Ohio is the nation’s gateway to the moon, Mars and our future. Join the journey: Janet Kavandi (Opinion)

Artemis ascent vehicle

Illustration of an ascent vehicle separating from a descent vehicle and departing the lunar surface.

CLEVELAND -- Ohio is the aerospace state. Our history is unrivaled by any other state when it comes to achievements in the air and in space. Home to the Wright Brothers. Birthplace of John Glenn and Neil Armstrong. The Buckeye State has produced some 25 astronauts, and their achievements make up a significant part of NASA’s legacy.

That’s why NASA’s Artemis Program is calling on Ohio to make landing humans on the moon by 2024 a reality. Once there, we will quickly and sustainably explore the moon and its resources, and use what we learn to enable our next great endeavor – human exploration of Mars.

Federal government returns to normal for now

Former astronaut Janet Kavandi leads NASA Glenn Research Center, a critical part of the Artemis Program to return humankind to the moon and then on to Mars. (Gus Chan/The Plain Dealer, File, 2015)The Plain Dealer

Artemis will usher in the next era of space exploration and light our way to Mars. It will see the first woman and the next man step foot on the moon, while reaffirming the United States as the global leader in space exploration. But it will do so much more than that. It will bring us new science and technology, open future business markets and increase job growth, create collaborative opportunities with our international partners, and inspire the next generation – the Artemis Generation – to pursue STEM careers and reach for the stars, much like Apollo did for many of us.

To be sure, returning to the Moon in just five short years will not be easy, and to get there, America needs the Artemis Program, and NASA needs Ohio’s support.

Just as our state was instrumental in all of our nation’s aerospace firsts – the first flight, the first American orbits of Earth and the first steps on the Moon – we are, once again, shaping the future of aviation and space exploration. It is part of our ethos – Ohio leads in aerospace innovation. We have for more than a century, and we are more prepared than anyone to take on the challenges ahead.

The Artemis Program is the next great moment in our collective aerospace history. So on Wednesday, Aug. 21, we’re welcoming key members of the Ohio congressional delegation to NASA’s Glenn Research Center and Plum Brook Station, so they can see firsthand that none of this would be possible without the efforts, expertise and support of Ohioans.

As you’re reading this, the men and women at NASA Glenn – your friends or neighbors, or even family – are focusing those decades of experience on developing the passenger aircraft of the future and establishing a permanent human presence in deep space.

Soon, we will conduct mission-critical testing of Orion – the spacecraft that will take the newest generation of astronauts to the Moon and beyond – here in Ohio. We’re leading the development of the power and propulsion element for NASA’s Gateway, our agile outpost in orbit around the moon that is essential for surface exploration and scientific research. And we’re designing power systems that will provide the vast amounts of energy required for humans and robots to explore other planets. These technologies will support Artemis, but our longer-term goal remains getting to Mars, and NASA Glenn will be there, too.

And, while all of this is happening away from Earth, your friends and neighbors in Ohio are continuing to refine technologies aimed at making today’s aircraft safer, quieter and more efficient, while pioneering the next generation of aircraft. These efforts center on developing hybrid-electric propulsion for commercial aircraft, developing fundamental technologies for supersonic and hypersonic engines, and leveraging the world’s most capable test facilities and wind tunnels, right here in Cleveland and Sandusky, to bring about an aviation renaissance.

We stand at the threshold of history, with our future beckoning us to take the next step.

Artemis is here. Either we choose to lead humankind in taking that step and embracing a future of unlimited potential, or we pin the glory of the American spirit on achievements of the past. To me, the choice is obvious: an investment in Artemis is an investment in our future. It is an investment in Ohio. The time is now, and we’re ready. Come with us.

Dr. Janet Kavandi is a veteran of three space shuttle flights and currently serves as the director of NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland.

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