By Mark Gray
9:00am PST, Feb 24, 2024
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The dark side of the moon never seemed so bright.
On Feb. 22, private space company Intuitive Machines successfully maneuvered its Odysseus lander on the south pole of the moon, marking the first time a spacecraft from the United States has touched the lunar surface in more than 50 years.
The space mission prompted excited responses from a slew of notable names in entertainment, politics and literature.
Click through to see the public responses…
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"This was a big beginning" —William Shatner via CNN
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"Congrats on landing on the moon!" —Elon Musk
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"Thanks to @Int_Machines, we're witnessing the first U.S. moon landing in more than 50 years. What they accomplished tonight isn't easy and it's a critical part of the next generation of space exploration, starting with the Artemis missions." —Senator (and former astronaut) Mark Kelly
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"Today, for the first time in half a century, America has returned to the Moon.
On the eighth day of a quarter-million-mile voyage, @Int_Machines aced the landing of a lifetime.
What a feat for IM, @SpaceX & @NASA.
What a triumph for humanity.
Odysseus has taken the Moon." —NASA administrator and former Senator Bill Nelson
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"Amazing" –author Patricia Cornwell
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"Congrats to @NASA @SpaceX @Int_Machines and @SenBillNelson on this historic landing!
Odysseus will help us find water, conduct key experiments, and prepare for us to go #BackToTheMoon!" —Rep. Darren Soto
