One of two signs recently placed on the north and south edges of Artesia denotes the portion of U.S. 285 from Carlsbad to Roswell as the Edgar D. Mitchell Apollo 14 Astronaut Highway. The highway was named in honor of Mitchell following his historic moon walk as a member of the Apollo 14 crew in the early 1970s, and signs were placed at the intersection of U.S. 285 and U.S. 82 in Artesia, as well as outside Roswell and Carlsbad. The signs disappeared, however, during road construction in preparation for Waste Isolation Pilot Plant transports in the 1990s. At the urging of former state representative and childhood friend of Mitchell, Tom Brown, the New Mexico Department of Transportation replaced the signs just north of Carlsbad and south of Roswell last year, and the Daily Press contacted the NMDOT following Mitchell’s death in February to inquire about the possibility of Artesia’s signs being restored, as well. The NMDOT went quickly to work, and while changes in the landscape at the 285/82 intersection prevented the signs from being returned to their exact former locations, they were placed prominently at the city’s entrance points.
