Episode 1801: Artemis II: Moonbound

Recorded on Sunday 29 March, 2026: Just days before the first human mission to the Moon in 53 years, Talking Space returns to discuss preflight activities and the changes within NASA’s Artemis lunar program. Mark Ratterman discusses his thoughts on the growth of activity in and around the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) since the days of the Space Shuttle program, and reflects on the L- 3 launch press conference, the Artemis II Crew arrival at KSC for the launch and their question-and-answer session with the press from their quarantine quarters at KSC. Since Jared Isaacman has taken the reins at NASA, the Artemis Lunar Program architecture has undergone significant alterations. NASA has restructured the first few Artemis missions and has decided to put the Lunar Gateway on hold (not cancelling the program outright as some outlets have reported) in order to pursue the establishment of a permanent lunar base in three phases starting in 2027. We discuss the plan outlined in the NASA Ignition presentations last week, their features, cost, and the likelihood that NASA will land a human expedition on the Moon before the agency’s self-imposed deadline of 2028. Talking Space will be watching closely the events of Artemis II and next time will bring you reports and reflections surrounding the progress of the first human mission to the Moon since the Apollo 17 flight in December of 1972. For More on the Artemis II mission visit:  NASA's Artemis Webpage CSA's Artemis II Webpage  ESA's Artemis II Webpage  Launch Minus Two Days Press Conference  Launch Minus One Day Press Conference  Featured Team Members This Week: Mark Ratterman Gene Mikulka