Uploaded April 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
In this episode of Science Quickly, we unpack NASA’s Artemis II mission after its safe return from lunar orbit, asking what the long‑awaited comeback to the moon actually achieved and whether it was worth the cost. Scientific American journalists debate the promise of future lunar missions alongside concerns about money and climate effects and the question of what space exploration should mean at a time of global strain.
0:00 Introduction
0:38 How interested are you in space? (1–10)
3:31 How has Artemis II fared?
4:37 The future of Artemis missions
7:05 How does Artemis differ from Apollo?
8:00 Is the cost of space exploration worth it?
13:17 Space exploration and climate change
17:47 Space exploration vs. space colonialism
Recommended Reading:
NASA’s Artemis II moon mission splashes down
scientificamerican.com/article/nasas-artemis-ii-moon-mission-splashes-down
NASA’s Artemis II mission’s return to Earth, hour by hour
scientificamerican.com/article/timeline-of-the-artemis-ii-moon-mission-return-to-earth
NASA’s Artemis moon missions are a game changer for astronomy
scientificamerican.com/article/nasas-artemis-moon-missions-are-a-game-changer-for-astronomy
NASA’s Artemis II astronauts celebrate epic lunar flyby with stunning new images
scientificamerican.com/article/nasas-artemis-ii-astronauts-celebrate-epic-lunar-flyby-with-stunning-images
E-mail us at sciencequickly@sciam.com if you have any questions, comments or ideas for stories we should cover!
Discover something new every day. Subscribe to Scientific American: scientificamerican.com/getsciam
And sign up for Today in Science, our daily newsletter: scientificamerican.com/account/email-preferences
Science Quickly is produced by Kendra Pierre-Louis, Fonda Mwangi, Sushmita Pathak and Jeff DelViscio. This episode was edited by Alex Sugiura, with fact-checking by Shayna Posses and Aaron Shattuck. Our theme music was composed by Dominic Smith.
In this episode of Science Quickly, we unpack NASA’s Artemis II mission after its safe return from lunar orbit, asking what the long‑awaited comeback to the moon actually achieved and whether it was worth the cost. Scientific American journalists debate the promise of future lunar missions alongside concerns about money and climate effects and the question of what space exploration should mean at a time of global strain.
0:00 Introduction
0:38 How interested are you in space? (1–10)
3:31 How has Artemis II fared?
4:37 The future of Artemis missions
7:05 How does Artemis differ from Apollo?
8:00 Is the cost of space exploration worth it?
13:17 Space exploration and climate change
17:47 Space exploration vs. space colonialism
Recommended Reading:
NASA’s Artemis II moon mission splashes down
scientificamerican.com/article/nasas-artemis-ii-moon-mission-splashes-down
NASA’s Artemis II mission’s return to Earth, hour by hour
scientificamerican.com/article/timeline-of-the-artemis-ii-moon-mission-return-to-earth
NASA’s Artemis moon missions are a game changer for astronomy
scientificamerican.com/article/nasas-artemis-moon-missions-are-a-game-changer-for-astronomy
NASA’s Artemis II astronauts celebrate epic lunar flyby with stunning new images
scientificamerican.com/article/nasas-artemis-ii-astronauts-celebrate-epic-lunar-flyby-with-stunning-images
E-mail us at sciencequickly@sciam.com if you have any questions, comments or ideas for stories we should cover!
Discover something new every day. Subscribe to Scientific American: scientificamerican.com/getsciam
And sign up for Today in Science, our daily newsletter: scientificamerican.com/account/email-preferences
Science Quickly is produced by Kendra Pierre-Louis, Fonda Mwangi, Sushmita Pathak and Jeff DelViscio. This episode was edited by Alex Sugiura, with fact-checking by Shayna Posses and Aaron Shattuck. Our theme music was composed by Dominic Smith.
