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Never-before-seen image of Apollo 11 crew: Astronaut shares 1969 photo found 'at bottom of a box'


Never-before-seen image of the Apollo 11 crew: Astronaut Michael Collins shares 1969 photo found ‘at the bottom of a box’ ahead of 50-year moon landing anniversary

  • Astronaut Michael Collins released a new picture of his co-pilots on Apollo 11 
  • Collins can be seen posing in front of a picture of the moon 
  • Neil Armstrong is pictured with his hand on Buzz Aldrin’s shoulder
  • NASA plans to head back to the moon as soon as 2024 in its ‘Artemis’ mission

The first human moon landing in history isn’t done offering up new discoveries just yet. 

In a recent tweet, astronaut Michael Collins, the Command Module pilot for NASA‘s Apollo 11 mission — the first space mission to land humans on the surface of the moon — released a picture never shown to the public before. 

‘The crew. Found this at the bottom of a box. Don’t think it was ever used by @NASA. #TBT @TheRealBuzz’ said Collins in the tweet

The historic Apollo 11 mission is still making headlines with a new picture of astronauts never-before-released to the public. In the photo, pictured, Collins (right), Aldrin (center) and Armstrong (left) stand around a moon prop on one side

The historic Apollo 11 mission is still making headlines with a new picture of astronauts never-before-released to the public. In the photo, pictured, Collins (right), Aldrin (center) and Armstrong (left) stand around a moon prop on one side

In the photo, Collins is seen standing before a picture of the moon next to fellow Apollo astronauts Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong. 

It’s not clear when exactly the photo was taken. 

In 1969, the three made history by becoming the first humans to walk on the moon and putting the United States on the map as a bonafide superpower in space exploration. 

While Armstrong passed away in 2012, both Collins and Aldrin are still alive at the ages of 88 and 89 respectively. 

Collin’s release of the photo comes a little more than a month before the Apollo 11 mission celebrates its 50th anniversary on July 24.

Aldrin has remained one of the most vocal proponents of continued exploration in space, particularly human trips to Mars. 

In May, Aldrin penned an op-ed in the Washington Post saying that humanity should be working toward ‘the great migration of humankind to Mars.

While private aerospace companies like SpaceX have been actively pursuing the goal of launching the first-ever human visit to Mars, NASA’s attention has recently turned back to the moon.

Astronaut Michael Collins was given a congressional gold model for his contributions in 2011.

While Collins didn't walk on the moon, he acted as Command Module pilot for the historic flight.

Michael Collins shared a never-before-released picture of all three astronauts aboard the historic Apollo 11 mission. The mission will celebrate its 50th anniversary next month.

By 2024, NASA hopes to send humans back the moon, including the first-ever woman, and from there plans to establish a permanent presence on the lunar surface.   

That mission will entail 37 separate launches over a decade, cost as much as $30 billion, and culminate in the construction of a moon base by 2028, according to documents leaked in May.

The plan also calls for the construction of the lunar ‘Gateway’ a space station and waypoint on the way to the moon which could be launched by 2024.

WHEN IS NASA GOING BACK TO THE MOON?

In a statement in March, NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine doubled down on plans to send humans first to the moon and then to Mars and said NASA is on track to have humans back on the moon by 2028.

The plan relies on the developing Space Launch System and Orion spacecraft, along with the Gateway orbital platform.

SLS and Orion are expected to be ready for their first uncrewed test flight in 2020.

Construction on Gateway – an orbiting lunar outpost – is expected to begin as soon as 2022.

‘We will go to the Moon in the next decade with innovative, new technologies and systems to explore more locations across the lunar surface than ever before,’ Bridenstine said.

‘This time, when we go to the Moon, we will stay.

‘We will use what we learn as we move forward to the Moon to take the next giant leap – sending astronauts to Mars.’

Vice President Mike Pence, however, tore up these plans and statements when he unexpectedly revealed a new deadline in March stating intentions to put humans on the moon by 2024 – four years earlier. 

The VP called on NASA to ‘reignite the spark of urgency’ for space exploration and make it a priority to set ‘bold goals’ and stay on schedule.

NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine added a week later, at the start of April, that the agency would get ‘really close’ to delivering a plan by April 15. 

This has been missed by several weeks and the House Science Committee is now vocalising its displeasure at having no viable plan or programme from the space agency.  

 





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