Robin Mackey I am the science editor of the Observer. Over the past 42 years, he has covered everything from advances in genetics and new discoveries in physics to pressing scientific questions raised by the coronavirus pandemic. But the topic he's more excited about than any other is space, and more specifically the moon.
he says michael safi He explains how the first manned mission to the moon in 1969 captured the imagination of his generation, and why modern missions bring renewed excitement.
In 1969, it seemed obvious that regular lunar exploration missions were not only possible, but likely. But no one has stepped on the moon's surface since 1972.
It was hoped that a Vulcan Centaur rocket launched from Cape Canaveral in the United States this month would safely eject the Peregrine spacecraft to the moon's surface. But a fuel leak means that's no longer a possibility.
Today, if all goes according to plan, Japan will land an unmanned spacecraft on the moon. But despite decades of scientific advances since the early Apollo missions, McKee explains why landing on the moon seems more difficult than ever.
Photo: ULA/PA
