Jim Head, a professor at Brown University’s Department of Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences, shared his thoughts on NASA’s Artemis II mission in an interview released on April 2. The Artemis II launch marks the first time in over five decades that astronauts are returning to the Moon, with a crewed loop around the lunar surface before returning to Earth after ten days.
Head previously contributed to the Apollo program nearly sixty years ago by training astronauts, selecting landing sites, and analyzing samples. He said he is excited about this new chapter in lunar exploration. “It’s really important to understand the geological context of the Earth. You might say, ‘Wait, I thought we were talking about the Moon.’ But that’s the point… We’re missing about 30% to 40% of Earth’s history. It’s like a book with the first 10 or 12 chapters ripped out. But all those early chapters are preserved on the Moon, Mars and Mercury… There’s so much more to learn,” Head said.
The Artemis II mission will not land on the Moon but serves as a rehearsal for future landings as part of NASA’s plan for more challenging missions that aim for long-term scientific presence on the lunar surface and eventual human missions to Mars.
Head also discussed why it has taken so long for humans to return: “Well, I’m a geologist so time doesn’t really kick in until around 20 million years have passed… Truly, though, it’s not like we haven’t been doing anything. We’ve had incredible robotic missions… The International Space Station has been active for years.” He emphasized that even non-landing missions can yield valuable science: “There’s always science to be done… Just looking back at the Earth and seeing it as a singular orb with no borders or boundaries… inspired a lot of young men and women to go into careers of science and technology.”
Looking ahead at future Artemis landings compared with Apollo missions, Head said: “First of all, we have over 50 years of technological development… NASA is really thinking about longer-term exploration… we’re also going to places where we haven’t been before, specifically the lunar poles.” He noted that finding water in permanently shadowed regions could help solve logistical challenges for later missions.
At Brown University, Head’s team is working on designing conceptual long-duration lunar missions: “What we’ve been doing here at Brown is working on a 500-day design reference mission for the Moon… We’re thinking about what it takes to live on the Moon for 500 days… We’ve got students working on all aspects… building shelters… greenhouses… gut microbiome—how are we going to stay healthy up there?” He added that recent student presentations at major conferences received praise from Johnson Space Center scientists.
