From The Chief Editor's Desk...

For the first time in over 50 years, mankind was headed back to THE MOON.

With Artemis II, four astronauts were strapped into the Orion spacecraft, perched atop the Space Launch System (SLS). For the first time in over 50 years, a manned spacecraft ventured farther than just low Earth orbit. For some reason, all we've been able to achieve in 50+ years was low Earth orbit.

That's not to say that all of those low Earth orbit missions were a waste. But even after mankind walking on the moon … our moon … spending months on a space station didn't have quite the same luster. At least, not in the sense of manned exploration. Sure, we gained a LOT of information from all of that time spent circling the Earth that will pay untold dividends as we expand to longer and longer manned space missions – both to the moon and beyond.

I've been interested in manned spaceflight since I was a kid. I watched Gemini flights, and then every single Apollo mission. In fact, the entire history of manned spaceflight fits into my lifetime. Back in July, 1969, I was eight years old, less than a month away from my ninth birthday. Apollo 11 didn't just send men to the moon. They actually walked on the moon.

I remember talking my parents into allowing me to stay up very late into the night to watch the first images of Neil Armstrong actually setting foot on the moon. It was carried LIVE on all of the television stations. For me, the definitive station to watch was CBS, with Walter Cronkite manning the news desk at such a memorable and significant news event. There was no mistaking or hiding his excitement in that historical moment. I shared his excitement and enthusiasm, as did (I imagine) so many others across the globe.

Fast forward to 2026. We … the entire family … were all dressed and ready for karate class. In fact, we were almost late for karate class. We were glued to the television, streaming NASA TV from YouTube of the Artemis II launch.

I have to admit that, for me, it was a very emotional moment. All of a sudden, all of my memories and emotions from July, 1969 came flooding back to me. I looked over at my two kids, and they were as awed and excited as I was back when I was eight years old. Yes, tears welled up in my eyes. Tears of happiness.

I felt so honored to share this historic return to the moon with my kids. I'm ecstatic that they will get to witness mankind's return to the moon – and possibly beyond – in their lifetimes. I hope, for them, that it fuels a lifelong fascination with manned spaceflight in them, just as it did for me all those years ago.

Even though Artemis II didn't land on the moon, and none of the astronauts walked on the moon, we had finally returned to the moon, even if it were just a “fly by.” From the sound of things, Artemis II is the first step towards making grand, manned visits back to the moon. There's even talk of a manned scientific outpost on the moon … eventually. A “lunar base,” if you will.

Thus far, only 12 humans have ever set foot on the moon. From the sound of things, that number could climb significantly and rapidly as the Artemis/Orion missions move forward. Meanwhile, Artemis II completed its mission with the safe return of all four astronauts in a bullseye splashdown in the Pacific Ocean on April 10, 2026.

This month's cover image is from NASA's Flickr account, and shows the launch of Artemis II. I felt it was fitting after a 50+ year wait to return to the moon. If you haven't kept up with the Artemis II mission, you can get started “catching up” with this article from LiveScience Plus.

Until next month, I bid you peace, happiness, serenity, prosperity, and continued good health.