NASA, Apollo and Artemis
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While I was leading a tour of the National Air and Space Museum in January 2026, a visitor posed this insightful question: “Why has it taken so long to return to the Moon?” After all, NASA had the know-how and technology to send humans to the lunar surface more than 50 years ago as part of the Apollo program.
Instead of chasing a quick landing, NASA is planning a step-by-step effort to build the systems needed for astronauts to stay on the Moon.
NASA's Artemis program aims to return humans to the moon, featuring new technologies and a diverse crew, while drawing comparisons to the historic Apollo missions.