Five lessons from Apollo for the new space age

WASHINGTON - As a new space age dawns, amid a fresh race to the moon, it’s worth understanding what NASA and Apollo got right the first time. The technology, the computing power, the material science is all dramatically advanced from 50 years ago, but the laws of physics haven’t changed. Apollo succeeded, and in succeeding it got a lot of things right. It’s worth tapping that experience this time, to speed the return to ambitious space exploration, and also to avoid making mistakes we don’t need to make a second time, writes Charles Fishman for Politico.com. Continue reading original article

The Intelligent Aerospace take:

June 13, 2019-Fishman lists his collection of five lessons learned from the original lunar missions as the United States prepares to return to the moon - maybe. The Artimis mission, so named for the twin of Greek god Apollo, has been challenged to return America and Americans to the moon by 2024, though the current American president, Donald Trump, has been wishy-washy about his support for near-term lunar missions. Still, Fishman's "top five" list is a worthwhile read for professionals who develop technology for harsh environments, particularly as industry gets more and more involved with space travel and technology beyond being prime- and sub-contractors for NASA missions.

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Jamie Whitney, Associate Editor
Intelligent Aerospace