BBC Inside Science – Why is Nasa sending people around the moon? – BBC Sounds

The space science world is currently buzzing with anticipation as NASA prepares for a monumental step in human space exploration: the Artemis II mission. As highlighted in a recent episode of BBC Radio 4’s Inside Science, this ambitious undertaking, expected to see its Orion rocket roll out to the launch pad in the coming days with a launch targeted as early as February, aims to send humans further into space than ever before. Science journalist Jonathan Amos delved into the profound "why now?" behind NASA’s renewed interest in circumlunar travel, emphasizing the critical knowledge this mission is poised to yield.

Artemis II represents a pivotal moment in NASA’s long-term vision for lunar exploration and beyond. Following the successful uncrewed Artemis I mission, which extensively tested the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and the Orion spacecraft in a journey around the Moon and back, Artemis II will be the first crewed test flight of the integrated system. Four astronauts – Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover, Mission Specialist Christina Koch, and Canadian Space Agency (CSA) astronaut Jeremy Hansen – will embark on a roughly 10-day mission, orbiting the Moon without landing. Their journey will take them on a free-return trajectory around the far side of the Moon, pushing the boundaries of human endurance and technological capability.

The primary objective of Artemis II is to thoroughly test the Orion spacecraft’s life support systems, communications, and navigation capabilities with a human crew onboard. This mission is crucial for validating the safety protocols and operational procedures that will be indispensable for future lunar landings. The crew will be evaluating everything from radiation shielding in deep space, far beyond the protective magnetic field of Earth, to the habitability of the spacecraft for extended periods. This data will be invaluable for designing future missions, including those to Mars, where astronauts will face even greater challenges and longer transit times.

Jonathan Amos underscored that sending humans around the Moon now is not merely a nostalgic revisit to the Apollo era, but a strategic, preparatory step towards establishing a sustained human presence on and around the Moon. The Artemis program aims to land the first woman and the next man on the lunar surface with Artemis III, followed by the construction of the Gateway, a lunar orbiting outpost that will serve as a staging point for future missions to the Moon and Mars. This progressive approach allows NASA to systematically test and refine the technologies and human factors required for long-duration deep space missions. The insights gained from Artemis II will directly inform the design of lunar habitats, advanced life support systems, and the psychological support mechanisms needed for astronauts on multi-year voyages. It’s about building a robust infrastructure for future exploration, leveraging international partnerships and commercial capabilities to achieve goals that were once confined to science fiction.

Beyond the lunar mission, the BBC Inside Science episode, hosted by Tom Whipple, offered listeners a broader panorama of scientific advancements. Penny Sarchet, Managing Editor at New Scientist, presented her weekly digest of groundbreaking scientific news, a segment that consistently provides a glimpse into the cutting edge of research. This week, Sarchet’s picks ranged from innovative developments in AI-driven drug discovery, where machine learning algorithms are dramatically accelerating the identification of new therapeutic compounds, to fascinating new observations from the James Webb Space Telescope revealing unprecedented details about the atmospheres of exoplanets, hinting at the potential for life beyond Earth. Another highlight included a discussion on novel sustainable energy solutions, such as advancements in perovskite solar cells that promise higher efficiencies and lower manufacturing costs, or breakthroughs in green hydrogen production, critical for decarbonizing heavy industries. These diverse topics underscore the rapid pace of scientific discovery and its potential to reshape our understanding of the universe and our place within it, as well as providing practical solutions to global challenges.

A particularly poignant segment of the program focused on an initiative of immense importance for climate science: the Ice Memory Sanctuary. Dr. Liz Thomas, head of ice core research at the British Antarctic Survey, elucidated the critical science behind this ambitious project as it officially opened. The sanctuary, located in a frozen cave in Antarctica, serves as a global archive for ancient ice cores. These cylindrical samples of ice, drilled from glaciers and ice sheets around the world, are invaluable time capsules, preserving records of Earth’s past climate and atmospheric composition stretching back hundreds of thousands of years. Each layer of ice contains trapped air bubbles, dust, pollen, and chemical signatures that reveal past temperatures, greenhouse gas concentrations, volcanic eruptions, and even ancient biological activity.

The urgency of establishing the Ice Memory Sanctuary stems directly from the accelerating pace of climate change. Many of the world’s glaciers, particularly those in the Alps, Andes, and Himalayas, are melting at an unprecedented rate. As these glaciers shrink, the precious climate records they hold are being irrevocably lost. The Ice Memory project, an international collaboration involving scientists from numerous countries, aims to rescue these threatened ice cores. Scientists are carefully extracting cores from at-risk glaciers and transporting them to the sanctuary in Antarctica, a naturally stable, ultra-cold environment where they can be preserved for centuries, possibly millennia. This ensures that future generations of scientists, armed with potentially more advanced analytical techniques, will have access to this irreplaceable data to study past climates, refine climate models, and better predict future environmental changes. Dr. Thomas emphasized that the sanctuary is not just a storage facility but a testament to humanity’s commitment to scientific heritage and the understanding of our planet’s intricate climate system.

The episode, produced by Kate White, Katie Tomsett, Tim Dodd, and Clare Salisbury, with Martin Smith as editor and Jana Bennett-Holesworth as Production Co-ordinator, exemplifies the BBC’s dedication to making complex scientific topics accessible and engaging. Listeners interested in delving deeper into these fascinating subjects, including the intricacies of NASA’s Artemis program, the latest scientific breakthroughs, or the critical mission of the Ice Memory Sanctuary, are encouraged to explore more content. While this particular episode was available for 11 days from its broadcast on January 15, 2026, the wealth of knowledge and insights presented on BBC Inside Science remains a valuable resource for anyone curious about the world around us. To discover more fascinating science content, head to bbc.co.uk, search for "BBC Inside Science," and follow the links to The Open University for additional educational resources and deeper dives into the scientific questions shaping our future.