Published On: July 18th, 2019Categories: Uncategorized


A Melbourne school teacher turned astronaut says he’s itching to go to Mars, and his inspiration comes from the great Apollo astronauts from 50 years ago.NASA is hoping this week’s celebrations will create more interest in what they’re doing.Joe Acaba knows he’s a long way from Melbourne High School and Dunnellon Middle School, where he used to teach before NASA made him an astronaut. Now, as a veteran space station crewmember and spacewalker, he wants to go even farther, and says the Apollo moon missions prove it’s possible.”I would go to Mars in a second,” Acaba said.Fifty years ago, the crew of Apollo 11 was in cruise control on day two of a four-day, 240,000 mile trip to the moon. Acaba was two years old. Later, his grandfather would show him old-fashioned reel to reel films of Apollo.”That was really the first time I was introduced to that incredible feat, and where the seed was planted to become an astronaut today,” Acaba said.Now, Acaba is part of a space agency that’s re-gearing itself to go to the moon and to Mars. The purpose of going to the moon in five years is to use it as a springboard to Mars. The purpose of the space station, where Acaba has lived for about 300 days, is changing, too.”The whole purpose is for us to get it to the commercial sector so it frees up NASA to do things that are even more difficult,” he said.Perhaps even more difficult than what astronauts pulled off 50 years ago this week.

A Melbourne school teacher turned astronaut says he’s itching to go to Mars, and his inspiration comes from the great Apollo astronauts from 50 years ago.

NASA is hoping this week’s celebrations will create more interest in what they’re doing.

Joe Acaba knows he’s a long way from Melbourne High School and Dunnellon Middle School, where he used to teach before NASA made him an astronaut.

Now, as a veteran space station crewmember and spacewalker, he wants to go even farther, and says the Apollo moon missions prove it’s possible.

“I would go to Mars in a second,” Acaba said.

Fifty years ago, the crew of Apollo 11 was in cruise control on day two of a four-day, 240,000 mile trip to the moon.

Acaba was two years old.

Later, his grandfather would show him old-fashioned reel to reel films of Apollo.

“That was really the first time I was introduced to that incredible feat, and where the seed was planted to become an astronaut today,” Acaba said.

Now, Acaba is part of a space agency that’s re-gearing itself to go to the moon and to Mars.

The purpose of going to the moon in five years is to use it as a springboard to Mars.

The purpose of the space station, where Acaba has lived for about 300 days, is changing, too.

“The whole purpose is for us to get it to the commercial sector so it frees up NASA to do things that are even more difficult,” he said.

Perhaps even more difficult than what astronauts pulled off 50 years ago this week.


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