For 10 days, the world watched as four astronauts traveled farther into space than ever before – 252,752 miles from Earth, past the dark side of the moon. The Artemis II mission was powered by products and expertise from the Lehigh Valley – all the way from the top at NASA. 
Fueling Liftoff
NASA’s Artemis II mission launched from Florida on April 1, fueled by liquid hydrogen from Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. The company has worked with NASA since 1957 and established its headquarters in the Lehigh Valley the following year.
In August, Air Products completed the first fill of the world’s largest hydrogen tank at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Air Products delivered more than 50 trailer loads of liquid hydrogen – more than 730,000 gallons – to NASA’s new sphere.
In January, Air Products announced it was awarded $140 million in NASA supply contracts to provide liquid hydrogen to Kennedy Space Center, the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, and other locations.
“From the inception of the United States space program, Air Products has supported NASA’s mission by supplying the critical industrial gases needed, from the initial Apollo 11 moon landing to the upcoming Artemis II moon mission,” Francesco Maione, Air Products’ President, Americas, said in January. “For decades, Air Products has consistently demonstrated our ability to supply world-scale levels of liquid hydrogen and other industrial gases safely and reliably through our robust supply chain. We’re proud to play a role in helping NASA confidently continue its important work.”
The Engineers
Two Lehigh Valley natives who grew up and attended school in the Nazareth area played engineer roles for the Artemis II mission, according to reporting by WFMZ.
Jason Powell, an Associate Chief Engineer who now lives in Alabama and works with NASA, helped develop the rockets that launched Artemis II into space and propelled the Orion Capsule on its path to the moon.
"I struggle with the words for it. Because it really does have that kind of gravity in the heart," Powell told WFMZ.
Alyssa Dilsaver Helwig, who now lives in New Orleans and works for Boeing as a senior engineering manager, oversaw 200 engineers in building the rocket.
"I can't talk about it without getting emotional. It was the sacrifices my kids, my husband made, for me to follow my dreams. It's the sacrifices my parents made," she told WFMZ.
NASA Administrator
NASA’s Administrator, Jared Isaacman, began his aviation career in the Lehigh Valley, at Lehigh Valley International Airport.
He also started his successful business career in the region, founding Shift4, a global fintech company now based in Center Valley that supplies payment processing technology to the hospitality, retail, and sports industries, among others.
“Moments like this remind us what is possible and inspire the next generation to dream bigger and take us even further,” Isaacman wrote on X.
On Friday, after the Artemis II capsule’s textbook splashdown in the Pacific Ocean, Isaacman said on X: "America is back in the business of sending astronauts to the Moon and bringing them home safely" and called the astronauts "humanity’s ambassadors to the stars."
"The entire NASA workforce, our commercial and international partners, and the hopes and dreams of people all over the world were with them. The astronauts know it, and you should too. This mission would not have been possible without you," he said on X.
(Top photo by NASA/Michael DeMocker, bottom photo by NASA)