S8 Ep673: 15. Bob Zimmerman contrasts NASA’s risky Artemis 2 mission with SpaceX’s successful reusable rocket program. He also reports on a secretive medical emergency on the ISS and China’s deep commitment to its space program. (15)

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John Batchelor

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🗓️ 1 April 2026

⏱️ 14 minutes

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Summary

15. Bob Zimmerman contrasts NASA’s risky Artemis 2 mission with SpaceX’s successful reusable rocket program. He also reports on a secretive medical emergency on the ISS and China’s deep commitment to its space program. (15)
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0:00.0	Hey, it's Zoe Ball and Joe Wiley here from the Digit podcast, and we're currently sponsored by the Woodland Trust.
0:06.6	The Woodland Trust lets you dedicate a tree, a bench, even a whole area of woodland in someone's name.
0:14.4	Plus, all of the Woodland Trust's sites are free to visit, so you can go and see it any time.
0:19.5	It really is a gift that keeps growing and every dedication
0:22.4	directly supports the Woodland Trust's vital work. So if Woods are your happy place or theirs,
0:27.8	this is just a beautiful way to celebrate a birthday, a wedding, anniversary, anything really.
0:33.1	Visit woodlandtrust.org.org.org.org slash dig it. Full terms and conditions can be found on the Woodland Trust website.
1:02.5	I'm John Batchel. Behind the Black, Bob Zimmerman joins to comment on space engineering and space exploration and one particular launch anticipated for years by NASA. Bob, a very good evening to you. Artemis II
1:10.6	describes what? Thank you.
1:13.6	John, I should have pointed out that it's not years, it's literally decades. This was proposed by George Bush Jr. in 2004. That's more than two decades ago.
1:25.5	And that's to spend close to $60 billion to maybe make one launch.
1:29.9	So tomorrow on April Fool's at 6.24 p.m. Eastern, they hope to launch Artemis 2 using the SLS rocket and the Orion capsule to send four astronauts, three Americans and one Canadian,
1:46.0	on a 10-day mission looping around the moon and coming back to Earth.
1:50.5	And they will be using a Orion capsule.
1:52.9	It's almost a decade old.
1:54.2	It was built a long time ago with a heat shield that is questionable and a life support system
1:59.9	that's never been tested in
2:01.0	space before.
2:02.2	But NASA plunges on on April Fool's.
2:05.6	Let's move on to reality, John.
2:07.3	All right.
2:08.0	We go to SpaceX, Making Money.
	...

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