Before the three Americans on the Artemis II mission flew around the moon, they had trained in helicopters in the Rocky Mountains.
Now, NASA is using this same course near Gypsum, Colo., run by the state’s Army National Guard, to train more astronauts to land on the moon for the first time since 1972.
Colorado’s high peaks, snowstorms and dusty terrain can mimic some of the challenges astronauts may face approaching the lunar surface.
“What's neat about Colorado is we can replicate so many different types of terrain,” said Ethan Jacobs, a chief warrant officer and military helicopter pilot with the Colorado National Guard. “We have everything from high mountains to the high-plains desert environment.”
The Mountain West also played a major role in preparing astronauts for the moon more than 50 years ago. Apollo-era astronauts trained at sites including the former Nevada Test Site, the Grand Canyon and Craters of the Moon National Monument in Idaho.
Everett Bolduc, a NASA instructor and flight controller for the International Space Station, said upcoming missions will take astronauts to more challenging topography than they encountered during Apollo. The lunar south pole, in particular, has similarities to alpine environments in the West, with deep craters, steep slopes and harsh lighting that can create visual illusions.
“It's a lot harder to figure out which way is up,” Bolduc said. “The sun angle is really low, so think of, like, early in the morning or evening in the mountains, you get these long shadows.”
In the helicopters, astronauts practice communicating in high-risk scenarios, navigating steep slopes and making technical landings that could prepare them for the moon’s dusty surface.
“If you watch recordings from Apollo, for example, they say, "Hey, we're kicking up dust,” at about 80 feet up, and they start losing that reference of where the ground is,” said Bolduc. “That's one of the things that we can simulate.”
So far, 25 astronauts have been certified on this course, with more training expected this summer. NASA’s current plans target a crewed moon landing in 2028. Astronauts selected for future missions are expected to return to Colorado for a second round of instruction on the course.
This story was produced by the Mountain West News Bureau, a collaboration between Boise State Public Radio, Wyoming Public Media, Nevada Public Radio, KUNR in Nevada, KUNC in Northern Colorado, KANW in New Mexico, Colorado Public Radio and KJZZ in Arizona as well as NPR, with support from affiliate newsrooms across the region. Funding for the Mountain West News Bureau is provided in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and Eric and Wendy Schmidt.
