Space exploration continues to attract, and inspire

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Arthur I. Cyr is author of “After the Cold War.”

“The Eagle has landed.”

Astronaut Neil Armstrong transmitted that striking statement back to Earth on July 20, 1969, from the surface of the moon. He and the rest of the crew also returned safely to Earth.

The Apollo mission was a historic, dramatic success.

Now, the Artemis II mission involving a flyby of — rather than landing on — the moon renews and rejuvenates our nation’s commitment to space exploration. The mission is inspiring and this effort may eventually launch a much-needed boost to our national spirit.

Artemis I lasted 25 days, focused on testing the Space Launch System, the vehicle moniker, not only for a return flight to the moon but also missions much farther into space, One legacy of the Apollo adventure is providing a foundation for much more expansive space exploration. This successful test mission was launched on Nov. 16, 2025.

As in the 1960s, this current exploration of space is being directed and implemented by NASA. The agency, criticized over time for excessive bureaucracy and caution, has proven to be remarkably durable.

President John F. Kennedy made the dramatic pledge early in 1961 to land a man on the moon before the end of that decade — and return him safely to Earth, the president always carefully added.

Armstrong and fellow Apollo program astronauts Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin and Michael Collins fulfilled that pledge, a dramatic victory with profound political as well as scientific importance during the Cold War.

On the morning of June 4, 2022, the company Blue Origin transported a group of five passengers 62 above Earth, to the edge of space. Jeff Bezos, founder of Blue Origin along with Amazon, is one of a number of business entrepreneurs pursuing ventures in space, once the exclusive province of governments.

The passengers included Katya Echazarreta, a scientist and engineer originally from Mexico. Space for Humanity, a nonprofit, selected her for the journey among many applicants. Others paid an undisclosed fee for the trip.

Space business is growing rapidly, with significant implications for the current U.S. moon project and beyond. In April 2021, NASA announced Elon Musk’s SpaceX Corp.’s selection to construct a lander to take astronauts to the moon for the first time since the last Apollo mission in 1972.

Kennedy also encouraged strong business-government partnership, beyond commercial contracts for government programs, by initiating COMSAT (Communications Satellite Corp.) as privately chartered.

We automatically recognize JFK’s role in launching the mammoth moon project. Collectively, we generally ignore his leadership in encouraging business leadership in space efforts.

Specifically, Kennedy and associates initiated COMSAT as a private company, not a government agency.

Intense controversy followed, centered in the Democratic Party, about corporate handouts and welfare. Reflecting party dynamics of that time, conservative but populist Southern plus Western Democrats were among the most vocal.

Ultimately, Congress approved the legislation creating COMSAT.

Intense anti-corporate sentiment has faded almost completely today, but was widely felt during and for decades after the Great Depression. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., represents that residual sentiment today.

Space exploration also reflects longer history of business-government partnerships. Give JFK credit for appreciating that.

Kennedy along with Presidents Dwight Eisenhower and Lyndon Johnson worked to prevent the militarization of space. That changed dramatically with Presidents Ronald Reagan’s and Donald Trump’s promotion, respectively, of the Strategic Defense Initiative and Space Force.

On Earth, in 2020 Naleah Boys, a high school student in Janesville, Wis., published a book with illustrations on NASA missions, and expressed ambition to become a NASA engineer.

Space inspires.

Learn more: Walter McDougall, “The Heavens and the Earth — A Political History of the Space Age” (Johns Hopkins University).