How We Make Rockets That Reach the Moon

Join Dr. Roger Billings and the Science Live team as we explore how we make rockets that reach the Moon, featuring NASA’s Artemis II mission — the first crewed return to the Moon in over 50 years!

In this lesson, discover what makes the massive SLS rocket so powerful: its giant solid rocket boosters, liquid hydrogen fuel, and the incredible engineering that lifts millions of pounds into space. You’ll also explore the advanced Orion spacecraft, the groundbreaking laser communication system that beamed HD video from 240,000 miles away, and the record-breaking 252,000-mile journey that took humans farther from Earth than ever before.

Whether you’re a budding space enthusiast, curious about the Artemis program, learning about rocket science, or dreaming of becoming an astronaut, this lesson has something for you. Perfect for students who want to understand the real engineering and technology behind sending rockets — and people — all the way to the Moon and beyond!

➡️ r-51’s Martian Pet Rock Guide

About DrB

Dr. Roger Billings is a visionary innovator whose work has touched the lives of millions of students and transformed the landscape of education. Widely known as “DrB” to the countless kids who benefit from his groundbreaking Acellus learning system, Dr. Billings has dedicated his life to advancing education through technology. As part of DrB’s lifelong commitment to supporting education, Science LIVE was launched as a way to “give back” by mentoring students in conjunction with the Roger Billings Scholarship Program.


Read more about DrB » 
About the Roger Billings Scholarship Program »

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10,467 Comments

  1. Emma

    Science live is amazing and so educational!

    Reply
  2. Quincy

    How do you make rockets go to the moon?

    Reply
  3. Madison

    r51 makes me laugh a whole bunch!

    Reply
  4. Maximus

    Cool episode!

    Reply
  5. Bennett

    Best sicenice live

    Reply
  6. Brexton

    thanks that was so good.

    Reply
  7. Natalie

    R51 rocks!

    Reply
  8. Swayde

    R51 is so cool

    Reply
  9. Sawyer

    So excited for this lesson!!! Hello from Idaho!

    Reply
  10. Benett

    this one was great i cant wait for the next one

    Reply
  11. Mikayla

    Here form FL love science live

    Reply
  12. Daniel

    I like how you guys talked about Artemis 2. You guys should make a rocket class. 🚀

    Reply
  13. Raniah

    it was liquid hygrogen /LH AND LIQUID OXYGEN LOX

    Reply
  14. Paden

    I guess Pajet really is a butterfly…

    Reply
  15. Emma

    I think r-51’s rocks were cool!

    Reply
  16. Annalyn

    I love how you make it funny and cool at the same time

    Reply
  17. Skylar

    I love science!

    Reply
  18. Josie

    Yayyyy! thank u all so much for these awesome vids!

    Reply
  19. Ryatt

    the r51 is wausome

    Reply
  20. Dylan

    I’m always impressed how they create something that can travel through space

    Reply
  21. Finn

    R-51 trying to gaslight us into thinking he “didn’t mean to say moon rocks” is just like my sister :_)

    Reply
  22. Liam

    Hi from Texas

    Reply
  23. Joshua

    Interesting video! Exicted for next week!

    Reply
  24. Orion

    I liked when R-51 thought he had moon rocks because that was funny

    Reply
  25. Brayden

    loved the live

    Reply
  26. Benjamin

    Excited to learn about rockets!

    Reply
  27. Christian

    I loved this episode. I really hope there will be more episodes about space exploration.

    Reply
  28. Reese

    Loved the live this week!

    Reply
  29. Connor

    Such a great one this week!!

    Reply
  30. Isabella

    love the space videos

    Reply
  31. Blake

    It’s really amazing how clearly I can see the moon with my telescope, considering it is 4x away the circumference of the earth!

    Reply
  32. Andrea

    I love science live!

    Reply
  33. Khloe

    Hello from VA

    Reply
  34. Wesley

    Science is awesome!

    Reply
  35. Trevor

    Love this episode!!!!!!

    Reply
  36. Grace

    this episode was great! Going into space sounds so cool, can’t wait for the next episode!

    Reply
  37. Jax

    So glad that this science live talked about space! Astrology is so interesting!

    Reply
  38. Brandon

    I love science

    Reply
  39. Sophia

    i love science

    Reply
  40. Aurora

    Amazing Job so far, keep it up!

    Reply
  41. Zoe

    I love dinosaurs and prehistoric creatures. The Deinosuchus is one of my favorites!

    Reply
  42. Asiah

    Thanks for the live

    Reply
  43. Elizabeth

    This Live was so good for learning about rockets!

    Reply
  44. Brylee

    Rockets are my fav

    Reply
  45. Lily

    i love science

    Reply
  46. Jaden

    WOW LEARNING ABOUT ROCKETS IS AWESOME.

    Reply
  47. Derek

    SCIENCE IS GOATed

    Reply
  48. Robert

    The math and technology it takes to send people to space is so cool and crazy at the same time.

    Reply
  49. Asher

    Rockets are so cool

    Reply
  50. Mikael

    Hello from Texas, Thanks.

    Reply
  51. Bryson

    i DIDNT KNOW THATS HOW ROCKETS ARE MADE THATS COOL

    Reply
  52. Nova

    Learning about space is my favorite!

    Reply
  53. Savannah

    science live!!!!!!

    Reply
  54. Mikayla

    Not only can I imagine myself going into space, but I really can’t imagine going into space without a toilet!

    Reply
  55. Augustus

    hope you all have a good day.

    Reply
  56. Elsie

    I have never seen a video of people in a space shuttle that was not absolutely hilarious every time.(and still haven’t)

    Reply
  57. Armond

    I liked how Tobias talked about Artemis 2 because I have seen Artemis 1 but not Artemis 2 and I liked how they did the mission also I liked there plan.

    Reply
  58. Sophia

    I love science live keep it up!

    Reply
  59. Noah

    Rockets are awesome!

    Reply
  60. Gracie

    can’t wait for next weeks live!

    Reply
  61. Evan

    it’s always so interesting. Every time we watch one it’s more and more interesting every time you watch.

    Reply
  62. Carter

    Rockets are awesome!

    Reply
  63. Luke

    R51 is the best

    Reply
  64. Kaleb

    The rocket are so cool.

    Reply
  65. Hunter

    I love anything that involves space. So I really loved all the space stuff this week and the cool moon rocks r51 made.

    Reply
  66. Aria

    Science Live should make a video on the technology behind submarines.
    For instance, how do subs stand all that pressure?

    I loved this Science Live, learning all about the rocket was so cool!

    Reply
  67. Owen

    The rockets are so cool! Love learning about our space travel!

    Reply
  68. Madison

    Rockets are very cool and advanced. I would love to see a rocket that can travel further than the moon

    Reply
  69. Nolan

    Hi from mn

    Reply
  70. Mariah

    Science Live is great!

    Reply
  71. Koda

    R51 is so cool!

    Reply
  72. Micah

    Science Live is the best.

    Reply
  73. Alexander

    Rockets are awesome!

    Reply
  74. Grayson

    The chemical that was used was Ammonium Perchlorate Composite Propellant it was used for dry fuel in the rocket.

    Reply
  75. Knox

    Not the crocodiles! I live in a state with crocodiles!

    Reply
  76. Josiah

    I would love to go to the moon!

    Reply
  77. Wayland

    I love science live

    Reply
  78. Elijah

    It was interesting to learn about rockets.

    Reply
  79. Gerrit

    i love science live

    Reply
  80. Blakebillie

    I love this sciene live today!!!

    Reply
  81. Hunter

    amazing science live this week!

    Reply
  82. Tucker

    I loved this live !!!

    Reply
  83. Wayland

    when was the first fully t Rex was found?

    Reply
  84. Bentley

    I want to go to space!!!

    Reply
  85. Jenna

    I love r51

    Reply
  86. Liam

    i love SCIENCE LIVE!

    Reply
  87. Kingsten

    I loved watching the rocket land and Science Live. It was like a partnership with NASA and Science Live.

    Reply
  88. Madeleine

    I love learning about outer space. Its amazing that rockets boosters can lift that amount of weight all the way to outer space.

    Reply
  89. Michael

    The moon rock was really cool looking, r51 did a really good job this time

    Reply
  90. Jeremiah

    when you look at the earth from the moon it looks so much bigger than the moon looks like from the earth.

    Reply
  91. Geavoni

    this video was great

    Reply
  92. Brea

    fun video

    Reply
  93. Sara

    i wish i lived on the moon

    Reply
  94. William

    that’s so fascinating!!!

    Reply
  95. Caysen

    Almost done with school!

    Reply
  96. Allison

    I did not know that the first Artemis I launched November 16, 2022 and the next one is planned for 2028.

    Reply
  97. Zoey

    the video was so cool

    Reply
  98. Liam

    love this weeks science live!!

    Reply
  99. Joshua

    I want to be an astronaut

    Reply
  100. Paul

    What is the moon made of

    Reply
  101. Emmett

    Amazing what we can do with rockets and fuel and how it’s all put together to work at such incredible stuff! lol that was so funny and laughed so much as I watched Area 51 and about those “moon” rocks and “mars” rocks lol!

    Loved watching the whole Science live!! such amazing high-tech information and points of view on so many things. Thank you! So happy to have discovered Acellus!! Dr. Billing’s is awesome! Everyone is!

    Reply
  102. Isaiah

    I watched the rocket launch live!

    Reply
  103. Kyren

    the communication tech is cool I hope to learn more in the future about artemis 2

    Reply
  104. Jacen

    I truly thought the rocket launch on April 1st was an April Fools joke.

    Reply
  105. Ian

    My favorite part was when R51 told us about how his R51 rocket went to the moon and then he had his moon rocks for sale. Oh, I’m sorry. Mars rocks.

    Reply
  106. Bentley

    how heavy was the part of the spaceship where the astronauts were

    Reply
  107. Cayleigh

    I love rockets so much n the football example is great to know how tall the rocket is.

    Reply
  108. Storm

    Students in Columbia University were able to make a full size hanging replaca of a huge crocodile that was 9″ Feet long. But we are still try to see if it really lived. Wouldn’t that be something a dinosaur being eat by a crocodile lol

    Reply
  109. Zander

    Who came up with nasa?

    Reply
  110. Selma

    r-51 is so funny.
    Can you power rockets with hydrogen??

    Reply
  111. Croix

    R 51 you are something else

    Reply
  112. Pablo

    Crazy that we came from rocks and trees to very advanced tech like this LOL.

    Reply
  113. Chris

    I never understood why there hasn’t been a moon landing ever since the first one in the 60s.. hopefully they’ll actually land on the moon in the next few years.

    Reply
  114. Zachary

    I love the Artemis II !!!!!!

    Reply
  115. Brandon

    I want to go to the moon one day. It’s so beautiful.

    Reply
  116. Ognjen

    Very cool lesson! Thanks.

    Reply
  117. Katana

    i love science lives so much it is the best activities

    Reply
  118. Nouran

    I have been always interested to learn about rockets.

    Reply
  119. Noah

    this was so cool wonder whats gonna happen in 2029?

    Reply
  120. Frederick

    another amazing science live

    Reply
  121. Grayson

    I love r51

    Reply
  122. Grayson

    wow I love this thanks for always making my day

    Reply
  123. Heidi

    I never realized how big a rocket is, I thought they like three cars put together.

    Reply
  124. Allison

    I love it

    Reply
  125. Harper

    I loved that episode, I didn’t know that hydrogen was used as fuel for the rockets. I can’t wait for next weeks episode!

    Reply
  126. Charlotte

    what a great episode! can’t wait for next week!

    Reply
  127. Wyatt

    Wow those rockets looked so big in pictures!

    Reply
  128. Ivan

    I love to watch science live!

    Reply
  129. Emma

    I loved this live today, R51 was funny too haha 🙂

    Reply
  130. Lily

    I loved this episode of science live!

    Reply
  131. Wyatt

    Hello from SC!

    Reply
  132. Dominic

    science rocks!

    Reply
  133. Grace

    Me and my grandma watched Artemis 2 together and I thought it was cool .

    Reply
  134. Hendrix

    nice science live

    Reply
  135. Genesis

    Awesome video loved it.

    Reply
  136. Gracelynn

    This was so awesome!

    Reply
  137. Grayson

    R51 is awesome

    Reply
  138. Hunter

    I love acellus

    Reply
  139. Lily

    R51 is always so funny!

    Reply
  140. Erin

    Love the moon rock r51 made!!!

    Reply
  141. Kaiya

    I love r51 and science Live!!

    Reply
  142. Tru

    Hi from the Gulf Coast. I’m excited to learn about the how rockets are made!

    Reply
  143. Gianna

    Another great video!

    Reply
  144. Maisy

    Great science live see you next week!

    Reply
  145. Jackson

    I like rockets

    Reply
  146. Anneliese

    R51 is cool

    Reply
  147. Zachery

    I love the Artemis II !!!!!!

    Reply
  148. Judson

    I think artimis is really cool

    Reply
  149. Carson

    I enjoyed all the information on rockets today.

    Reply
  150. Brayden

    that was so fun

    Reply
  151. Alexandra

    Noooo the cardboard cut out!!!!

    Reply
  152. Bibi

    wow so cool.

    Reply
  153. Faith

    this is THE BEST

    Reply
  154. Marciano

    R51 is to corny not funny

    Reply
  155. Angelica

    The solid rocket boosters (SRBs) on the Artemis spaceship (SLS rocket) use a solid propellant primarily composed of ammonium perchlorate (oxidizer), aluminum powder (fuel), and polybutadiene acrylonitrile (PBAN) as a rubbery binder. This mix creates a powerful, rubber-like propellant designed for massive lift-off thrus

    Reply
  156. Naomi

    We can all agree r51 is the best right?

    Reply
  157. Ryker

    how far can the laser transmit

    Reply
  158. Maddox

    loved the video awsome facts!!!

    Reply
  159. Ayden

    BEST day of the week is science live

    Reply
  160. Ariella

    i love watching r51 he is so funny!

    Reply
  161. Tyler

    Could I make one of those at home??

    Reply
  162. Kennedy

    r51 is so cool!

    Reply
  163. Ethan

    Rockets are so cool

    Reply
  164. Poke

    wow that was so cool. I love r51

    Reply
  165. Grant

    Artemis is so cool

    Reply
  166. Hailey

    I find space and rockets are quite interesting to learn about. I really enjoyed all the knowledge I gained today. Thank you for a great science live.

    Reply
  167. Felicity

    I love science live

    Reply
  168. Pyper

    Rockets are so cool thank you so much!

    Reply
  169. Skyler

    I love Science LIVE!!!!!!!

    Reply
  170. Kingston

    I love science!

    Reply
  171. Ryder

    wow very entertaining live cant wait for another

    Reply
  172. June

    It was super cool to learn about this. I have been absolutely obsessed with the Artemis 2 mission around the moon, it is just incredible. Thank you.

    Reply
  173. Josue

    i love space so much this makes it fun to learn

    Reply
  174. Amara

    r51 im will buy your merch

    Reply
  175. Adyson

    iLove rokets

    Reply

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