2019 san antonio mission parts quarters free sample

The San Antonio Missions were among the largest concentrations of Spanish missions in North America, established in the 1700s, and helped create the foundation for the City of San Antonio, TX. The construction of aqueducts and irrigation canals (acequias) brought water to the missions sustaining farming and ranching. The missions’ toolmaking, carpentry, looming, spinning, and masonry also contributed to the community’s ability to be self-sustaining.

This design depicts elements of the Spanish Colonial Real coin to pay tribute to the missions. Within the quadrants are symbols of the missions: wheat symbolizes farming; the arches and bell symbolize community; a lion represents Spanish cultural heritage; and a symbol of the San Antonio River represents irrigation methods and life-sustaining resources.

The U.S. Mint officially launched the2019 San Antonio Missions National Historical Park quarter dollar in ceremonies Sept. 5 at Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas.

The coin, the 49th in the 56-coin America the Beautiful quarters program, was released into general circulation through the Federal Reserve on Aug. 26. The release included the distribution of 2 million 2019-W coins struck at the West Point Mint and disseminated at nearly three dozen designated locations nationwide.

The Sept. 5 launch event was attended by 1,500 people, including 500 area schoolchildren who each received free from the U.S. Mint an Uncirculated quality 2019-P example. After the ceremony, those in attendance were able to exchange cash for $10 face value rolls during a coin exchange sponsored by Frost Bank.

Many of those who exchanged cash for rolls stood in line with the paper-wrapped rolls to have them autographed by Christopher T. Costello, the U.S. Mint Artistic Infusion Program Artist who designed the reverse of the San Antonio Missions coin.

Also representing the Mint was Acting Deputy Mint Director Patrick Hernandez, who presented Mardi Arce, superintendent of San Antonio Missions National Historical Park, with a framed shadow box containing San Antonio Missions quarter dollars from the first day of production at the Denver and Philadelphia Mint.

In his remarks to the crowd, Hernandez said, “The San Antonio Missions quarter serves as a reminder of the importance of diverse people coming together, sharing their skills and heritage, to form self-sustaining, multicultural communities.”

On Sept. 4, the U.S. Mint hosted a collector forum in San Antonio to provide information to the 111 attendees on upcoming U.S. Mint numismatic products and receive their input on future initiatives.

When you hear about coins being worth more than face value, you figure it"s highly unlikely you"ll ever encounter one and that coins like that are pretty rare, and while the most valuable coins are indeed hard to come by, there are plenty out there that are surprisingly common. Among them are quarters that came out just a few years ago that are now worth not 25 cents but about $20, and millions of them exist.

The Coinhubs Instagram account explained what to look for. You want to find a quarter from either 2019 or 2020. On the tails side, the 2019 ones show scenes commemorating either Massachusetts" Lowell National Park, Guam"s War in the Pacific National Park, the Northern Mariana Islands" American Memorial Park, Texas" San Antonio Missions Park, or Idaho"s Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness. The 2020 ones show either Kansas" Tall Grass Prairie, the National Park of American Samoa, Connecticut"s Weir Farm National Historic Site, the U.S. Virgin Island"s Salt River Bay, or Vermont"s Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historic Park.

On the heads side of these, under where it says "In God We Trust," if there is a letter W, you"re in luck. That letter is the mint mark, and a W means it was created in West Point, New York. Only ten million quarters were minted there in 2019 and another ten million in 2020 - two million of each design. It may seem like a lot, but with just two million in circulation, those quarters are considered somewhat rare.

We’ve put together a guide to visiting The Alamo in San Antonio as well as the San Antonio Missions National Historical Park. No visit to San Antonio Texas is complete without visiting The Alamo!

We’ll give you a brief history of The Alamo and the Battle of the Alamo so you can better understand and appreciate this popular attraction. Then we’ll tell you everything you need to know in order to visit The Alamo in San Antonio, including how to get here, fees, tips for parking, what to see, and nearby attractions in San Antonio.

We also give you an overview of the Spanish colonial missions in Texas and why these were constructed. In addition to The Alamo, there are four other Spanish missions that you can visit in San Antonio and these form the San Antonio Missions National Historical Park. We share information on each of these missions and tips on how to visit and plan your time in the park.

This information should help shed a bit of light on the reasons why so many missions were set up in San Antonio, The Alamo’s role in the Texas Revolution, and why The Alamo is significant today.

The Spanish government began setting up missions in the Americas in the 16th century. The primary goal of the missions was to spread the Roman Catholic faith to the native people of the region. Spanish Catholic missionaries included Dominicans, Jesuits, and Franciscans who all came to preach and spread the religion to the area.

The missions were also used to teach the local people the Spanish language, customs, and practices, provide basic education, and to encourage the people to acquiesce to Spanish demands. The missionaries also introduced European farming techniques, new machinery, and new crops to the region.

The first mission was built in Spanish Texas in 1690. The first of the missions to be built near San Antonio was San Antonio de Valero, now known as the Alamo Mission. The early Spanish mission buildings were built from grass, mud, and wood. Later missions would be constructed from stone.

Several missions would be set up in or around San Antonio in the 18th century to evangelize the native people, primarily the Coahuiltecan people. Many of these missionaries were ones that had already been founded in East Texas and were moved to San Antonio as the Spanish felt they could more adequately supply them and defend them from the French there.

However, the declining power of Spain in America (and the rise of power by the Republic of Mexico), would lead to a decline in the finances and power of the missionaries in the late 18th and early 19th century. These missionaries were all secularized by 1824. After secularization, many of them were largely abandoned and most fell into disrepair during the 19th century.

Thankfully, due to preservation and restoration efforts which started in the late 19th century with the Daughters of the Republic of Texas and which has continued throughout the 20th and 21st centuries, five of the missions around San Antonio have been preserved today. The four missions to the south of the city are now all active Catholic parishes, with churches holding worship services. The exception to this is The Alamo, which has remained as a tourist attraction rather than an active place of worship.

In July 2015, both the Alamo Mission and the San Antonio Missions National Historical Park (which encompasses the 4 other missions in San Antonio) were designated a UNESCO World Heritage site.

The San Antonio de Valero mission was the first Spanish mission to be built in the present-day San Antonio area. It was established in May 1, 1718 by Father Antonio de Olivaras. Its original name was a combination of the missions founder’s patron saint’s name (San Antonio de Padua) and that of the then viceroy of New Spain (Marquess de Valero).

In 1718, the original site of the mission was built near San Pedro Springs, although this was a temporary structure. Less than a year later, the mission was moved to another site near the river, which was deemed less likely to flood. A few years later it was destroyed by strong winds from a Gulf Coast hurricane.

The present location of the Alamo mission was chosen in 1724. The stone mission church was built around 1744, although much of this original structure was later damaged or destroyed in the 19th century.

Over time, the original location expanded to include additional buildings and structures, primarily made of adobe. The final footprint of the Mission San Antonio de Valero took up about 3 acres, with farmland and pasture owned by the mission surrounding the complex. These structures included priest residences, adobe barracks buildings for soldiers, living quarters for Native American converts to stay, acequia (irrigation ditches), various workshops and farm related buildings such as a granary, and defensive structures, including walls, to protect against Apache raids.

San Antonio de Valero was a successful and largely self-sufficient mission, which at its peak was home to over 300 converted Native Americans (mostly Coahuiltecan) and a herd of over 2,000 cattle.

However, the late 18th century brought increased Apache attacks and a change in the law in 1778 that stated that all unbranded cattle belonged to the government. This law meant that the mission lost much of its resources and so its population rapidly dwindled.

Long running tensions between the Texians and the Mexican government led by Antonio López de Santa Anna, who had repealed the Mexican Constitution and were passing increasingly restrictive laws, led to a revolt by the Texians. The actual goals of the Texians varied, especially at the beginning of the rebellion, but many of the Texians wanted complete independence from Mexico.

The main commanders of the Texas Revolution were Sam Houston of the Texian Army and Antonio López de Santa Anna (often referred to just as Santa Anna) for the Mexican Army. Significant figures who fought on the Texian side included Stephen Austin, James Bowie, Davy Crockett, Juan Seguín, and William Barrett Travis.

The men of the Alamo were largely unprepared for the arrival of the 1,500 strong Mexican army under the command of the Mexican President, Antonio López de Santa Anna. On February 23rd, 1836, the siege of the Alamo began.

There were a number of people who survived who had been inside the Alamo during the battle, including military couriers who had left the Alamo before the siege, servant and slave noncombatants, and women and children. A well-known survivor is Susanna Dickinson and her infant daughter, whose husband was killed during the battle, who gave a number of oral accounts of the battle.

It is believed that Santa Anna may have released these people so they would go on to tell the story of the Alamo and the invincibility of the Mexican army. He believed this defeat would demoralize the people and put an end to the Texian Revolution. In fact, the opposite happened, and the Texian Army became more determined after the defeat to make victory their goal at all costs.

It was actually during the Battle of the Alamo that the Texians held a political convention and declared themselves an independent republic from Mexico on March 2, 1836. Although defeated at the Battle of the Alamo, the Texians would eventually be victorious over the Mexicans who would retreat and surrender after the Battle of San Jacinto in April 1836.

Although it is best known as a battlefield site today, it is also of course important in terms of Spanish mission history as it was the first mission established in the San Antonio area.

Today the primary purpose of The Alamo is a visitor attraction, where you can learn about the history of the buildings, the Texas Revolution, and of course the story of the Battle of the Alamo itself. It is one of the most popular things to do in San Antonio.

The Alamo is found in downtown San Antonio, and it is very easy to get to from most parts of the city. It is within walking distance of many of the downtown area hotels (including the Hotel Gibbs and Menger Hotel)and attractions in San Antonio.

You can also get around San Antonio using public transport and several buses stop within a short walk of The Alamo. You can see the local public transit network schedules and information here.

The Alamo doesn’t have its own parking, so you will need to find parking nearby in downtown San Antonio. This being a larger city, there isn’t much available free parking, so you’ll probably need to find a paid parking lot or garage.

Although there are super close parking locations such as Central Parking at 300 Avenue East (2 minute walk) these tend to be more expensive than the city owned lots. We recommend the Houston Street Garage at 240 East Houston Street (6 minute walk) or the Houston/Nolan lot (6 minute walk), which is found under Interstate 37 on East Houston St. You can see more parking options in San Antonio here.

Note that visitors with a valid U.S. disabled permit can park for free for short term visits at the downtown parking facilities run by the City of San Antonio.

There is a fee if you wish to rent an audio guide or take a guided tour. The guided tours (as of January 2019) cost $15 per person, and audio guides are $7 per person. Military and veteran discounts are available.

One such tour is this 3 hour private one which includes about 30 minutes at The Alamo, guided stops to the Mission San José and Mission Concepción, and then quick stops at the King William Historic District, San Fernando De Bexar Cathedral, and the Mexican Market.

Although this facade is iconic, what we see today was not what it would have looked liked to either the Spanish missionaries or the folks who fought during the Battle of the Alamo. Parts of it, including the iconic “hump” at the top, was constructed by the U.S. Army in the 1850’s.

In fact the first known roof over the main part of the church was completed by the U.S. Army in the 1850’s. Since the chapel was never fully completed, it is thought that it may never have actually served as a church. People of the mission are believed to have held services in the sacristy area of the church while the rest of the building was under construction.

The church interior is relatively small. The main parts of the church are the nave, transept, and apse and there are a number of plaques and memorials are the apse. There are also some smaller rooms, including the confessional, baptistry, and sacristy. There is also a room that was used as a burial place for the monks.

On the way, you will pass through the walled Convento courtyard, home to a large well. This was built when the Alamo was still a mission, and was in use during the Battle of the Alamo.

The Long Barrack Museum was the original home of the Spanish missionaries, a 2 storey convent which housed their living quarters and offices. It is the oldest building in San Antonio, being built around 1724.

There are a number of sites that are of interest to historians and archaeologists outside of the current site owned by the State of Texas and operated by the Texas General Land Office. The original Alamo Mission complex was about 3 acres in size and the current site only occupies a small amount of that space.

The entire Alamo Plaza area would have been part of the San Antonio de Valero Mission and walls would have stood protecting the church and other buildings.

Ashes of the Alamo Dead– Inside the San Fernando Cathedral there is a marble coffin that is said to include the ashes of some of the defenders of the Battle of the Alamo, including Bowie, Crockett, and Travis. There are lots of doubts about the veracity of this and lots of debates about where the bodies or ashes were buried. But the church is well worth a visit anyway!

Original Sites for the San Antonio de Valero mission – The Spanish mission was moved at least twice before it ended up at its present site. Although experts know broadly around where these would have been, the exact locations are unknown. However, both the Chapel of Miracles and San Francesco Di Paola Church are possible sites near which the original mission may have sat in 1718. The second location in 1719 may have been in La Villita or where St. Joseph’s Catholic Church now stands. See this article for more information about current theories.

The film Alamo: Price of Freedom was created for IMAX in 1988. It has been running in San Antonio ever since and is still popular. This is a good film to see to get a good overview of the Battle of the Alamo before you visit.

The film is 48 minutes long and is shown several times a day at San Antonio’s IMAX Theater located in the Rivercenter Mall. The mall is about a 6 minute walk from The Alamo historical site. You can see show times and ticket information here.

There are lots of lodging options available in San Antonio from budget to luxury, and you can search for available lodging options in San Antonio online here.

If you want to stay near the Alamo (and many of the other city center attractions), you’ll want to look at properties in downtown San Antonio. If you are looking for a historical hotel, there are several in this area.

Best Western Premier Hotel – This hotel is one of the best rated mid-range hotels in downtown San Antonio. Hotel offers an indoor pool, fitness center, 24-hour front desk, and complimentary continental breakfast. It is located about a 10 minute walk from The Alamo.

San Antonio River Walk – A lovely pedestrian network of walking paths along the San Antonio river that connects many attractions. Also known as the Paseo del Río. Boat trips can be taken along the river as well. Read our San Antonio River Walk guide for lots of things to do and tips.

Shops at Rivercenter – A large shopping mall with stores, restaurants, and an IMAX theater (where the Alamo: Price of Freedomfilm is shown). The San Antonio River Walk runs through it.

San Antonio Fire Museum – A museum of firefighting related objects and history in the former Central Fire Headquarters built by the Works Progress Administration in 1938. Artifacts date from mid 19th century to present.

If you are planning to visit several attractions you may save money using one of the city passes. These include the Go San Antonio Card and the Super Saver Passes.

As well as the Alamo Mission, the Spanish built several other Catholic missions around San Antonio in the 18th century. In addition to The Alamo, there are four other missions you can visit in the San Antonio area.

These four missions are part of the San Antonio Missions National Historical Park, along with the Espada Acequia (a.k.a. Piedras Creek Aqueduct). The Alamo plus the sites of the San Antonio National Historical Park form a UNESCO world heritage site.

As the missions are spread out over several miles, you will want to plan in advance how you want to visit them. You can either spend a whole day visiting them as part of a pleasant day of walking or biking, or you can use public transit, drive, or book a day tour.

Note that San Antonio gets very hot in the summer months, so we’d advise against walking or cycling in these months unless you are used to activity in high heats and are suitably prepared with plenty of drinking water and sunscreen. Water fountains are available on the trails so bring a reusable water bottle.

If you have your own car, certainly one of the easiest ways to get between the missions is to drive. The route is well signposted, and there is free parking at each Mission location. The distances by car are not great, so you should be able to get between each Mission in 10 minutes or less.

If you feel like an active day out, you can get between the Missions on a dedicated pedestrian / cycle path, which is a part of the San Antonio’s River Walk. This section of the River Walk is known as the Mission Reach, and was specifically designed to allow for foot and cycle access between the Missions. It’s open daily from dawn to dusk.

You can take the River Walk all the way from the Alamo to Mission Espada, and this would make for a full day of walking if you choose to do the whole route. As it’s a one way route, we’d advise perhaps walking in one direction, and then taking the bus or a taxi back.

Another popular option for getting between the missions is to ride a bike, which you can do either along the shared Mission Reach River Walk, or you can follow the on-street bike route, which runs from the Alamo all the way to all the missions.

You don’t need your own bike as you can take advantage of the San Antonio city-wide cycle scheme, known as B-Cycle. There are B-Cycle points all around the downtown, as well as at each mission on the route, so you can drop your cycle off at each point and then pick it up again when you are finished at each mission.

The #40 public bus service runs from downtown San Antonio to all the Missions on the route, with stops at each Mission. One of the stops is near The Alamo so you can take it to all 5 of the missions in San Antonio.

Another good option for visiting the Missions is to take a tour, which will include transport and a tour guide to give you context and information about what you are seeing.

Here’s a good value 4 hour guided tour, which covers all 4 of the missions and means you don’t have to worry about transport at all. Tour includes round-trip transportation from downtown. This is a similar 3.5 hour tour.

Of course, you can also arrange a taxi or other ride service to get between the Missions in San Antonio. If you do this, we can certainly recommend also taking the River Walk between at least two of the missions, as it’s a lovely walk.

Each of the four missions in the park are around 2.5 miles (4 km) apart, and the total distance between the four missions is about 6.5 miles (10.5 km). The first mission in the park, Mission Concepción, is around 2.5 miles (4 km) south of the Alamo and downtown San Antonio.

Here is a map of the Alamo and the four missions of the San Antonio Missions National Historical Park. You can use this map to help visualize where they are located and help plan your route.

The four missions are normally open to the public for visiting from 10:00am to 5:00pm (10:00 to 17:00) daily. The park’s Visitor Center is located at Mission San José and is usually open from 9:00am to 5:00pm. The sites are closed on some holidays such as Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, and New Year’s Day.

All the missions are staffed during regular visitor hours with both staff and volunteers. The park’s Visitor Center is located at Mission San José which has museum exhibits, a video, bathrooms, and information. It is a good place to get further information about the park and to help plan your visit.

Guided tours are regularly offered by staff at Mission San José and these are also sometimes offered at the other missions as well depending on staff availability and visitor interest. If you would like a guided tour of all four missions (plus transport) I’d take a look at this small group tour option.

For those traveling in a wheelchair, parts of some sites may not be wheelchair accessible but the main sections of most of the missions are accessible to wheelchair users. Wheelchairs are available for loan on request. You can read more about accessibility here.

Yes, regular Roman Catholic masses and religious ceremonies are performed at each of the four churches that are part of the San Antonio Missions National Historical Park. You are welcome to attend worship services at the churches.

Check the Mission Concepción mass schedule here, Mission San José mass schedule here, Mission San Juan Capistrano here, and Mission San Francisco de la Espada here.

There are four missions which form the San Antonio Missions National Historical Park plus the Espada Aqueduct which was built in 1731 and is still in use.

Mission Concepción was originally founded by Franciscan missionaries in East Texas in 1716 as the Nuestra Señora de la Purísima Concepción. It was moved to its present location in 1731 and the stone church was dedicated in 1755.

Mission Concepción consists of a sanctuary, convento, and granary. The interiors of the church originally had bright frescoes and traces of these can still be seen, and a few of these frescoes have been restored in recent years. There is also a grotto outside.

It is considered the oldest unrestored stone church in the United States, and one of the best preserved of all the missions in San Antonio. It is an active church.

Mission San José was built on this location in 1720 after the San Antonio de Valero mission become overcrowded. The church, which still stands, was constructed in 1768. It was founded by Father Antonio Margil, and served as a mission until 1824.

The complex fell into disuse after its life as a mission ended, but it was occasionally used for military purposes. The WPA helped restore and rebuild the site in the 1930’s. The original church structure still stands along with a restored granary. The mission walls and Indian quarters were re-built. Today, the church is in active use, offering regular masses and worship services.

The San Antonio Missions National Historical Park Visitor Center is located adjacent to Mission San José and here you’ll find a small museum, a video, exhibits, and visitor services.

We recommend starting your San Antonio Mission journey here as the Visitor Center gives a lot of historical context and helpful information. If you only have time to visit one mission within the park, we’d recommend this one.

Mission San Juan Capistrano was originally founded in 1716 in East Texas. The mission was relocated to San Antonio in 1731, and the present day stone church was built in 1756 along with a friary and granary. This mission was not as successful as the other San Antonio mission, primarily because the land granted was not sufficient for growing enough crops or raising enough cattle.

The Mission San Juan Capistrano was secularized in 1794 but missionaries continued working here until 1824. Religious services began again in 1840 and the church has been used almost continuously from that period to the present. It remains an active church.

The origins of the Mission San Francisco de la Espada date back to 1690 when the San Francisco de los Tejas mission was founded near Weches, Texas. This mission was relocated several times before finally becoming established in San Antonio in 1731, where it was renamed San Francisco de la Espada. The current stone church was built in 1756.

In 1794, Espada was secularized but missionaries and people continued to live here. However, the community declined and many of the buildings were damaged or destroyed by Comanche raids or fire. The chapel however survived.

This is the best place to see the Espada Acequia, a 18th century aqueduct. It was built by the Franciscan friars to irrigate the mission’s farm lands and is still in use by local residents.

Learn a little about the Alamo and the Spanish colonial missions in advance to make the most of your visits. This may be just reading this blog post, reading a book, or watching the Alamo: Price of Freedom IMAX film.

It gets hot in San Antonio, especially in the summer months (above 100 degrees F), be sure to be prepared as the heat can really affect unprepared visitors. Bring water, sunscreen, and sun protection. The missions and historical sites are obviously not air-conditioned so be sure to take plenty of breaks, especially if traveling with children or older adults.

When visiting the San Antonio Missions National Park, you’ll want to plan in advance how you are going to get to the missions since they are outside of the downtown area.

If you want to visit all 5 missions in San Antonio, you’ll need at least half a day so plan accordingly. If you only have time for two missions, we’d recommend The Alamo and Mission San José.

We recommend starting your visit of the San Antonio Missions National Historical Park at the park’s Visitor Center which is located at the Mission San José.

So that’s our guide to visiting The Alamo and San Antonio Missions National Historical Park! We hope this has helped you plan your trip to these attractions in San Antonio.

Have you visited The Alamo in San Antonio or any of the other San Antonio missions? If so, tell us about it! As always, feel free to ask us any questions you may have about visiting The Alamo or planning a trip to San Antonio Texas.

Though these San Francisco Mint quarters were struck as Business Strikes, none were released for circulation, ensuring their desirability for years to come.

The reverse features Soldiers from the United States Armed Forces arriving at Asan Bay to help Guam in its war efforts. Asan Bay Overlook is one of the popular sites within the park. Inscriptions on the coin include "SAN ANTONIO," "TEXAS," "2019," and "E Pluribus Unum."

The 5 National Parks Released in 2019:  Lowell National Historical Park in Massachusetts, American Memorial Park in the Northern Mariana Islands, War in the Pacific National Historical Park in Guam, San Antonio Missions National Historical Park in Texas, and Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness in Idaho.

Sovereign coins minted at the San Francisco Branch of the U.S. Mint and backed by the United States government, each with a face value of $0.25. The America the Beautiful Quarter Program began in 2010, but Uncirculated Quarters were not minted at San Francisco until 2012.

The National Park in San Antonio Texas includes Mission San Jose, Mission Espada, Mission Concepcion, and Mission San Juan. The park does not include the most famous mission, the Alamo, though it is connected by both the Riverwalk Trail and Mission Trail (can be driven). There is also the Espada Aqueduct, a series of irrigation ditches that brought water to the mission crops from the San Antonio River. Inside the missions you"ll find churches, granaries, friaries, farm fields, and more including old fresco paintings and sculptures. There is a one way trail (Riverwalk) connecting all the missions that can be hiked or biked on your own, but guided tours are also available.

The 2019 Secretary’s Meritorious Service Medal recognizes exceptional individual leadership or service that is distinguished by achievements of marked significance over time to the Department of Homeland Security. This award will recognize a body of work characterized by superior performance related to significant accomplishments, business improvements or notable resourcefulness and diligence that significantly improved the effectiveness of the Department of Homeland Security in one or more program areas.

The 2019 Secretary’s Award for Valor is the highest departmental recognition for extraordinary acts of valor by an employee, occurring while on or off duty. The award is only to be given in extraordinary circumstances to those who have demonstrated extraordinary courage in a highly dangerous, life-threatening situation or emergency under extreme stress and involving a specific act of valor, such as saving another person’s life or property. Both civilian and military employees of the Department are eligible for this award.

The 2019 Secretary’s Unity of Effort Award recognizes outstanding efforts in coordination, and unity of effort across the Department of Homeland Security by significantly improving efficiency and effectiveness. The award acknowledges group efforts within the Department or with external partners who assist in meeting our commitment of unity of effort.

The 2019 Secretary’s Award for Exemplary Service recognizes exemplary individual service by Department of Homeland Security employees serving in administrative, technical, clerical and general support positions.

The 2019 Secretary’s Award for Excellence recognizes outstanding individual achievement or innovation by an employee engaged in work to advance the mission of the Department of Homeland Security. This work may have resulted in superior performance, significant operational improvements or notable innovation in support of Department of Homeland Security missions.

The 2019 Secretary’s Award for Diversity Management recognizes an employee who has excelled in efforts to promote diversity at the Department of Homeland Security through exceptional leadership, innovation and perseverance. The award may acknowledge individual efforts exclusively within the Department or with external partners who assist the Department of Homeland Security in meeting our commitment to diversity.

The 2019 Secretary’s Award for Volunteer Service recognizes significant contributions by DHS employees who serve as volunteers with non-profit or community service programs or activities. The employee’s contributions should be direct, sustained, and have meaningful results for individuals or the larger public good.

The 2019 Secretary"s Unit Award recognizes any unit within the Department with outstanding team achievements in operational areas such as law enforcement, aviation, cybersecurity, border patrol, and hiring, acquisition and information technology. The work will have resulted in measurable improvements in employee morale and engagement within and among members of the unit, superior performance, significant operational improvements, or notable innovation in support of DHS missions.

Artemis 2 (officially Artemis II)NASA"s Artemis program, and the first scheduled crewed mission of NASA"s Orion spacecraft, currently planned to be launched by the Space Launch System (SLS) in May 2024.Earth. This is planned to be the first crewed spacecraft to travel beyond low Earth orbit since Apollo 17 in 1972.Exploration Mission-2 (EM-2), the mission was renamed after the introduction of the Artemis program. Originally, the crewed mission was intended to collect samples from a captured asteroid in lunar orbit by the now canceled robotic Asteroid Redirect Mission.LC-39B since STS-116.

The Artemis 2 mission plan objective is to send four astronauts in the first crewed Orion MPCV Spacecraft into a lunar flyby for a maximum of 21 days using the Block 1 variant of the Space Launch System. The mission profile is a multi-trans lunar injection (MTLI), or multiple departure burns, and includes a free return trajectory from the Moon. The Orion spacecraft will be sent to a high Earth orbit with a period of roughly 42 hours. During this time the crew will perform various checkouts of the spacecraft"s life support systems as well as an in-space rendezvous and proximity operations demonstration using the spent Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage (ICPS) as a target. When Orion reaches perigee once again, it will fire its main engine to complete the TLI maneuver which will send it to a lunar free return trajectory, before returning to Earth.

In 2017, Exploration Mission-2 was a projected single-launch mission of a Space Launch System (SLS) Block 1B with an Exploration Upper Stage, lunar Block 1 Orion spacecraft, and a payload insertion of 50.7 t (112,000 lb). The plan was to rendezvous with an asteroid previously placed in lunar orbit by the robotic Asteroid Redirect Mission and have astronauts perform space-walks and gather samples.Deep Space Gateway.Gateway module on a commercial launch vehicleMobile Launcher needed to hold the more powerful Exploration Upper Stage.Falcon Heavy.

As of November 30th, 2022, the Space Launch System Core Stage assigned to the Artemis II mission is supposed to complete engine installation by the end of 2022 and have been delivered to Kennedy Space Center in Spring 2023. However, as of January 4, 2023, no word of engine installation has yet to be released by NASA.

While personnel have not yet been announced for the mission, the four-person crew of Artemis II will include a Canadian Space Agency (CSA) astronaut, the first Canadian and non-American to travel beyond low Earth orbit, under the terms of a 2020 treaty between the United States and Canada.

NASA"s CubeSat Launch Initiative (CSLI) sought proposals in 2019 from U.S. institutions and U.S. companies to fly their CubeSat missions as secondary payloads aboard the SLS on the Artemis II mission.

During preliminary reviews in 2011, the launch date was placed somewhere between 2019 and 2021, but afterwards the launch date was delayed to 2023 on a Space Launch System (SLS) launch vehicle.

In 1968, the Apollo 8 mission, crewed by astronauts Frank Borman, Jim Lovell, and William Anders, was designed to test-fly command and service module beyond low Earth orbit. Although similar to Artemis 2 in that it was crewed and did not land on the Moon, it differed by completing 10 orbits of the Moon.Apollo 13 (1970) was the only Apollo mission that flew past the Moon by a free-return trajectory.

In 2005, the company Space Adventures announced plans to take two tourists within 100 km (62 mi) of the lunar surface using a Soyuz spacecraft piloted by a professional cosmonaut. The mission, named DSE-Alpha, has been priced at US$150 million per seat and is expected to last 8–9 days when scheduled. Company CEO Eric Anderson stated in 2011 that one seat had been sold, but the launch date has continually slipped since the second seat remains unsold as of 2017

A SpaceX lunar tourism mission was initially proposed for late 2018 and would have been similar to Artemis 2 in crew size, with two space tourists paying for a free-return loop around the Moon and back to Earth, using the Crew Dragon capsule and launched on the Falcon Heavy.Starship and indicated that the lunar mission would more likely be carried out with the Starship.Yusaku Maezawa, for the

Artemis: brand book (Report). Washington, D.C.: National Aeronautics and Space Administration. 2019. NP-2019-07-2735-HQ. MISSION NAMING CONVENTION. While Apollo mission patches used numbers and roman numerals throughout the program, Artemis mission names will use a roman numeral convention.

Hill, Denise (6 August 2019). "NASA"s CubeSat Launch Initiative Opens Call for Payloads on Artemis 2 Mission". NASA. Archived from the original on 6 August 2019. Retrieved 6 August 2019. NASA is seeking proposals from U.S. small satellite developers to fly their CubeSat missions as secondary payloads aboard the SLS on the Artemis 2 mission under the agency"s CubeSat Launch Initiative (CSLI)

Klotz, Irene (5 August 2019). Archived from the original on 6 August 2019. Retrieved 6 August 2019. NASA on August 5 released a solicitation for cubesats to ride along with the first crewed flight of the Space Launch System rocket and Orion capsule, with the caveat that selected projects fill strategic knowledge gaps for future lunar and Mars exploration