For the first time in more than 50 years, astronauts are once again heading toward the moon. The successful launch of NASA’s Artemis II marks a major milestone for the space program and what many hope is a new era of deep space exploration.
Retired astronaut Capt. Winston Scott, a veteran of two space shuttle missions, says the moment was deeply personal.
Click on the player below to watch the full interview.
“And then the overall idea of going back to the moon. You know, we should have gone, we should be much further along. As a country, as a space faring nation than we are, but returning to the moon is a step in the right direction. We’re moving out, moving forward again. So I was excited for all of those reasons.”
Apollo vs. Artemis: A different kind of mission
Scott says Artemis II is about far more than revisiting the glory days of Apollo. The original race to the moon, he notes, was driven by Cold War competition — not science.
“The race to the moon in the 60s was to beat the Soviet Union, period. Yeah, we didn’t, we weren’t going for science. We just wanted to beat Soviet Union. And we did that. This time, we’re gonna go and really learn something.”
Risks remain as space proves unforgiving
Despite the excitement, Scott is clear-eyed about the dangers that come with any deep space mission.
“There are about a million things that can go wrong and make this mission less than a success. And all of those million things have to go right.”
Rewards that reach back to Earth
Still, Scott says the rewards far outweigh the risks. From GPS to medical advances to communications systems, discoveries made in space continue to improve everyday life on Earth.
Looking further ahead, Scott believes both he and the reporter who interviewed him will live to see a permanent human presence on the moon. If political support and funding remain strong, he says, astronauts on Mars could follow within the next 20 years.