Special Edition: Back to the Moon – And Beyond
The NewsWorthy
Erica Mandy
3.9 • 1.3K Ratings
🗓️ 4 April 2026
⏱️ 16 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
NASA's Artemis II mission is officially underway — marking the first crewed journey around the moon in more than 50 years.
In this episode, astrophysicist David Alexander breaks down why this moment is so significant, what's different this time around, and how it could shape the future of space exploration, from building a sustainable presence on the moon to eventually sending humans to Mars.
Plus, the risks involved, the role of private companies, and why it all matters here on Earth.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Today is Saturday, April 4th. This week, NASA successfully launched its Artemis 2 mission, |
| 0:05.4 | sending a crew of astronauts on a historic journey around the moon. It's the first crewed |
| 0:09.8 | mission to the moon in more than 50 years, and the first time humans have ever traveled so far |
| 0:14.6 | from Earth. It's also a major step toward much bigger goals, landing on the moon again, |
| 0:19.4 | building a sustainable presence there, |
| 0:20.9 | and eventually sending humans to Mars. So today's guest is astrophysicist David Alexander, |
| 0:26.5 | professor at Rice University and director of the Rice Space Institute. He'll explain why this |
| 0:31.1 | mission matters for space exploration and people back here on Earth. We also discuss what makes |
| 0:36.2 | it different from the Apollo era. |
| 0:38.1 | The risks involved in a mission like this, |
| 0:40.0 | the role private companies are now playing, |
| 0:42.0 | and whether humans could really make it to Mars in the next couple of decades. |
| 0:45.6 | And just a note, this conversation was recorded before the Artemis II launch, |
| 0:49.7 | but the insights still hold as the crew continues its journey |
| 0:52.7 | and NASA looks ahead to future space exploration. |
| 0:57.4 | Welcome to the Newsworthy Special Edition Saturday, when we sit down with a different expert |
| 1:01.7 | or celebrity every Saturday to talk about something in the news. Don't forget to tune in |
| 1:05.5 | every Monday through Friday for our regular episodes where we provide all the day's news in less |
| 1:10.4 | than 15 minutes. I'm Erica Mandy. It's now time for day's news in less than 15 minutes. |
| 1:11.5 | I'm Erica Mandy. It's now time for today's special edition Saturday. |
| 1:17.2 | David Alexander, thank you so much for joining us here on the Newsworthy. |
| 1:20.6 | It's a pleasure to be here. Thank you for the invitation. |
... |
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