Profs and Pints DC presents: “Artemis II and Beyond,” on how the recent space mission fits into long-term plans for the Moon, with Michael J. Neufeld, retired senior curator for the Space History Department of the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum.
NASA’s recent, spectacular Artemis II mission is a sign that the United States is serious about sending humans to the Moon again.
Gain an understanding of how Artemis II fits in both past and planned lunar missions with historian Michael Neufeld, who was lead curator of the Smithsonian’s Destination Moon exhibit. He has taught at Johns Hopkins, Colgate, and other universities, and is the author or editor of nine books dealing with the history of technology.
He’ll start by looking at the aftermath of the Apollo program of a half century ago and why it ended only four years after its first lunar mission. He’ll consider why no lasting lunar programs emerged from major announcements by two presidents, George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush, that astronauts would be going back to the Moon and on to Mars.
His vividly illustrated lecture will then explore how Artemis is a product of a human spaceflight program that has changed dramatically over the past 50 years. We’ll look at how collaboration with Europe, Canada and Japan became integral to the shuttle and International Space Station programs, and how the rise of rise of new commercial space companies such as SpaceX has enabled NASA to buy both space services and space craft.
Both international and commercial partners are involved in the latest Moon efforts, with SpaceX and Blue Origin expected to supply the landers to take astronauts down to a planned base on the Moon’s South Pole. How soon will any of this happen? Probably not as quickly as NASA says, but the specter of a Chinese landing on the Moon by 2030 is one obvious reason to keep things moving along.
We’ll look at the sustainability of the Artemis space program for at least the next decade or so. You’ll emerge from the talk with no doubt that exciting days are ahead for space fans. (Advance tickets: $13.50 plus sales tax and processing fees. Doors: $17, or $15 with a student ID. Listed time is for doors. The talk starts 30 minutes later.)
Image: The Artemis II mission launch (NASA photo).