Dr. Nicky Fox, NASA’s head of science, said Saturday on Newsmax's "America Right Now" that "Artemis III is really going to be a really important mission for us next year," emphasizing its role in preparing astronauts to their eventual return to the Moon on Artemis IV.
Fox highlighted Artemis III as critical to "buy down a lot of risk," explaining it will test lunar landers, docking procedures with the Orion capsule, and spacesuits "in the right environment," adding, "more checks, more preparation … that’s a really important mission for us."
Her comments came as NASA continues celebrating the success of Artemis II, which she called "historic," noting "it’s the first time that we have crew in that brand new spacecraft" and that "the spacecraft performed beautifully."
She added the mission broke records by "going further away from Earth than any humans have been" while enabling real-time collaboration between astronauts and scientists.
Fox also underscored the scientific value of the mission, including experiments using "little tissue chips, their little buddies flying with them," designed to study "the effect of deep space radiation and microgravity on the human body" to support "long duration, presence on the Moon, and then of course, off to Mars."
Reflecting on the mission’s emotional moments, Fox said she was deeply moved by the crew naming a lunar crater after a loved one.
The Artemis II crew named a newly discovered crater "Carroll" in honor of Commander Reid Wiseman’s late wife.
Fox called it "such a special moment" and adding, "I love the fact that Carol’s [Wiseman] a bright spot on the Moon."
She also described the tension of reentry, saying the six-minute communications blackout was "tough because you can’t see anything, you just hunker down and wait," admitting, "I did burst into tears, that was the longest six minutes that I’ve experienced."
Looking ahead, Fox said NASA is "laser focused on putting Americans back on the surface of the Moon," building a sustained presence, and ultimately advancing toward Mars, calling the effort "so exciting."
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