When astronaut Gene Cernan stepped off the moon in 1972, he didn’t think he’d be the last human ever to touch its surface.  But no one’s been back.  Hear astronaut Cernan’s reaction to being the last man on the moon, the reasons why President Kennedy launched the Apollo program, and why Americans haven’t returned.

Now other countries – and companies – are vying for a bigger piece of the space pie. Find out who – or what – will be visiting and even profiting.  Will the moon become an important place to make money?  

Plus, the moon landing was a great step for “a man,” and “men not machines” make space history.  But what about women?  More than a dozen were qualified for space flight in the early 1960s.  Hear from one of these original “Mercury 13,” and find out why NASA grounded them. 

Guests:

  • Gene Cernan – Retired American naval officer, former NASA Astronaut. 
  • John Logsdon Professor emeritus, Space Policy Institute, George Washington University

  • Al Hallonquist Aerospace historian

  • Robert Richards – Founder and CEO of Moon Express

  • Sarah Ratley Former pilot, member of the “Mercury 13”

  • Dan Durda Planetary scientist, Southwest Research Institute

Segments:
Part 1: Gene Cernan / Last Man on the Moon
Part 2: John Logsdon / Space Race
Part 3: Al Hallonquist / Mercury 13
Part 4: Sarah Ratley / Almost Astronaut
Part 5: Bob Richards / Moon Express
Part 6: Dan Durda / Future Moon

Descripción en español

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2026 Webby Award Nominee
for our three part series on the 20th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina

Big Picture Science is an immersive radio show and podcast that reveals the unexpected connections in science.

Our Skeptic Check episodes take a critical look at extraordinary science claims and pseudoscience.

Don’t settle for a science snapshot. Get the big picture. 

Hosted By

Molly Bentley Executive Producer and Co-Host, Big Picture Science  

Seth Shostak Producer and Co-Host, Big Picture Science
Senior Astronomer, SETI Institute

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