FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 50 YEARS, A NASA SPACECRAFT VISITED THE MOON MONDAY.

ONE OF THE HEADS OF THE PROGRAM SAYS IT’S THE NEXT STEP IN THE JOURNEY TO MAKE HUMANS AN EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL SPECIES.

NASA’S ORION CAPSULE CAME WITHIN 81 MILES OF THE LUNAR SURFACE AS IT WHIPPED AROUND THE DARKSIDE OF THE MOON. NASA’S ARTEMIS 1 ROCKET LAUNCHED LAST WEEK CARRYING THE CAPSULE.

CREWS ON EARTH ARE POURING OVER THE DATA STREAMING BACK FROM ORION. NASA IS PLANNING TWO MORE LUNAR MISSIONS IN THE COMING YEARS, WITH PLANS TO PUT ASTRONAUTS BACK ON THE SURFACE BY 2026.

HOWARD HU, THE HEAD OF THE ORION LUNAR SPACECRAFT PROGRAM, SAID HUMANS COULD BE ACTIVE ON THE MOON FOR “DURATIONS” BY 2030.

“THEY WILL HAVE HABITATS, THEY WILL HAVE ROVERS ON THE GROUND” HU SAID. “WE ARE GOING TO BE SENDING PEOPLE DOWN TO THE SURFACE, AND THEY ARE GOING TO BE LIVING ON THAT SURFACE AND DOING SCIENCE.”

HU SAID THE ARTEMIS ROCKETS AND ORION CAPSULES ARE THE VEHICLES HUMANITY WILL USE FOR ITS FIRST LONG-TERM DEEP-SPACE EXPLORATION MISSIONS.

UNDER THE ARTEMIS PROGRAM, THERE ARE ALSO PLANS TO CONSTRUCT THE LUNAR GATEWAY, WHICH WILL BE A SPACE STATION ORBITING THE MOON FOR NASA SCIENTISTS TO LIVE AND WORK.

WHILE RETURNING TO THE MOON AND BUILDING A LUNAR GATEWAY ARE ALL VERY EXCITING, HU SAYS THE ULTIMATE GOAL OF ARTEMIS AND ORION WILL BE LEARNING WHAT IT WILL TAKE TO SEND HUMANS TO MARS.