Two weeks ago I woke up to an email from NASA, inviting me to attend the inaugural launch of the new Artemis mission to the moon.
I think that was the fastest reply I’ve ever written.
One week from today, I’ll be heading to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center to see the Artemis Program’s Artemis I launch.
This is intensely personal for me, since my dad was in charge of flight safety during the Apollo program.
I’m a NASA brat. We lived in the same neighborhood as many of the astronauts, just south of Clear Lake City. My dad would take me with him to work, and I got to see wondrous things.
He was there for the Mercury and Gemini programs, too, before I was born. He wrote the white paper on the Apollo 1 fire.
He’d take me to watch the astronauts fly, instilling in me a love of flight—which is why I became a pilot.
NASA is in my blood, and it beats in my heart.
Artemis marks humanity’s return to the moon, the first in 50 years. History will be made; the first woman will step foot on the moon, as will the first person of color.
I’m grateful to NASA for the invitation, and the opportunity to witness this landmark event in person.
If you want to read more about Artemis, Apollo’s sister — and sister mission — you can do so here.
On Monday, August 30th, we’ll take another small step for humankind.
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