American History Hotline – Episode Summary Episode Title: Why Haven’t We Returned to the Moon in 50+ Years?
Podcast: American History Hotline
Host: Bob Crawford
Guest: Andrew Chaikin, Science Journalist & Space Historian
Air Date: August 13, 2025

Overview

This episode explores one of the most enduring questions about the American space program: Why did the United States stop going to the Moon after 1972, and what are the prospects for returning in the near future? Host Bob Crawford is joined by noted space historian and journalist Andrew Chaikin—author of “A Man on the Moon”—to unpack the historical, political, technical, and cultural reasons behind this long pause and to discuss the new era of lunar exploration on the horizon.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Last Human Footsteps on the Moon (04:25)

• The most recent lunar landing was Apollo 17 in December 1972.
• This occurred less than 12 years after President Kennedy’s 1961 challenge to “land a man on the moon and return him safely to the Earth by the end of the 1960s” (04:38).

2. Why Go to the Moon? Origins of the Moon Landing (05:37)

• The original motivation stemmed from Cold War rivalry and the quest for international prestige.
  • After the Soviet Union’s success with Yuri Gagarin, JFK sought a bold move in space to demonstrate “the strength of our free society” (05:48).
  • Although the Soviets had more powerful rockets, NASA leaders believed landing on the Moon would require more complex systems the Soviets might not master first (07:10).

3. No Other Nation Has Sent Humans to the Moon—Yet (08:13)

• Only twelve Americans (Apollo astronauts) have stepped on the lunar surface to date.
• NASA is aiming to return via the Artemis program, targeting an uncrewed Artemis 1 mission, a crewed lunar orbit (2026), and a potential landing (2027) (08:18).

4. Women in Lunar Missions (09:07)

• Future Artemis crews include women, such as Christina Koch, set for the lunar flyby mission. The landing crew has not yet been announced (09:12).

5. Addressing Moon Landing Conspiracies (09:44)

• Andrew Chaikin passionately debunks conspiracy theories:
  • “It would have been harder to fake it than to do it.” — Neil Armstrong (10:52)
  • Evidence against hoax claims include unique lunar rocks and satellite images showing Apollo landing sites (09:54).

6. Why Did We Stop Going? Policy & Politics (11:22)

• Following Apollo 11’s success, the political momentum and funding diminished:
  • “Once we accomplished that... the impetus to keep funding very ambitious human spaceflight programs... went away” (11:31).
• Broader social factors (Vietnam War, civil rights, environmental concerns) shifted public priorities and led to steep NASA budget cuts.
• The Nixon administration redirected focus to the lower-cost, reusable Space Shuttle, only capable of reaching low Earth orbit (12:30).

7. The Shuttle and Space Station Era’s Role (14:19)

• The Space Shuttle and International Space Station (ISS) enabled crucial research on long-term spaceflight, helping prepare for future lunar and Mars missions.
• “We’ve had astronauts up on the space station as long as a year at a time to teach us how we need to keep astronauts healthy if they go to Mars” (14:00).

8. The Underestimated Challenge of Lunar Return (14:33)

• Insightful anecdote from Max Faget and Bob Gilruth: returning to the Moon is far harder than most realize, not just because of technology, but because of the complex human factors, mindset, and organization required (14:33).

9. Science from the Moon: What Did We Learn? (20:34)

• Apollo missions revolutionized our understanding of the Moon’s age, volcanic activity, and origins (20:34).
• The prevailing theory—Moon formed from a massive impact with the early Earth—came directly from analyzing lunar rocks (22:10).
• The Moon is a “Rosetta Stone” for understanding early Earth and solar system history (22:45).

Three Legacies of Apollo (24:25):

1. Scientific discovery—deep insights into geology and solar system formation.
2. Perspective—the “Earthrise” view, highlighting our planet’s fragility.
3. Human cooperation—demonstrated what’s achievable through teamwork.

“We go to the Moon and do the other things in this decade, not because they are easy, but because they are hard.”
— John F. Kennedy, cited by Chaikin (24:57)

10. Contemporary Budget Pressures & Critique (25:44)

• NASA faces ongoing budget constraints and must continually defend the value of space exploration amid social and political upheaval:
  • “No, NASA has not been spared” (25:44).
  • Chaikin stresses the need for missions to deliver new knowledge, not just “flags and footprints” (26:12).

11. Cultural Lessons from Apollo & the Need for Unity (28:11)

• Chaikin cautions against “us versus them” thinking, reflecting on Apollo as an example of collective achievement and the importance of global cooperation for present and future challenges (28:54).

12. Psychological Effects of Space Travel (29:09)

• Space travel can be a profoundly emotional—and at times unsettling—experience.
  • William Shatner (after flying on Blue Origin): “[T]hat blackness scared the daylights out of me. He said, that was death, if I’m quoting him correctly…” (29:40)
  • Modern astronauts are more open to discussing the emotional impact than many Apollo-era astronauts (31:25).

13. Billionaires' Private Space Ventures: Pros and Cons (32:21)

• Private companies (SpaceX, Blue Origin) bring innovation and risk-taking, but sometimes lack historical perspective:
  • “The engineering work ... is just fabulous. I think there have been times when they get a little bit too confident... But people may come in with a mindset that says, ‘Well, how hard could it be if NASA did it 50 years ago?’… it can be damned hard.” (32:40–34:16)

14. Vision for 2072: Moon Bases and Mars Landings (34:16)

• By 2072, a lunar base—possibly international—seems likely, and human Mars landings are plausible (“I don’t think it’s a big limb and say we’ll solve those challenges by then.”) (34:25–37:01)
• Mars presents unprecedented challenges—time lag, reliability, autonomy—but Chaikin is optimistic they’ll be solved.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Kennedy was thinking as a statesman, he was not a space fan at that time.... But it was really Cold War competition that gave birth to the moon landing program.”
  — Andrew Chaikin (07:38)

• “It would have been harder to fake it than to do it.”
  — Neil Armstrong, quoted by Chaikin (10:52)

• “Once we accomplished that with Apollo 11, the impetus to keep funding very ambitious human spaceflight programs... went away.”
  — Andrew Chaikin (11:31)

• “We landed in six places [on the Moon] ... but like I say, that’s just scratching the surface.”
  — Andrew Chaikin (22:55)

• “The Moon is like walking into the rare book room of the cosmic library. We can page through the earliest chapters of solar system history, which are recorded very cleanly on the surface of the Moon.”
  — Andrew Chaikin (27:32)

• “Apollo showed us that to do great things, we have to work together. The greater good—the team is all of us. The astronauts called the Earth, Spaceship Earth. And we're all inhabitants of Spaceship Earth.”
  — Andrew Chaikin (28:54)

• [On Mars travel]: “You say, ‘Houston, we’ve had a problem’—you can go watch an episode of Friends before you get the answer.”
  — Andrew Chaikin (36:50)

Important Timestamps

• 04:25 Last human on the Moon—Apollo 17 details
• 05:48 The Cold War origins of the Moon race
• 08:18 Have any non-Americans been to the Moon?
• 09:44 Addressing Moon landing deniers
• 11:22 Why funding and interest stopped after Apollo
• 14:33 Hidden and underestimated challenges of lunar exploration
• 20:34 Scientific findings from Apollo missions
• 24:25 Three key legacies of the Moon landings
• 25:44 NASA’s current budget and political challenges
• 29:09 Psychological effects of space tourism/travel
• 32:21 Rise of billionaires in private spaceflight
• 34:25 The future: bases on the Moon and Mars

Conclusion

This episode gives listeners an authoritative, compelling blend of historical narrative, technical insight, scientific discovery, and philosophical reflection about America’s retreat from—and imminent return to—the Moon. Drawing on Andrew Chaikin’s decades of research and storytelling, the conversation paints a nuanced picture of why humanity paused its lunar adventures and how, with both governmental and private endeavors, we're preparing to take the next giant leap—together.

For further information or to take Andrew Chaikin’s ‘Principles of Success in Spaceflight’ course, visit: DoSpaceBetter.com (39:03)

Host: Bob Crawford
Guest: Andrew Chaikin
Recommended Reading: A Man on the Moon by Andrew Chaikin