When NASA unveiled its Artemis program in 2020, it ushered in a new era of lunar exploration with a goal to study more of the moon than has ever been explored and set up a base camp at the moon’s South Pole.
But unlike the famous Apollo 11 mission of 1969, the Artemis program intends to send astronauts who are much more prepared for what they will encounter in their approach and landing. Thanks to the notes from that mission which were recorded by Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin, this time NASA has a better idea of how to train its astronauts for such a mission.
In setting up those training scenarios, the U.S. Army’s High-Altitude Aviation Training Site at the Eagle County airport in Gypsum has been identified as an ideal schooling zone due to the mountainous terrain surrounding the site.
Lieutenant Colonel Nicholas S. Tucker said NASA reached out to HAATS about a year and a half ago, wondering if the Eagle County-area training would be worthwhile for the Artemis astronauts to visit.
All agreed it turned out to be a good location for training, Tucker said.
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