Fifty-four years.
That is how long it has been since human last traveled beyond Earth’s orbit — since the crew of Apollo 17 left the moon behind in December 1972.
This week, NASA’s Artemis II mission changed that.
Why did it take so long? And given everything we know about the agency’s plans, budget battles and the growing shadow of China’s lunar ambitions — is the road ahead actually realistic?
For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org. Email us at considerthis@npr.org.
This episode was produced by Linah Mohammad and Karen Zamora.
It was edited by Courtney Dorning.
Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun.
To manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below:
See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.