How a New Orleans assembly facility is playing a role in getting astronauts back to the moon

By Karen Henderson,

Published January 9, 2023 at 2:04 PM CST

SpaceX’s Axiom-1 is in the foreground on Launch Pad 39A with NASA’s Artemis I in the background on Launch Pad 39B on April 6, 2022. This is the first time two totally different types of rockets and spacecraft designed to carry humans are on the sister pads at the same time—but it won’t be the last as NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida continues to grow as a multi-user spaceport to launch both government and commercial rockets, 2022-04-06

This episode of Louisiana Considered aired on Monday, Jan. 9, 2023. Here's what it featured:

NASA's new multi-billion-dollar spacecraft Artemis 1 successfully returned from the moon Dec. 11, taking the agency one step closer to getting U.S. astronauts back on the moon. This mission came after several delays due to engine problems and inclement weather.

Much of that rocket was built here in Louisiana at theMichoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans. DirectorLonnie Dutreix joins us for more on the facility’s role in getting back to the moon.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day is a week away, and the Louisiana Fair Housing Action Center is set to honor his legacy with a summit titled, Fit for a King. Executive directorCashuana Hill tells us how the event will pay tribute to King while also offering panels on housing inequity and reproductive justice.

A new law in Louisiana is aiming to prevent young people from accessing porn online by prompting them to present their government IDs to a third party site before they can view porn websites.Jason Kelley, associate director of digital strategy at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, joined NPR’s Andrew Limbong for more on how this is raising questions of digital privacy.

Today’s episode of Louisiana Considered was hosted by Karen Henderson. Our managing producer is Alana Schreiber and our digital editor is Katelyn Umholtz. Our engineers are Garrett Pittman and Aubry Procell.

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