Artemis II: 10. How to train your astronaut

The Artemis II chief training officer tells us how the crew prepared for this mission.

An episode of the 13 Minutes Presents: Artemis II podcast, hosted by BBC World Service, titled "Artemis II: 10. How to train your astronaut" was published on April 8, 2026 and runs 29 minutes.

April 8, 2026 ·29m · 13 Minutes Presents: Artemis II

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Summary

After all the excitement of the lunar fly-by, the Artemis II crew are taking a breather, and have a long-distance call with the astronauts on board the International Space Station.Besides the Artemis II and ISS crews, there are other humans up in space too. China’s Tiangong space station is currently home to three taikonauts. Hosts astronaut Tim Peake and space scientist Maggie Aderin are joined by space journalist Kristin Fisher to discuss China’s progress in their lunar program so far.And Artemis II chief training officer Jacki Mahaffey tells Tim, Maggie and Kristin how the crew were trained to expect the unexpected, how astronaut preparation has changed since the Apollo days, and how she feels about the upcoming splashdown. You can get in touch with the 13 Minutes Presents: Artemis II team by emailing [email protected]. Season 4 theme music by Hans Zimmer and Christian Lundberg and produced by Russell Emanuel, for Bleeding Fingers Music. 13 Minutes Presents: Artemis II is a BBC Audio Science production for the BBC World Service.Presenters: Tim Peake and Maggie Aderin Producers: Alex Mansfield and Sophie Ormiston Series editor: Martin Smith

Episode Description

After all the excitement of the lunar fly-by, the Artemis II crew are taking a breather, and have a long-distance call with the astronauts on board the International Space Station.

Besides the Artemis II and ISS crews, there are other humans up in space too. China’s Tiangong space station is currently home to three taikonauts. Hosts astronaut Tim Peake and space scientist Maggie Aderin are joined by space journalist Kristin Fisher to discuss China’s progress in their lunar program so far.

And Artemis II chief training officer Jacki Mahaffey tells Tim, Maggie and Kristin how the crew were trained to expect the unexpected, how astronaut preparation has changed since the Apollo days, and how she feels about the upcoming splashdown.

You can get in touch with the 13 Minutes Presents: Artemis II team by emailing [email protected].

Season 4 theme music by Hans Zimmer and Christian Lundberg and produced by Russell Emanuel, for Bleeding Fingers Music.

13 Minutes Presents: Artemis II is a BBC Audio Science production for the BBC World Service.

Presenters: Tim Peake and Maggie Aderin Producers: Alex Mansfield and Sophie Ormiston Series editor: Martin Smith