© 2024 Central Florida Public Media. All Rights Reserved.
90.7 FM Orlando • 89.5 FM Ocala
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

To the moon, for good?

On flight day 13, Orion reached its maximum distance from Earth during the Artemis I mission when it was 268,563 miles away from our home planet. Orion has now traveled farther than any other spacecraft built for humans. Photo: NASA
NASA
On flight day 13, Orion reached its maximum distance from Earth during the Artemis I mission when it was 268,563 miles away from our home planet. Orion has now traveled farther than any other spacecraft built for humans.

NASA’s Artemis I mission is past its halfway mark -- the uncrewed Orion capsule slinging past the far side of the moon. The next big step is making it back to Earth safe.

The mission ushers in a new era of lunar exploration with astronauts making the trip next. NASA wants to establish a permanent base at the moon -- are we any closer to that goal now? We’ll chat with Laura Forczyk, a space policy analyst, about the sustainability of the moon.

Then, scientists are already preparing for long-term visits to the moon -- and trying to grow plants in lunar soil. We’ll revisit a conversation with NASA senior scientist Sharmila Bhattacharya about what researchers have learned so far.

Brendan Byrne is Central Florida Public Media's Assistant News Director, managing the day-to-day operations of the newsroom, editing daily news stories, and managing the organization's internship program. Byrne also hosts Central Florida Public Media's weekly radio show and podcast "Are We There Yet?" which explores human space exploration, and the weekly news roundup podcast "The Wrap."