Nasa’s Artemis II crew are now closer to the Moon than they are to Earth. Hosts astronaut Tim Peake and space scientist Maggie Aderin are joined by space journalist Kristin Fisher, who gives us the latest on the crew’s momentous journey, as the Integrity spacecraft begins its gentle deceleration before the point when the moon’s gravity starts pulling it more strongly than the earth’s.

And the team answer a question from listener Mark. Has Artemis II had to dodge space junk on its way to the Moon, and if so, how is it detected and avoided?

And planetary scientist Professor Sara Russell joins Tim, Maggie and Kristin to explain how the Moon got its water, what resources are drawing private companies to the Moon, and what a future lunar base would have to look like to withstand the Moon’s conditions.

Season 4 theme music by Hans Zimmer and Christian Lundberg and produced by Russell Emanuel, for Bleeding Fingers Music.

13 Minutes Presents Artemis Two is a BBC Audio Science production for the BBC World Service.

Presenters: Tim Peake and Maggie Aderin

The loop round the Moon target is confirmed by the last major engine burn of the mission. It’s the first time the European Service Module engine has been used this way.

Sian Cleaver of Airbus Defence and Space, who has been central to the construction of the service module joins Tim, Maggie and Kristin to talk about flapping solar panels and future, even more ambitious, Artemis missions.

Season 4 theme music by Hans Zimmer and Christian Lundberg and produced by Russell Emanuel, for Bleeding Fingers Music.

13 Minutes Presents Artemis Two is a BBC Audio Science production for the BBC World Service.

Presenters: Tim Peake and Maggie Aderin

The moment we’ve all been waiting for… Nasa’s Artemis II mission has launched.

Next up is the big decision whether to commit to the lunar flyby and the big engine burn that will need. Testing systems and life-support continues, with engine burns slowly lifting the height of the earth orbit, raising the speed at which the Trans Lunar Injection (TLI) leap into history can begin.

Season 4 theme music by Hans Zimmer and Christian Lundberg and produced by Russell Emanuel, for Bleeding Fingers Music.

13 Minutes Presents Artemis II is a BBC Audio Science production for the BBC World Service.

Presenters: Tim Peake and Maggie Aderin

Astronaut Jeremy Hansen talks to the BBC before his first space launch on Artemis II. What will lift-off be like and how will he feel? He joins BBC Science Editor Rebecca Morelle and our host, astronaut Tim Peake, as we move ever closer to the historic mission around the Moon.

13 Minutes Presents: Artemis II is a BBC Audio Science production for the BBC World Service.

Presenters: Tim Peake and Maggie Aderin

Nasa’s Artemis II mission looks set to launch towards the Moon on April 1st, after months of delays.

Presenters Tim Peake and Maggie Aderin are joined by space journalist Kristin Fisher, who has just touched down in Florida. Kristin fills us in on the latest from the Kennedy Space Center and how the countdown to launch is looking.

And we take a more detailed look at the machine standing ready on launchpad 39B. We’re joined by John Blevins, chief engineer for Nasa’s Space Launch System (SLS) – in other words, the rocket that will blast the four astronauts towards the Moon. John shares how crucial the SLS is to the mission and what we can expect from it on launch day.

Season 4 theme music by Hans Zimmer and Christian Lundberg and produced by Russell Emanuel, for Bleeding Fingers Music.

13 Minutes Presents Artemis Two is a BBC Audio Science production for the BBC World Service.

Presenters: Tim Peake and Maggie Aderin

Nasa’s Artemis II mission looks set to launch towards the Moon on April 1st, after months of delays.

And more than 50 years on from the last lunar crewed mission, why is Nasa returning to the Moon now? And what is the international context? Journalist and author Tim Marshall calls in to discuss the new space race.

Join us as we follow the Artemis II mission every day for the next two weeks.

13 Minutes Presents: Artemis II is a BBC Audio Science production for the BBC World Service.

13 Minutes Season 4 theme music is by Hans Zimmer and Christian Lundberg and produced by Russell Emanuel, for Bleeding Fingers Music.

Presenters: Tim Peake and Maggie Aderin

The countdown is on to 13 Minutes Presents: Artemis II, following Nasa’s mission to loop around the Moon. We’ll have an Artemis II episode every day. Nasa is hoping to return to the Moon for the first time in more than half a century. The story of Artemis II will be told by space scientist Maggie Aderin-Pocock, British astronaut Tim Peake, and US space journalist Kristin Fisher. Strap yourself in for another epic journey from the BBC’s space podcast, 13 Minutes. The Artemis II mission aims to send four astronauts – on a spacecraft called Orion - to loop around the Moon. They plan to go further from Earth than any human in history. Orion’s crew is scheduled to be Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen. 13 Minutes Presents: Artemis II will begin around two days before the launch.

Theme music by Hans Zimmer and Christian Lundberg and produced by Russell Emanuel, for Bleeding Fingers Music.

The space shuttle is back. Discovery stands waiting on launchpad 39B at Kennedy Space Center. It has taken more than two years to get here. Nasa has listened and changed. After all these months of work, this should be one of the safest missions ever flown.

But as Discovery finally rises skyward, the Challenger disaster is on everyone’s mind. There are unspoken questions about the very future of spaceflight.

Some scenes in this series use recreated sound effects.

13 Minutes Presents: The Space Shuttle is a BBC Audio Science Unit production for the BBC World Service.

Hosted by space scientist Maggie Aderin-Pocock.

Theme music by Hans Zimmer and Christian Lundberg, and produced by Russell Emanuel, for Bleeding Fingers Music.

Archive:

Is human spaceflight worth the risk? It’s a time of soul searching for the whole shuttle crew. The space shuttle programme is put on hold for two years, as Nasa and the team come to terms with what happened.

Some leave but others stay on board to help. The shuttle team work to rebuild Nasa and the programme. But some ask the question: what is it all for?

Some scenes in this series use recreated sound effects.

13 Minutes Presents: The Space Shuttle is a BBC Audio Science Unit production for the BBC World Service.

Hosted by space scientist Maggie Aderin-Pocock.

Theme music by Hans Zimmer and Christian Lundberg, and produced by Russell Emanuel, for Bleeding Fingers Music.

Archive:

The Challenger tragedy shocks a nation, as millions watch on TV screens across the USA.

Something has gone catastrophically wrong with the launch of space shuttle mission STS-51L. As they watch a fireball engulf the spacecraft, nobody in mission control has any idea what went wrong. Could it have been prevented?

We turn back the clock to a meeting the day before the launch which might have changed everything.

This episode contains scenes some listeners may find upsetting.

Some scenes in this series use recreated sound effects.

13 Minutes Presents: The Space Shuttle is a BBC Audio Science Unit production for the BBC World Service.

Hosted by space scientist Maggie Aderin-Pocock.

Theme music by Hans Zimmer and Christian Lundberg, and produced by Russell Emanuel, for Bleeding Fingers Music.

Archive: