GVSU Expert: A Q&A exploring what it means to return to the moon

One important difference is response time in the event of a problem. Astronauts in low Earth orbit can return to Earth relatively quickly if necessary. By contrast, astronauts on a lunar mission cannot be back on Earth within hours.

The experience of space also changes. Astronauts in low Earth orbit are used to looking out at the Earth below them, often through the cupola on the International Space Station. As they travel toward the moon, the Earth becomes smaller and more distant, and the sense of being away from the planet becomes much more pronounced.

At the same time, missions to the moon carry a different kind of cultural and symbolic meaning. This is only the second period in which the United States has sent astronauts toward the moon, and there is a sense of returning to something that was an important part of American national identity. The moon also captures the imagination in a way that the International Space Station does not. It is visible from Earth, and people can look up and know where astronauts are in a very direct way. That creates a different kind of connection between space exploration and everyday experience.

You have researched astronauts who went to the moon. How has that experience shaped or even changed them?

It really depends on the individual. Astronauts who have gone to the moon have not all responded in the same way, but many describe it as a profoundly different experience from being in low Earth orbit.

One of the astronauts I interviewed, whom I refer to by the pseudonym Zack, talked about being in orbit around the moon and how strange it felt. He described the lunar surface as dry, hostile and almost lifeless in comparison to Earth. From that perspective, you are very close to another planetary body, but it is not one that feels welcoming or alive. It creates a strong contrast with Earth, which is full of oceans, vegetation, weather and human life.

That contrast seems to be a key part of the experience. Astronauts in low Earth orbit are used to seeing Earth as something close and present, something they can return to relatively quickly. When you are near the moon, the Earth becomes smaller and more distant, and the environment around you feels much less forgiving. Buzz Aldrin famously described the moon as "magnificent desolation," and that phrase captures something many astronauts have tried to convey.

At the same time, astronauts have also described moments of enjoyment and even playfulness, particularly when they are on the surface. The moon's one-sixth gravity allows for movement that is impossible on Earth, and there is well-known footage of astronauts hopping, experimenting with movement and interacting with the environment in new ways. Some astronauts have also described the experience as perspective-changing.

Apollo 8, which is the closest historical parallel to Artemis II, produced the "Earthrise" photograph, taken by Bill Anders, which allowed people on Earth to see their planet in a completely new way. Overall, the experience of going to the moon seems to heighten awareness of both difference and distance. It can make Earth feel more precious and the moon feel more alien at the same time.