After inching its way more than 4 miles, the Space Launch System is finally at Launch Pad 39B at Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
In just a few weeks, the SLS rocket will go through a wet dress rehearsal — the final test before launch to make sure everything is working properly. That test will mock a real launch but will be aborted just seconds before the countdown hits zero.
Many engineers and even Sen. Tommy Tuberville say they’re confident the Artemis I mission will be a success when it really does launch.
“We’re getting ready to go back to the moon!” Tuberville said.
He remembers sitting in front of his black-and-white TV, seeing the first steps on the moon. Now, he’s looking forward to witnessing history being made once again.
“It’s exciting thing for all of us, being Americans in the forefront of all this, and we’ll be in the forefront now, going back to the moon and going to Mars,” Tuberville said.
He said it will be a race between the U.S. and other countries to get to the southern part of the moon and to Mars, but he has no doubts that we will get there.
“There are a lot of obstacles going, but you can’t tell us we can’t do something. We went to the moon and now will go to Mars,” Tuberville said. “The saying they used to say is ‘Shoot for the moon and land amongst the stars.’ It’s now updated. We’re going to land on the Moon, and we’re going to shoot for Mars! I hope in our lifetime we get there.”
