Planetary Radio: Space Exploration, Astronomy and Science · The Planetary Society

Artemis II and III: The science that brings us back to the Moon

·1 hr 4 min·3 clips

Artemis 2 uses shifting light to reveal both color and texture on the Moon.

The return gets treated as field science, with the symbolism kept in check. Sarah Al-Ahmed builds the episode around two NASA Goddard scientists whose work helps make Artemis a planned investigation instead of a simple trip back. Artemis II goes first. Kelsey Young is introduced as the Artemis Science Flight Operations Lead, guiding the Lunar Observations and Imaging Campaign while astronauts prepare to study the moon from Orion. Artemis III carries a different weight. Noah Petro, described as the Project Scientist for Artemis III and former Project Scientist for the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, helps shape the science behind humanity's first lunar footsteps of the 21st century. The moon is treated as a place astronauts have to learn how to read before they arrive. Observation, documentation, and judgment are part of the job. Earth slips into the story too. From more than 200,000 miles away, the far-side portion of Artemis II may give people a view they have not had in more than 50 years. That distance changes the mood of the conversation. Lunar science sits beside the sight of Earth in the background, so exploration feels outward-looking and oddly intimate at the same time. Apollo 17 is still in the room. Schmidt is named in the transcript as the only professional geologist so far to stand on the lunar surface, which makes the training of Artemis crews feel less like prep work and more like the mission itself. Astronauts without that same background are being trained as members of the science team, with the moon acting as the field site even for Artemis II. The point lands quietly: the crew has to think, notice, document, and adapt. Al-Ahmed closes by asking what listeners would ask the Artemis II astronauts, leaving the return to the moon feeling technical, human, and shared.

As heard by us

A careful look at how Artemis turns lunar return into working science.

The episode treats Artemis II and Artemis III as working missions, not slogans. Kelsey Young and Noah Petro give the crew a clear role in what they will see, record, and study, and the training angle lands well: the astronauts are asked to think like field scientists.

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Hear how Artemis turns the Moon into a real field site.

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