NASA astronaut popular with Leicester space fans plays a key role in Artemis II mission
A NASA astronaut who captivated Leicester space fans with his expertise has led the communications between the Artemis II space crew and mission control.
Dr Stanley G Love visited Space Park Leicester and the National Space Centre in 2024 to talk about the international Artemis program which this month has enabled humans to go further into space than ever before.
Artemis II became NASA’s first moon mission in more than 50 years when it launched on Wednesday, April 1. Dr Love served as the mission’s lead CAPCOM – the person directly responsible for relaying the decision-making of the space agency’s flight director to the command module pilot and other astronauts as well as communicating the needs of the astronauts to mission control.
Professor John Bridges, of Space Park Leicester and the University of Leicester’s School of Physics and Astronomy, said: “It was a huge honour to welcome Stan to Space Park Leicester where he gave our audience an early insight into the ground-breaking plans for returning astronauts to the moon as part of the Artemis program.
“It’s been fascinating to watch Stan working on the mission on NASA TV. So many of us have been captivated by Artemis II’s epic flyby of the moon. This was the first crewed Artemis flight, and it marks a key step towards long-term return to the moon and future Mars missions.”
Dr Love’s career includes planetary science research, being an astronaut on the Space Shuttle Atlantis and working as CAPCOM on other Space Shuttle flights. He currently works as the Deputy Chief of the Astronaut Office’s Rapid Prototyping Laboratory at NASA, developing cockpit displays and controls for Orion and forthcoming spacecraft.
Professor Bridges added: “Space Park Leicester is recognised as a world-leading hub for space research, innovation and enterprise that pushes the boundaries of space exploration, satellite technology and Earth observation to benefit society and the economy.
“This is why international experts are happy to come here and share their invaluable knowledge with Leicester audiences.”
Members of the public who are interested in learning more about space missions and why the Moon is central to space science can book a place to hear a lunar talk by the University of Leicester’s John Bridges, a Professor of Planetary Science.
Professor Bridges’ talk, From Apollo to Artemis: A New View of the Moon, will cover what the Apollo programme taught us about the Moon and what Artemis is set to reveal.
The talk will explore how the Apollo programme established many of the key points of understanding how terrestrial planets form and evolve, and how Artemis will take planetary science into a new era of understanding the Solar System.
Professor Bridges will also discuss what scientists are now planning to achieve thanks to new ways of exploring, and the new challenges they will need to overcome.
His talk takes place on Monday, April 20, from 3pm to 4pm at Space Park Leicester – book a place here
To explore Space Park Leicester partnerships, missions, residents, facilities, training programmes and innovation products, visit space-park.co.uk or to learn more about the University of Leicester visit le.ac.uk/.
Main image: NASA astronaut Dr Stan Love on a visit to Space Park Leicester