LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — A Kentucky university is receiving praise from NASA for their assistance with a recent moon landing.
Wednesday, U.S. Rep. Harold "Hall" Rogers (KY-05) invited Morehead State University's executive director of the Space Science Center, Dr. Ben Malphrus, to Capitol Hill for a hearing with NASA Administrator Bill Nelson.
Nelson thanked the university for its help with completing NASA's recent moon mission.
“Morehead State was the savior of our historic mission to the moon,” Nelson said in a statement. “Morehead State has the ability to communicate commercially, and Morehead State also has the ability to communicate with government missions through our Deep Space Network. It’s symbolic of how commercial and government can work together.”
The university's students and staff stepped in during the Odysseus robotic moon landing, the first-ever private spacecraft to land on the moon. With the university's help, NASA was able to fix communication issues during the landing process.
"I am so proud of the incredible work being done at MSU to build the next generation of the space workforce to ensure the United States remains the global leader in space.” Rogers said.
Rogers recently secured funding for two community projects to support space science programs in Eastern Kentucky, including $10 million for Morehead to improve its Space Tracking Stations, which supply support for NASA.
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