Apollo Program | smithsonianmag.comhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/rss/tag/apollo-program/RSS feed for Apollo ProgramenSat, 11 Apr 2026 00:07:00 +0000Artemis 2 Astronauts Successfully Return to Earth After Completing a Historic Mission Around the Moonhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/artemis-2-astronauts-successfully-return-to-earth-after-completing-a-historic-mission-around-the-moon-180988513/The crewmembers splashed down Friday after breaking a space-faring record and viewing lunar features never seen by human eyes during their ten-day trip. It marks the first time anyone has left Earth's orbit in more than 50 yearsSat, 11 Apr 2026 00:07:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/artemis-2-astronauts-successfully-return-to-earth-after-completing-a-historic-mission-around-the-moon-180988513/Spectators Flocked to the Artemis 2 Launch to Witness History Being Made. One Awed Viewer Called It 'the Best Thing Ever'https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/spectators-flocked-to-the-artemis-2-launch-to-witness-history-being-made-one-awed-viewer-called-it-the-best-thing-ever-180988474/Wednesday evening, a human mission to the moon lifted off for the first time in more than 50 years. These 13 photographs capture what it was like to experience the momentThu, 02 Apr 2026 16:38:25 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/spectators-flocked-to-the-artemis-2-launch-to-witness-history-being-made-one-awed-viewer-called-it-the-best-thing-ever-180988474/It's Almost 'All Systems Go' for Artemis 2 to Take the Next Giant Leap Toward Stepping on the Moon Againhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/nasa-prepares-artemis-take-next-giant-leap-toward-stepping-moon-again-180987849/Scheduled to launch this week, NASA's Artemis 2 is part of the bold 21st-century vision for returning astronauts to the lunar surfaceMon, 12 Jan 2026 12:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/nasa-prepares-artemis-take-next-giant-leap-toward-stepping-moon-again-180987849/Why NASA's Artemis 3 Mission Isn't Sending Astronauts to the Moon Anymorehttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/why-nasas-artemis-3-mission-isnt-sending-astronauts-to-the-moon-anymore-180988281/The mission’s goals have changed, and Artemis 4 will be the first lunar landing attempt. Four missions are tentatively scheduled within the next three yearsMon, 02 Mar 2026 22:01:51 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/why-nasas-artemis-3-mission-isnt-sending-astronauts-to-the-moon-anymore-180988281/The Otherwise Unremarkable 'Rock Boxes' That Brought Pieces of the Moon Back to Earthhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/apollo-rock-box-nasa-moon-180985962/Far from ordinary, it took a cutting-edge NASA design to safeguard these treasures during the Apollo missionsTue, 11 Feb 2025 16:15:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/apollo-rock-box-nasa-moon-180985962/Meteorite Strikes Are the Primary Creator of the Moon's Thin Atmosphere, Study Findshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/meteorite-strikes-are-the-primary-creator-of-the-moons-thin-atmosphere-study-finds-180984835/Researchers examined lunar soil samples collected during the Apollo missions to determine which weathering processes contribute most to replenishing the moon's atmosphereWed, 07 Aug 2024 18:43:35 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/meteorite-strikes-are-the-primary-creator-of-the-moons-thin-atmosphere-study-finds-180984835/Thousands of Moonquakes Rocked the Apollo Landing Sites in Less Than a Decadehttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/thousands-of-moonquakes-some-of-them-threatening-discovered-in-old-apollo-era-data-180984822/A new study found 22,000 previously unidentified lunar seismic events recorded between 1969 and 1977Fri, 02 Aug 2024 12:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/thousands-of-moonquakes-some-of-them-threatening-discovered-in-old-apollo-era-data-180984822/Apollo Astronauts Left American Flags, Boots and Even Poop on the Moon. Here's Why These Artifacts Matterhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/apollo-astronauts-left-american-flags-boots-and-even-poop-on-the-moon-heres-why-these-artifacts-matter-180984736/Fifty-five years after the first human lunar landing, scholars and experts are looking to preserve the past as more nations and companies undertake moon missionsFri, 19 Jul 2024 16:29:37 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/apollo-astronauts-left-american-flags-boots-and-even-poop-on-the-moon-heres-why-these-artifacts-matter-180984736/How 'Fly Me to the Moon' Pokes Fun at Moon Landing Conspiracy Theorieshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/how-fly-me-to-the-moon-pokes-fun-at-moon-landing-conspiracy-theories-180984686/The new Scarlett Johansson and Channing Tatum film presents an alternative history in which government officials prepared to fake the moon landing before NASA pulled off the feat for realFri, 12 Jul 2024 14:57:44 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/how-fly-me-to-the-moon-pokes-fun-at-moon-landing-conspiracy-theories-180984686/William Anders, NASA Astronaut Who Captured Iconic 'Earthrise' Photograph, Dies at 90https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/william-anders-nasa-astronaut-who-captured-iconic-earthrise-photograph-dies-at-90-180984508/The Apollo 8 lunar module pilot also served in the U.S. Air Force and worked extensively on nuclear energy projectsMon, 10 Jun 2024 21:02:01 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/william-anders-nasa-astronaut-who-captured-iconic-earthrise-photograph-dies-at-90-180984508/