Recorded on Sunday 29 March, 2026:

Just days before the first human mission to the Moon in 53 years, Talking Space returns to discuss preflight activities and the changes within NASA’s Artemis lunar program. Mark Ratterman discusses his thoughts on the growth of activity in and around the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) since the days of the Space Shuttle program, and reflects on both the L- 3 launch press conference, the Artemis II Crew arrival at KSC for the launch and their question-and-answer session with the press from their quarantine quarters at KSC.

Since Jared Isaacman has taken the reigns at NASA, the Artemis Lunar Program architecture has undergone significant alterations. NASA has restructured the first few Artemis missions and has decided to put the Lunar Gateway on hold (not cancelling the program outright as some outlets have reported) in order to pursue the establishment of a permanent lunar base in three phases starting in 2027. We discuss the plan outlined in the NASA Ignition presentations last week, their features, cost, and the likelihood that NASA will land a human expedition on the Moon before the agency’s self-imposed deadline of 2028.

Talking Space will be watching closely the events of Artemis II and nest time will bring you reports and reflections surrounding the progress of the first human mission to the Moon since the Apollo 17 flight in December of 1972.

For More on the Artemis II mission visit:

NASA's Artemis Webpage

CSA's Artemis II Webpage

ESA's Artemis II Webpage

Launch Minus Two Days Press Conference

Launch Minus One Day Press Conference

Featured Team Members This Week:

Mark Ratterman

Gene Mikulka

In 2012, following the end of the Space Transportation System program, NASA faced the monumental task of finding permanent homes for the three remaining Space Shuttle Orbiters—so that their incredible stories could be preserved and shared with the public.

After a lengthy and sometimes contentious selection process, the three operational orbiters—Discovery, Atlantis, and Endeavour—along with the prototype Enterprise, were officially retired and transported to their new homes amid much celebration. These irreplaceable artifacts of American space history now serve as centerpieces in four major museums across the country, inspiring millions of visitors each year.

One notable omission from the final list was Houston, Texas—home to NASA’s Johnson Space Center. While the city did not receive one of the orbiters, it was awarded a Shuttle Carrier Aircraft and a full-scale model orbiter, which allows visitors to explore a replica of the Shuttle's interior.

That should have been the end of the story—but it wasn’t.

In a surprising twist, Texas Senators John Cornyn and Ted Cruz inserted a provision into the recently passed Reconciliation Act, also known as “The Big Beautiful Bill Act" that calls for relocating Space Shuttle Discovery from its current home at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum’s Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Virginia, to Houston.

Is this bold attempt at “Shuttle Rustling” even viable?

To find out, we spoke with Joe Stief, the founder of Keep the Shuttle, a grassroots campaign working to prevent Discovery’s relocation. We discuss his efforts, what’s at stake, and the broader implications this move could have for the future of artifacts held by national museums.

Host: Gene Mikulka

Guest: Joe Stief, KeepTheShuttle.org

The OSIRIS-APEX mission, an extension of the wildly successful OSIRIS-REx mission, is set to rendezvous with Asteroid 99942 Apophis in April 2029. This mission takes full advantage of the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft, which still has plenty of fuel and is totally healthy after delivering samples from Asteroid Bennu to Earth on 24 September, 2023.

OSIRIS-APEX will closely observe Apophis as the asteroid makes a remarkably close flyby of Earth, coming within 32,000 kilometers (20,000 miles) – closer than some Earth-orbiting satellites. The mission's primary objectives are to study how Earth's gravitational pull affects the orbit of Apophis, its spin, and surface features.

However, the mission is in peril. The proposed Presidential Budget Request for Fiscal Year 2026 budget calls for the cancellation of OSIRIS-APEX, despite its low cost and the scientific value it offers as an extended mission using an already existing and proven spacecraft.

On this episode of Talking Space, we're joined by Dr. Dani Mendoza DellaGiustina, Principal Investigator for the OSIRIS-APEX mission and Assistant Professor at the University of Arizona's Lunar and Planetary Laboratory. We'll delve into the mission's goals, the reasons given behind its potential cancellation in the 2026 NASA Budget, and the options available should the 2026 budget be approved by Congress, a budget that cancels this ambitious mission.

Guest: Dr. Dani Mendoza DellaGiustina, Assistant Professor, University of Arizona - Lunar and Planetary Laboratory.

Host: Gene Mikulka

Additional information on the 2026 NASA Budget via NASA

Advocacy Resources from the Planetary Society