GVSU Expert: A Q&A exploring what it means to return to the moon

Why has it taken so long for the U.S. space program to return humans to the moon?

One of those factors is cost. The original moon missions were extremely expensive, and their ability to hold the attention of the broader public turned out to be more limited than expected. Another factor is technological change. 

The systems used during the Apollo era are no longer in use, and much of the infrastructure that supported them no longer exists. That means returning to the moon is not simply a matter of repeating what was done before, but of developing new systems that reflect current technology.

NASA’s priorities also shifted after the Apollo program. Instead of focusing on missions to the moon, the agency emphasized reusable systems and long-term operations in low Earth orbit, including the development of the space shuttle and later the International Space Station. 

Missions of this scale require congressional approval, public support and sustained political will. For many years, those things were not fully in place. More recently, that has begun to change, with increased interest in returning to the moon and greater involvement from private space companies.

U.S. astronauts have gone to space regularly in the ensuing decades since they were last on the moon. What makes a moon launch different and special?

A moon launch is very different from the kinds of missions astronauts have been doing for the past several decades.

Instead of going into low Earth orbit and docking with the International Space Station, which has become relatively routine, astronauts are sent much farther from Earth on a trajectory that takes several days to reach the moon. The distance itself changes the nature of the mission. The moon is a long way away and that affects everything from planning to risk.

One important difference is response time in the event of a problem. Astronauts in low Earth orbit can return to Earth relatively quickly if necessary. By contrast, astronauts on a lunar mission cannot be back on Earth within hours. 

The experience of space also changes. Astronauts in low Earth orbit are used to looking out at the Earth below them, often through the cupola on the International Space Station. As they travel toward the moon, the Earth becomes smaller and more distant, and the sense of being away from the planet becomes much more pronounced. 

At the same time, missions to the moon carry a different kind of cultural and symbolic meaning. This is only the second period in which the United States has sent astronauts toward the moon, and there is a sense of returning to something that was an important part of American national identity. The moon also captures the imagination in a way that the International Space Station does not. It is visible from Earth, and people can look up and know where astronauts are in a very direct way. That creates a different kind of connection between space exploration and everyday experience.

You have researched astronauts who went to the moon. How has that experience shaped or even changed them?

It really depends on the individual. Astronauts who have gone to the moon have not all responded in the same way, but many describe it as a profoundly different experience from being in low Earth orbit.

One of the astronauts I interviewed, whom I refer to by the pseudonym Zack, talked about being in orbit around the moon and how strange it felt. He described the lunar surface as dry, hostile and almost lifeless in comparison to Earth. From that perspective, you are very close to another planetary body, but it is not one that feels welcoming or alive. It creates a strong contrast with Earth, which is full of oceans, vegetation, weather and human life.

That contrast seems to be a key part of the experience. Astronauts in low Earth orbit are used to seeing Earth as something close and present, something they can return to relatively quickly. When you are near the moon, the Earth becomes smaller and more distant, and the environment around you feels much less forgiving. Buzz Aldrin famously described the moon as “magnificent desolation,” and that phrase captures something many astronauts have tried to convey.

At the same time, astronauts have also described moments of enjoyment and even playfulness, particularly when they are on the surface. The moon’s one-sixth gravity allows for movement that is impossible on Earth, and there is well-known footage of astronauts hopping, experimenting with movement and interacting with the environment in new ways. Some astronauts have also described the experience as perspective-changing.

Apollo 8, which is the closest historical parallel to Artemis II, produced the “Earthrise” photograph, taken by Bill Anders, which allowed people on Earth to see their planet in a completely new way. Overall, the experience of going to the moon seems to heighten awareness of both difference and distance. It can make Earth feel more precious and the moon feel more alien at the same time. 

Can you describe how people in our country felt when the U.S. first landed on the moon in July 1969? The reaction certainly was tied to it being the first time, but do you think we can recapture some of that sense of wonder again?

The sense of wonder in 1969 was tied in part to the idea that the United States was beating the Soviet Union to the moon. It was understood as a kind of national and technological victory. It was also connected to President John F. Kennedy’s earlier commitment to reaching the moon, which many Americans wanted to see fulfilled.

At the same time, there was a great deal of interest around the world because the moon is something that people everywhere recognize and feel connected to. It has long been seen as beautiful and desirable, but also out of reach. Many cultures have stories, beliefs and symbolic meanings associated with the moon, and in some traditions it is understood to be a sacred place. Across all cultures, it is something people can see from Earth and feel a sense of connection to.

Because of that, the 1969 landing felt like more than a technical achievement. It was, in some ways, the breaking of a boundary. Something that had always seemed unreachable suddenly became reachable. For many people, that created a sense of excitement and possibility. For others, it raised more complicated feelings about what it meant to set foot on a place that had long been recognized as sacred.

Today, the situation is different and, in some ways, more fragmented. People do not experience major events in the same unified way. At the same time, there has been a long period in which human spaceflight has focused on low Earth orbit, and many people feel that something has been missing.

Because of that, there is a sense of return built into current missions. People who were too young or not yet born during the Apollo era may feel that they are finally able to experience something similar. Clothing with NASA logos remains very popular, particularly among college students, and the Artemis missions may have a permanent place in their imaginations. The moon still captures attention in a way that few other destinations do.

I do not think the contemporary reaction will be identical to the response in 1969, but I do think there is the potential for a renewed sense of wonder. It may be expressed differently, and it may not be shared in quite the same way, but the underlying experience of seeing humans finally return to a place that has long felt out of reach may still have the power to inspire optimism and a sense of possibility.