Why Artemis II Matters
In a recent class, a friend of mine asked his students a simple question: What do you think about the Artemis II mission? You what her got? Silence...Crickets! A few blank stares. Then, finally, a shrug. “It’s a waste of money,” one student said. Others nodded. Another called it “outdated” — something their grandparents might have cared about, but not them. Not one student mentioned the astronauts. Not one brought up the science. No one expressed even a flicker of curiosity or awe at the remarkable images of the earth, moon, and space that were being shared rom the Integrity space capsule. They weren’t hostile. They were indifferent…which is frighteningly worse. And that indifference is the real problem. For all the justified attention we give to the scientific and technological gains of space exploration, we have lost sight of something equally important; its capacity to inspire wonder. Artemis II is not just about te...