Before the Moon Blog
Exploring the past, present, and future of space.
Tag: Artemis program
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Few figures in NASA’s history embody the courage, discipline, and leadership of America’s space age like Gene Kranz—the legendary Apollo Flight Director whose white vest became a symbol of cool resolve under pressure. From the Mercury missions to Apollo 13, Kranz didn’t just manage flights; he built the culture that made them possible. When I…
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From Typist to Trailblazer: Estella Gillette and the Women Behind NASA’s Early Missions In 1964, Estella Gillette was just out of high school, newly naturalized as a U.S. citizen, and walking through the doors of NASA’s Manned Spacecraft Center in Houston — the beating heart of the Gemini program. What she found was a workplace…
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On July 16, 1969, a rocket unlike any the world had seen thundered off the pad at Cape Kennedy. Four days later, two astronauts stepped into history. Fifty-six years ago this week, Apollo 11 launched humanity beyond Earth’s cradle, and nothing has been the same since. That moment—when Neil Armstrong’s boot hit the lunar dust—was…