Any sensible list of the crowning achievements of all time is sure to list the Apollo program and humanity's first steps on the surface of another heavenly body as one of the most, if not the most, impressive things ever achieved. With the strength and support of a nation, and the dreams and labor of a generation, our species first reached out across the black of space to make an indelible mark on history, and to leave behind bootprints, flags, signs of our presence. But the Apollo program is long since over:

The last humans on the surface of the moon left in December, 1972, saying:

"We leave the Moon at Taurus-Littrow, we leave as we came and, God willing, as we shall return, with peace and hope for all mankind."

No human has landed on the surface of the moon since that Apollo 17 crew in 1972. No robot has come to rest softly upon the surface of the moon, conducting experiments and producing photography to inspire and educate children and adults alike, since the Soviet-era Luna program concluded in August of 1976-a gap of more than thirty years. But that's about to change.

In January, 2004, a new Vision for Space Exploration was announced. NASA is committed to returning to the surface of the moon; first with robots, and later with humans. This new program will match and then surpass Apollo in glory, providing our species with its first permanent habitation on another celestial body, its first woman on the moon, and its first visit to the lunar poles. But all of this accomplishment will not be easy. Other nations will join in the rush to the moon as well, cooperating with the USA or conducting missions of their own.

Robots will not touch down on the surface of the moon for another five years, and humans not for another decade. But the ideas that will take them to there are already forming in the minds of engineers, technicians, students, and space enthusiasts around the world. The Northrop Grumman Lunar Lander Challenge is a program to help encourage those individuals to hone those ideas, and to make their dreams-and the dreams of all humanity-into reality.

By participating in this program, you stand in line not only for the thrill of the competition and for the lure of the winner's just rewards:

You are a critical component in humanity's pending return to the moon. Best of luck: we are all counting on you to help us return to the moon!