Artemis mission engineers call the moon a stepping stone. Not a destination. A rehearsal for Mars, for Titan, for whatever comes after that. The question was never why go back. The question was always what you miss if you don’t.

There’s a version of this story that ends with astronauts and photographs. There’s another that ends with a generation of people who watched a launch, went to university, and built the companies that run your daily life. Apollo produced that second version. The case for Artemis is that it will too, and the next generation is already watching and deciding.

Next time someone asks whether space is worth the money: is this about the moon, or is this about what the moon makes possible on the ground? That question has a better answer than most people realize.

Topics: Artemis mission, moon exploration, space inspiration, STEM innovation, Artemis II crew

GUEST: John Moores | @‌arcticsaxifrage.bsky.social

Originally aired on2026-04-08