By Alejandra Garcia on April 6, 2026 from Caracas
aspiring young astronauts
In recent weeks, the United States has celebrated one of the most ambitious milestones in its space program in decades: the launching of the Artemis II mission, marking the return of crewed flights beyond Earth’s orbit. The project, led by NASA, aims to lay the foundations for a sustained human presence on the Moon and eventually open the door to missions to Mars.
The mission, driven by NASA, mirrors the historic Apollo 8 flight but with modern technology and even more ambitious goals. Aboard the new Space Launch System rocket, four astronauts will orbit the Moon without landing. For the first time in over half a century, a human crew will travel farther from Earth than ever before.
In scientific and technological terms, it represents one of humanity’s greatest advancements in decades. “We are winning, in space, on Earth, and everywhere,” said President Donald Trump, who accelerated the pace of this ambitious project.
But what does this decision really hide? While rockets cross space, public attention is diverted from urgent and immediate problems. The Epstein documents, in which President Trump is referenced more than 3,000 times, have faded from public attention; meanwhile, the relentless U.S. rockets striking the Middle East have also stopped making headlines.
This is no coincidence: the fascination with space conquest acts, in a way, as a powerful media distraction. While the world looks to the Moon, the fate of justice and peace on Earth remains uncertain. The war imposed by the United States and Israel in the Middle East has devastating consequences for the most vulnerable: the civilian population.
The Minab primary school in Iran bombed twice by the US on the first day of school, massacring over 170, mostly young girls.
One of the most tragic episodes occurred on February 28, when a Iranian primary school for girls in the city of Minab was attacked. Images circulating on social media show a partially destroyed building, surrounded by rubble, with schoolbooks and notebooks stained with blood. “The school was bombed in broad daylight while full of students. Dozens of innocent children have been murdered at this site alone,” said Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi right after this genocidal attack.
A preliminary Pentagon investigation points to U.S. responsibility for the attack. Independent investigations by The New York Times, BBC, and Bellingcat, among others, indicate a U.S. Tomahawk missile strike. Faced with solid evidence, Trump once again tried to evade blame. “I don’t know anything about that,” he told the press.
At least 175 people were killed in this attack, most of them girls attending classes that Saturday, February 28—the first day of the school week in Iran.
The contrast is impossible to ignore. On one hand, there is the scientific advancement that allows humans to travel farther than ever in recent history. On the other, there are persistent conflicts in which the same technology enabling space exploration is used with devastating and murderous consequences. The narrative of progress and conquest coexists with a reality that cannot be ignored: the exercise of power that extends both to the cosmos and on Earth, with human costs in the thousands.
This intersection of stories, the rocket orbiting the Moon and the missiles destroying a school for girls in Iran, reveals the paradox of our time: while the technological development of hegemonic countries reaches unimaginable heights, their political and military decisions remain the greatest threat to life on Earth. Meanwhile, a network of pedophiles with incalculable power and wealth, at the helm of the country with the largest military and technological arsenal, evades justice; all the while the body count continues to soar.
Alejandra Garcia is a Latin American correspondent for Resumen Latinoamericano and an evening anchor for Telesur evening news in English.
Source: Resumen Latinoamericano – English