Apollo 11 is paving a path from the moon to Mars

CNNVR’s “Beyond Earth” is a virtual reality experience that takes viewers on a trip across time and space to explore the future of human spaceflight. But astronauts haven’t been to the moon since the Apollo 17 mission, when Eugene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt collected samples of the lunar surface, conducted experiments and took photos – including the famed “blue marble” image of Earth. The program created a boost for technology and economy and allowed for the return of lunar samples to Earth, enabling a better understanding of our solar system’s history.” When he worked for NASA in the 1960s, rocket developer Wernher von Braun had a vision for space exploration: building a space shuttle and a space station, followed by going to the moon and Mars. “That DNA is Apollo and humans achieving grand things.” The Apollo missions went to moon’s equator, specifically the center of the side of the moon that faces Earth, because it allowed for communications. “If you’re looking at the odometer on your vehicle, to get round trip from here to Mars and back, it’s about 2,000 times as far as going to the Moon and back,” Rucker said.