Artemis: Why Are We Really Going Back to the Moon?

Science Vs

Spotify Studios

Education, Science, Health & Fitness

4.4 • 12.4K Ratings

🗓️ 9 April 2026

⏱️ 32 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

The moon race is back! NASA’s Artemis II mission just sent four astronauts around the moon. And other countries — and billionaires — are lining up to take a crack at returning to the moon too. But why are we really going? Some say this is a lunar gold rush, that countries want to mine the moon for resources. Others are saying the real reason to go to the moon today is that it’ll help us get to Mars. To find out, we talk to engineer Dr. Angel Abbud-Madrid, physicist Prof. Nicolle Zellner, and astronomer Prof. Gregg Hallinan. [REBROADCAST] Find our transcript here: https://tinyurl.com/ScienceVsGoingBackToMoon UPDATE 4/9/26: We updated this episode with information about more recent efforts to mine Helium-3 from the moon. This episode was produced by Meryl Horn and Ekedi Fausther-Keeys, with help from Wendy Zukerman, Rose Rimler, Meryl Horn, and Michelle Dang. We’re edited by Blythe Terrell. Fact checking by Diane Kelly. Mix and sound design by Bumi Hidaka. Music written by Bumi Hidaka, Peter Leonard, Emma Munger and Bobby Lord. Thanks to the researchers we got in touch with for this episode, including Dr. Tom Simko, Professor Jack Burns, Dr. Paul Byrne, Dr. Martin Elvis, Dr. John Mather, Dr. Jennifer Whitten, Dr. Ian Crawford, Dr. Simon J Lock, and Dr. Greg De Temmerman. Special thanks to Chris Suter, Jack Weinstein, the Zukerman family, the Fausther-Keeys family, and Joseph Lavelle Wilson. Science Vs is a Spotify Studios Original. Listen for free on Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. Follow us and tap the bell for episode notifications. In this episode, we cover: (00:00) We’re going back to the moon! (06:23) Should we dig up rare earth elements on the moon? (10:05) Should we go back to the moon for Helium-3?(14:54) The moon as a training ground for Mars (19:55) The FARSIDE telescope: a portal into the universe’s history (27:12) So is it worth returning to the moon? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hi, I'm Wendy Zuckerman, and you're listening to Science Verses.
0:03.5	10, 9, 8, 7.
0:07.2	Today, we are pitting facts against frontiers.
0:10.6	4, 3, 2, 1.
0:13.6	As we tackle the moon.
0:15.3	And lift off.
0:17.7	The crew of Artemis 2 now bound for the moon.
0:20.8	Humanity's next great voyage begins.
0:24.9	This week, four astronauts flew around the moon,
0:28.9	going further into space than humans ever have before.
0:33.3	The NASA mission is called Artemis II,
0:36.0	and they're scheduled to splash down back on Earth tomorrow.
0:40.2	And all over the world, people have been stunned by this journey.
0:44.5	Oh my goodness! Oh!
0:47.7	It's not just what you see and you hear the rocket nips off.
0:51.9	You can actually feel the force of it through your body.
0:55.9	It's absolutely amazing what's going on right now, and all I can say is, wow.
1:00.0	She is the first woman to ever see the entirety of our planet.
1:04.0	The world is following every moment of this mission, and that includes how the astronauts are getting by with a temperamental loo.
1:10.7	Houston, we have a toilet burning.
1:12.6	They're seeing shadows. And when you see shadows, you get to see terrain and relief,
1:15.6	and you get to see the scale of the mountains.
	...

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