From Apollo to Artemis: USGS Supports NASA’s Return to the Moon 🌍🌕✨ This #NationalSpaceDay, we’re proud to celebrate our ongoing partnership with NASA in preparing astronauts for a new era of lunar exploration through the Artemis program. This “rocket backpack” was one of the bold ideas being tested in 1966 by USGS and NASA for personal propulsion to expand astronaut mobility. At the USGS Astrogeology Science Center in Flagstaff, Arizona, our scientists are working closely with NASA to train astronauts, test equipment, and refine field science techniques for use on the Moon, and maybe even someday Mars! By using terrestrial analog sites, Earth locations with geology similar to the lunar surface, astronauts gain valuable experience in field observation, sampling, and mapping. These exercises also provide critical opportunities to test mission tools (maybe not rocket backpacks anymore) and exploration strategies, ensuring the missions are safe, efficient, and scientifically product...