Scott Detrow

Let's just step back a moment.

What did this week represent to you?

How significant was this for NASA?

And you and I are talking hours before the planet splashed down.

So that's obviously the big question hanging in the air right now.

Let's talk about what NASA got out of this week.

Obviously, it got a lot of PR.

It got a lot of positive attention and energy from this mission.

What do you think the most important engineering and scientific gains from Artemis II have been, and what would a successful splashdown prove?

Let's just reality check the next few steps because the plans for Artemis going forward have changed many times, changed again recently under the Trump administration.

And you just mentioned the most important thing.

They don't physically have the lander to go down and land on the moon as is planned right now.

What are your biggest question marks and what are you looking ahead to over the next few years to reality check this?

Joel Achenbach, a science reporter who's been tracking Artemis and NASA.

Thank you so much for talking to us.

Thank you.

This episode was produced by Lina Muhammad and Karen Zamora.

It was edited by Courtney Dorning.

Our executive producer is Sammy Yannigan.

Thanks to our Consider This Plus listeners who support the work of NPR journalists and help keep public radio strong.