1 00:00:00,240 --> 00:00:02,400 Speaker 1: All right, No matter how old you are, you've been 2 00:00:02,480 --> 00:00:05,440 Speaker 1: around for some pretty exciting moments in the space race, 3 00:00:05,800 --> 00:00:08,399 Speaker 1: even if it was just buzz light ear. But this 4 00:00:08,480 --> 00:00:11,719 Speaker 1: week we're witnessing a whole new era. The artem Is 5 00:00:11,800 --> 00:00:14,240 Speaker 1: two is flying all the way around the Moon, taking 6 00:00:14,320 --> 00:00:17,480 Speaker 1: a peek at its dark side, and then returning, having 7 00:00:17,520 --> 00:00:21,799 Speaker 1: traveled farther than any other manned spaceflight ever, and preparing 8 00:00:21,880 --> 00:00:25,479 Speaker 1: us for the next big step. I'm Patty Steele. Where 9 00:00:25,480 --> 00:00:28,560 Speaker 1: did it all begin? And where's it all headed? That's 10 00:00:28,600 --> 00:00:36,040 Speaker 1: next on the backstory. The backstory is back. The artem 11 00:00:36,159 --> 00:00:39,199 Speaker 1: Is two blasted off this week, and this mission feels 12 00:00:39,400 --> 00:00:42,720 Speaker 1: pretty different because of the passage of time. The last 13 00:00:42,760 --> 00:00:46,479 Speaker 1: time humans left Earth's orbit, truly left it and headed 14 00:00:46,479 --> 00:00:50,599 Speaker 1: into deep space was December of nineteen seventy two. The 15 00:00:50,640 --> 00:00:54,800 Speaker 1: world was wearing bell bottoms and watching Watergate unfold as 16 00:00:54,840 --> 00:01:00,160 Speaker 1: Apollo seventeen returned home, and then we just stopped. For 17 00:01:00,200 --> 00:01:03,160 Speaker 1: more than fifty years, humanities stayed close to home in 18 00:01:03,280 --> 00:01:07,680 Speaker 1: low Earth orbit. The International Space Station became our outpost. 19 00:01:08,160 --> 00:01:12,000 Speaker 1: Space shuttles came and went, impressive but kind of routine, 20 00:01:12,280 --> 00:01:17,119 Speaker 1: until some terrible tragedies. Rockets launched and satellites filled the skies. 21 00:01:17,520 --> 00:01:22,119 Speaker 1: Private companies turned space into business, but deep space, the 22 00:01:22,160 --> 00:01:27,119 Speaker 1: Moon and beyond that became a history until now. It's 23 00:01:27,240 --> 00:01:31,120 Speaker 1: NASA's first trip beyond low Earth orbit in over fifty years, 24 00:01:31,640 --> 00:01:34,280 Speaker 1: as the Space agency readies for a man trip to 25 00:01:34,319 --> 00:01:37,440 Speaker 1: the Moon in twenty twenty eight. The trip this week 26 00:01:37,480 --> 00:01:41,399 Speaker 1: will be the farthest flight into space ever. In nineteen seventy, 27 00:01:41,520 --> 00:01:45,399 Speaker 1: Apollo thirteen traveled two hundred and forty eight thousand, six 28 00:01:45,520 --> 00:01:49,240 Speaker 1: hundred and fifty five miles. Artemis will break that record, 29 00:01:49,560 --> 00:01:53,320 Speaker 1: traveling two hundred fifty two thousand, seven hundred and ninety 30 00:01:53,440 --> 00:01:56,480 Speaker 1: nine miles away from Earth as it passes the back 31 00:01:56,520 --> 00:02:00,920 Speaker 1: of the Moon. Our national obsession began sixty five years 32 00:02:00,920 --> 00:02:04,560 Speaker 1: ago when a Russian cosmonaut became the first human in space, 33 00:02:05,080 --> 00:02:07,760 Speaker 1: and that lit a fire under the US race for 34 00:02:07,840 --> 00:02:11,920 Speaker 1: the Moon. With the Apollo missions, our intense fascination with 35 00:02:12,040 --> 00:02:15,880 Speaker 1: space travel reached its apex back in nineteen sixty nine, 36 00:02:16,120 --> 00:02:20,320 Speaker 1: fifty seven years ago. That's when Apollo eleven landed man 37 00:02:20,360 --> 00:02:23,239 Speaker 1: on the Moon for the first time, proving we could 38 00:02:23,320 --> 00:02:27,400 Speaker 1: leave earth land on another world and return home. The 39 00:02:27,440 --> 00:02:31,840 Speaker 1: pictures it sent back to Earth were spellbinding. Naso Washington 40 00:02:31,880 --> 00:02:35,559 Speaker 1: and the public were enthralled with the idea of space exploration. 41 00:02:36,240 --> 00:02:39,920 Speaker 1: Nothing seemed impossible in the Race for the Stars, but 42 00:02:40,200 --> 00:02:43,880 Speaker 1: stuff happens. Let's go back to April of nineteen seventy. 43 00:02:44,160 --> 00:02:47,280 Speaker 1: Apollo thirteen was set to land on the Moon for 44 00:02:47,440 --> 00:02:51,080 Speaker 1: man's third trip to the lunar surface, and then fifty 45 00:02:51,120 --> 00:02:54,640 Speaker 1: six hours into the flight and oxygen tank in the 46 00:02:54,680 --> 00:02:59,160 Speaker 1: service module exploded. It damaged the second tank and caused 47 00:02:59,200 --> 00:03:03,280 Speaker 1: a loss of oxen, water and electrical power. Not cool 48 00:03:03,360 --> 00:03:07,080 Speaker 1: when you're two hundred thousand miles away from Earth. Command 49 00:03:07,160 --> 00:03:11,000 Speaker 1: module pilot Jack Swigger sends an emergency message to mission 50 00:03:11,040 --> 00:03:15,200 Speaker 1: control saying, Houston, we've had a problem. Wow, I'd love 51 00:03:15,240 --> 00:03:19,080 Speaker 1: to be that cool. Right, It's time to quickly autocorrect. 52 00:03:19,280 --> 00:03:23,440 Speaker 1: The crew moves from the damaged module into the lunar module. Now, 53 00:03:23,480 --> 00:03:26,440 Speaker 1: the problem is it was only meant to provide two 54 00:03:26,520 --> 00:03:30,040 Speaker 1: days of life support for two astronauts once they landed 55 00:03:30,040 --> 00:03:33,280 Speaker 1: on the Moon. Now they're skipping the moon landing and 56 00:03:33,360 --> 00:03:36,680 Speaker 1: they have three guys trying to survive for four days 57 00:03:36,960 --> 00:03:39,560 Speaker 1: until they could get back to Earth. They needed to 58 00:03:39,680 --> 00:03:43,119 Speaker 1: use as little fuel and water as possible, and get 59 00:03:43,200 --> 00:03:46,400 Speaker 1: back as quickly as possible to save the astronauts' lives. 60 00:03:46,960 --> 00:03:49,800 Speaker 1: It was an incredible heat of the moment's series of 61 00:03:49,800 --> 00:03:53,680 Speaker 1: off the cuff decisions that saved the crew. They decided 62 00:03:53,720 --> 00:03:57,200 Speaker 1: to swing around the Moon and use its gravity to 63 00:03:57,280 --> 00:04:00,360 Speaker 1: pull them back to Earth rather than using standard fuel. 64 00:04:01,080 --> 00:04:05,480 Speaker 1: Now what's amazing is, after all the incredible technological advancements 65 00:04:05,520 --> 00:04:09,240 Speaker 1: over the decades, Artemis two will use the same free 66 00:04:09,280 --> 00:04:14,000 Speaker 1: return slingshot trajectory that brought Apollo thirteen astronauts back to 67 00:04:14,040 --> 00:04:18,599 Speaker 1: Earth after the oxygen tank explosion, this time, though by plan. 68 00:04:19,440 --> 00:04:22,440 Speaker 1: As we lean into exploring more of our Solar System 69 00:04:22,600 --> 00:04:26,240 Speaker 1: and the universe, understanding the most efficient ways to use 70 00:04:26,279 --> 00:04:30,159 Speaker 1: our resources is essential. Artemis two is propelling us to 71 00:04:30,200 --> 00:04:32,640 Speaker 1: a Moon landing in the next couple of years, and 72 00:04:32,680 --> 00:04:36,120 Speaker 1: perhaps to another planet in this decade. Both NASA and 73 00:04:36,200 --> 00:04:40,000 Speaker 1: SpaceX have Mars on schedule, with SpaceX planning for an 74 00:04:40,080 --> 00:04:43,840 Speaker 1: unmanned starship landing in twenty twenty eight and both NASA 75 00:04:43,920 --> 00:04:47,760 Speaker 1: and SpaceX planning manned landings in the twenty thirties. A 76 00:04:47,760 --> 00:04:51,440 Speaker 1: little longer term, SpaceX is working toward a self sustaining 77 00:04:51,520 --> 00:04:55,640 Speaker 1: city on Mars by twenty fifty. The whole idea of 78 00:04:55,680 --> 00:04:59,400 Speaker 1: space travel is very much what the major explorers in 79 00:04:59,520 --> 00:05:02,440 Speaker 1: history worlds feeling as they set out in ships or 80 00:05:02,480 --> 00:05:07,040 Speaker 1: on horseback for unexplored territories. It's kind of chilling and 81 00:05:07,120 --> 00:05:11,640 Speaker 1: thrilling all at once and humbling. Artemis isn't about making 82 00:05:11,720 --> 00:05:16,000 Speaker 1: space routine. It's about making it historic and inspirational. Again. 83 00:05:16,839 --> 00:05:21,600 Speaker 1: Artemis isn't Apollo two point zero. It's something bigger. Apollo 84 00:05:21,640 --> 00:05:25,640 Speaker 1: was about getting there first. Artemis is about staying. It's 85 00:05:25,680 --> 00:05:31,200 Speaker 1: fascinating scientifically and inspirationally. The Voyager one spacecraft had been 86 00:05:31,240 --> 00:05:33,760 Speaker 1: traveling toward the end of the Solar System since it 87 00:05:33,839 --> 00:05:37,440 Speaker 1: launched in nineteen seventy seven. In nineteen ninety, it sent 88 00:05:37,480 --> 00:05:41,320 Speaker 1: back breathtaking photos of Earth appearing as a tiny speck 89 00:05:41,360 --> 00:05:45,520 Speaker 1: of blue highlighted in a sunbeam through cosmic dust. The 90 00:05:45,640 --> 00:05:49,279 Speaker 1: late astronomer Carl Sagan wrote, look again at that dot. 91 00:05:49,839 --> 00:05:53,920 Speaker 1: That's here, that's home, that's us on it. Everyone you love, 92 00:05:54,120 --> 00:05:57,880 Speaker 1: everyone you know, everyone you ever heard of, Every human 93 00:05:57,960 --> 00:06:01,520 Speaker 1: being whoever was, has lived out their lives. It's the 94 00:06:01,520 --> 00:06:05,200 Speaker 1: aggregate of our joy and suffering, every hero and coward, 95 00:06:05,240 --> 00:06:09,440 Speaker 1: every creator and destroyer of civilization, every king and peasant, 96 00:06:09,880 --> 00:06:13,720 Speaker 1: every young couple in love, every mother and father, inventor 97 00:06:13,760 --> 00:06:19,599 Speaker 1: and explorer, every corrupt politician, every superstar, every supreme leader, 98 00:06:19,760 --> 00:06:22,880 Speaker 1: every saint and sinner in the history of our species 99 00:06:23,440 --> 00:06:27,200 Speaker 1: has lived here on a mote of dust, suspended in 100 00:06:27,240 --> 00:06:32,279 Speaker 1: a sunbeam. I mean, think about it, just here. Well, 101 00:06:32,320 --> 00:06:35,599 Speaker 1: that may be about to change. For decades we proved 102 00:06:35,600 --> 00:06:38,960 Speaker 1: we could live in space. Now it's a different question. 103 00:06:39,640 --> 00:06:43,520 Speaker 1: Can we go further and stay there? I hope you're 104 00:06:43,600 --> 00:06:46,560 Speaker 1: enjoying The Backstory with Patty Steele. Please leave a review 105 00:06:46,680 --> 00:06:50,080 Speaker 1: and follow or subscribe for free to get new episodes 106 00:06:50,080 --> 00:06:53,039 Speaker 1: delivered automatically, and feel free to dm me if you 107 00:06:53,080 --> 00:06:55,279 Speaker 1: have a story you'd like me to cover. On Facebook, 108 00:06:55,320 --> 00:07:03,520 Speaker 1: It's Patty Steele and on Instagram Real Patty Steele. I'm 109 00:07:03,520 --> 00:07:08,120 Speaker 1: Patty Steele. The Backstories a production of iHeartMedia, Premiere Networks, 110 00:07:08,279 --> 00:07:12,160 Speaker 1: the Elvis Durant Group, and Steel Trap Productions. Our producer 111 00:07:12,200 --> 00:07:15,520 Speaker 1: is Doug Fraser. Our writer Jake Kushner. We have new 112 00:07:15,560 --> 00:07:19,080 Speaker 1: episodes every Tuesday and Friday. Feel free to reach out 113 00:07:19,080 --> 00:07:22,720 Speaker 1: to me with comments and even story suggestions. On Instagram 114 00:07:22,760 --> 00:07:25,760 Speaker 1: at Real Patty Steele and on Facebook at Patty Steele. 115 00:07:26,160 --> 00:07:29,120 Speaker 1: Thanks for listening to the Backstory with Patty Steele. The 116 00:07:29,200 --> 00:07:32,160 Speaker 1: pieces of history you didn't know you needed to know.