankind’s biggest space achievement: when Apollo 11 landed on the moon 40 years ago. On July 20th 1969, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin made history while Michael Collins orbited overhead. This was a key moment in space exploration that was followed by another 5 lunar landings until 1972. Unfortunately, that was it and the Apollo Program was gradually wound down…

However, the current plan is to get astronauts back to the moon by 2020, but how are we going to do it? Actually, the answer is far from clear-cut, and although NASA is pushing ahead with the development of Constellation, outspoken space advocates, such as Buzz Aldrin, are presenting some alternatives.

But in an interesting twist, after carrying out a two-week poll on Space Disco, I found that general opinion is stacked firmly in favour of a NASA return mission to the moon…

To find out more, dive right into the Discovery Space Wide Angle: The Moon Landings:

• • Interview with Buzz Aldrin: Should We Return To The Moon?

    Irene Klotz discusses the Apollo 11 landing with the second man on the moon. What are his opinions about NASA’s plans for a return trip?

  • Opinion: One Small Step: Why Step Back?

    We did it 40 years ago, what’s the point in retracing our steps when we could just mount a manned mission to Mars? Ian O’Neill discusses the pros and cons about NASA’s future exploration plans. Including results from the Discovery Space reader poll.

NEWS

• • Celebrating the 40th Anniversary of Apollo 11

    On July 20, it’s the 40th anniversary of first manned moon landing.

  • NASA Has Plan B to Launch U.S. to Moon

    NASA has a backup plan to launch crew and cargo to the moon, reduce the gap between shuttle retirement and a replacement ship’s debut, and save taxpayers billions of dollars.

  • Flying to the Moon: A Dead End?

    NASA will offer reporters an unprecedented chance to conduct interviews with scientists inside the lab that stores moon rocks Apollo astronauts collected during their six missions on July 2.

SLIDE SHOWS

• • Things You Didn’t Know About Apollo (HowStuffWorks)

    Did you know the Apollo 17 astronauts had to fix their lunar buggy with duct tape? Or that the Saturn V carrying Apollo 12 was struck by lightning 37 seconds after lift off? We investigate the little-known facts about the Apollo missions.

  • Top Ten Moon Mysteries (HowStuffWorks)

    It may be our natural satellite, easily observable in the night sky, but the moon still hides many secrets. Explore the lunar surface with us as we investigate some of the moon’s best kept secrets.

VIDEOS

• • Moon Missions 40th Anniversary

    The highlights from Apollo 11 archive footage and some of our favorite moments of astronauts exploring the moon.

FEATURE ARTICLES

• Mining the Moon (IEEE Spectrum)

  We are told that one of the key reasons to set up a lunar base is to mine the moon for its abundance of natural resources, but is this realistic? In some ways yes, but there’s a lot of economics and politics to wade through first.

• The End Of The Cult Of The Astronaut (IEEE Spectrum)

  Many in-space activities could be automated, negating the need for a human presence. However, taking astronauts out of the space exploration loop is as attractive as it is unpalatable. Is the astronaut surplus to requirements?