Short Wave NASA is practicing moonwalks. When are we going back?
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Apr 29, 2026 
Nell Greenfieldboyce, an NPR science correspondent, joins Scott Detrow, an NPR journalist and All Things Considered anchor, for a lively space chat. They dig into what NASA still needs before astronauts can return to the moon, why 2028 is only a tentative target, how a solar eclipse made cities seismically quieter, and what a strange interstellar comet reveals about where it formed.
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Why Artemis Still Cannot Put People On The Moon
- Artemis astronauts still need a separate lunar lander because the current crew capsule cannot touch down on the moon.
- Nell Greenfieldboyce says SpaceX and Blue Origin are building landers, NASA may test them near Earth next year, and a crewed landing could come as soon as 2028 if delays stay manageable.
Artemis II Crew Started Moonwalk Practice Immediately
- NASA is already rehearsing moon surface work instead of waiting for a landing date.
- Christina Cook said Artemis II astronauts were back in surface spacewalk suits within one or two days, practicing geology tasks right after returning from the moon mission.
Seismometers Captured Human Silence During The Eclipse
- The 2024 total solar eclipse created a measurable drop in city noise that seismometers recorded across North America.
- Benjamin Fernando found places in the path of totality went seismically quiet as people stopped driving, building, and talking during totality.