Why Haven’t We Been Back to the Moon? The Politics and Tech Behind Artemis
As he took his final steps on the moon, Apollo 17 commander Gene Cernan offered poignant closing words: “We leave as we came, and, God willing, as we shall return, with peace and hope for all mankind.” It was December 14, 1972 and Cernan knew his footprints would be the last to mark the lunar soil for a considerable time, as the planned Apollo missions – 18, 19 and 20 – had been canceled. Over 50 years later, those words remain the last spoken by a human on the moon.
Now, with Artemis II preparing for launch, humanity is poised to return to the vicinity of the moon. But why has it taken so long?
The Shifting Sands of Political Will
“The short answer to that question is political will,” says Teasel Muir-Harmony, a historian of science and technology and curator of the Apollo Collection at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. “It takes a whole lot of political will to send humans to the moon. These are extremely complex, really costly, major national investments. It has to be a priority over a sustained period of time.”
Since the end of the Apollo program due to budget cuts, numerous federal initiatives have aimed to return humans to the moon, but changing presidential administrations have repeatedly altered space priorities. As Wayne Hale, a former NASA space shuttle program manager, previously said, “The thing that was wrong with Apollo was it ended.”
Each administration has brought a new vision. President George H.W. Bush directed NASA to return to the moon in 1990, only for President Clinton to cancel the plan in 1993, prioritizing the space station. President George W. Bush then revived lunar ambitions with the Constellation program, which also eventually ended. Joe Biden, however, has maintained a consistent focus on lunar exploration, a departure from previous shifts.
Technical Hurdles and the Cost of Deep Space Travel
Beyond political considerations, moon missions present significant technical challenges. The moon is roughly a quarter of a million miles away, and over half of all lunar landing attempts have failed. The Artemis program, utilizing a rocket and spacecraft that have taken two decades and over $50 billion to complete, represents NASA’s most promising attempt to overcome these obstacles.
Recreating the Apollo program today isn’t practical. The supply chains and skilled machinists who built the original hardware are long gone. As Hale noted, the problem with Apollo wasn’t its completion, but its end.
Modern spaceflight benefits from advancements in technology, but these don’t automatically translate to cheaper or easier missions. The complexity and inherent risks of deep space travel remain substantial.
Artemis: A New Era of Lunar Exploration
While similarities exist between Apollo and Artemis, the latter is far more ambitious. Orion’s flight computers are 20,000 times faster and have 128,000 times more memory than those used during Apollo. The Orion capsule also offers a larger, more comfortable environment for a crew of four, including a significantly improved bathroom – a detail that was a consideration even in the early days of space exploration regarding the inclusion of women astronauts.
The goals of Artemis differ from Apollo’s “flags and footprints” missions. NASA aims to establish a sustainable, long-term human presence on the moon, building infrastructure for future exploration. This requires landers designed for extended stays and the development of resources like water ice found at the lunar poles.
The rise of the commercial space industry, with companies like SpaceX, has been crucial to this effort. SpaceX CEO Elon Musk recently announced a shift in focus toward building a “self-growing city on the Moon.”
International Collaboration and a New Space Race
Prolonged human presence on the moon will also benefit from lessons learned from the International Space Station, where humans have lived and worked for over 25 years. Robotic missions, like NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, have also identified potential resources and landing sites.
The Artemis Accords, a set of international agreements outlining a safe, peaceful, and sustainable approach to space exploration, have been signed by over 60 nations. However, China, which also has plans to land astronauts on the moon by 2030, is not a signatory.
Some perceive a new space race between the US and China. However, Odom emphasizes the importance of learning from past mistakes, referencing the Apollo 1 accident and the Challenger and Columbia disasters, which led to a more cautious approach to risk assessment.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Why did the Apollo program end?
A: The Apollo program was canceled due to budget cuts and shifting political priorities.
Q: What is the Artemis program?
A: Artemis is NASA’s program to return humans to the moon, with the goal of establishing a sustainable lunar presence.
Q: When will humans return to the moon?
A: Artemis II is scheduled to launch as soon as March, but Artemis 3, the mission that will land astronauts on the moon, is currently scheduled for mid-2027.
Q: Is there a space race between the US and China?
A: There is a growing competition between the US and China in space exploration, but it’s balanced with a greater understanding of risk and the need for international collaboration.
Q: What are the Artemis Accords?
A: The Artemis Accords are a set of international agreements outlining principles for safe, peaceful, and sustainable space exploration.
Explore more about the Artemis program and the future of space exploration on the NASA website.
