For the first time since astronauts Eugene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt walked on the lunar surface in 1972, people can once again look to the moon for inspiration.
Hundreds of thousands of people lined Florida’s Space Coast, and millions more tuned in online, to watch the launch of the Artemis II spacecraft Wednesday, marking NASA’s first crewed lunar mission in more than 50 years.
While Artemis II will fly near the moon, Artemis III in 2027 and Artemis IV in 2028 could return astronauts to the lunar surface and begin work on a potential station.
The Artemis launch was especially inspirational for Washington Island STEM teacher Miranda Dahlke, who attended Space Camp at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama, in 2022 thanks to a scholarship from the Geek Partnership Society. Dahlke reflected on her time at space camp talking with some of the people who were instrumental with the first moon missions.
She said she is excited to bring that experience into the classroom and to be teaching when the first woman potentially walks on the moon.
There are several Wisconsin connections to the Artemis mission, including NASA planetary and space scientist and Shawano native Dr. Susan Lederer and NASA capsule communicator and Green Bay Preble High School graduate Amy Dill.
