As the country celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 lunar landing, one Natchez native was looking ahead to future space exploration missions to the moon and beyond.

Tia Ferguson, the director of the space systems department at NASA in Huntsville, Alabama, is among the many engineers who are working on the Artemis Program. Ferguson, who is a graduate of Trinity School, said the program hopes to send the first woman and the next man to the moon by 2024.  It is exciting to know that Ferguson and others are working to colonize the moon and eventually send humans to Mars.

Other good news from last week:

• Archaeologists from the University of Mississippi say they have discovered evidence of a lost mound at the Grand Village of the Natchez Indians. Using maps from the early 1700s that show a cluster of at least five mounds on the site, the archaeologists were able to use radar sensors to pinpoint the location of one of the mounds found buried several feet below the ground. The discovery adds another exciting chapter to the Grand Village story.

• Adams County Christian School graduate Seth Smith III was selected as the school’s Star Student. Smith chose his English teacher Arlene Richardson as his Star Teacher, because she makes studying grammar fun. Smith will be attending Mississippi State University on a full scholarship where he plans to study mechanical engineering.
• JD Hollowell wants to inspire high school students to help save lives through the study of medical laboratory science. A senior medical laboratory science student at the University of Louisiana at Monroe and a 2016 Copiah-Lincoln Community graduate, Hollowell is a Louisiana officer for a program that introduces high school students to clinical laboratory science.

As we look forward to slightly cooler temperatures this week, let’s always look for good news in our community.