The Artemis II crew has returned home safely after a historic 10-day journey around the Moon, the first crewed lunar mission in over 50 years. In this episode, we celebrate some of the mission's most extraordinary moments: the record-breaking Flight Day 6 when Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover, and Mission Specialists Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen traveled farther from Earth than any humans in history, a breathtaking solar eclipse observed from lunar orbit, meteorite impact flashes spotted on the lunar surface, and a deeply personal crater dedication that moved the world.
But the triumph comes with turbulence. Just days after launch, the White House released a Presidential Budget Request proposing a 47% cut to NASA's science budget — threatening 84 missions and nearly half of NASA's science portfolio. Jack Kiraly, director of government relations at The Planetary Society, and Ari Koeppel, AAAS Science and Technology Policy Fellow, join host Sarah Al-Ahmed to break down what's at stake and what's being done about it. Plus, Chief Scientist Bruce Betts joins for this week's What's Up.
Discover more at: https://www.planetary.org/planetary-radio/2026-artemis-ii-save-nasa-science
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