In fact, no human has escaped low Earth orbit since Apollo 17 in 1972. That’s 53 years ago, more than a half century. In comparison, Indiana’s canals operated for 42 years (1832 to 1874 ...

Of course, the moon landings did take place not long after von Braun visited Muncie. In December 1968, Apollo 8 became the first crewed mission to orbit the Moon. Eight months later, Apollo 11 ...