Curiosity has always drawn humanity toward the cosmos. As a planetary scientist, I am particularly excited about the upcoming Artemis II mission. With its crewed flight around the Moon, humanity is about to leave Earth’s orbit for the first time since 1972. This mission could also become the defining moment when we decide to fully commit to becoming a space-faring civilization — and to the many decades of sustained effort that such a goal will require. Even after the Apollo missions and more than 50 years of robotic exploration, the Moon remains a compelling destination for further study. Its surface holds the Solar System’s most pristine record of how a planetary crust forms and evolves over time. It also preserves crucial evidence of asteroid and comet impacts that shaped both the Moon and early Earth. We now know that water exists on the Moon, but we still don’t understand where it came from, how much is present, or whether it cycles between solid and vapor states on this airless world. In the long term, the Artemis program aims to establish a permanent human base on the Moon, which could serve as a crucial stepping stone toward sending humans to Mars. Although the program is currently driven by technical and engineering goals, its scientific potential is enormous. Researchers from around the world could routinely analyze rock and ice samples brought back from the lunar surface. A radio telescope placed on the far side of the Moon — protected from Earth’s radio interference — would allow astronomers to explore the cosmic dark ages. While the Moon itself is unlikely to host life, Mars holds greater promise, with possible signs of past or present life preserved in its ancient rock layers, thick ice deposits, and potential underground aquifers. However, achieving this future is far from certain. Every human space mission carries significant risk. Artemis II will only be considered a true success once the astronauts safely return to Earth. After that, the most delicate challenges of the U.S. Moon-to-Mars plan will emerge: the technological, programmatic, and societal ones. Technologically, landing humans on another planet is extremely difficult, and most initial attempts fail. Recognizing this reality, NASA recently adjusted Artemis III to focus on in-space testing instead of attempting a lunar landing right away. This decision adds realistic engineering milestones and gives teams more time to prepare for a sustainable cadence of crewed missions and infrastructure development on the Moon. Programmatically, NASA needs a strong and credible plan for the Mars portion of the journey. Since 1993, the agency’s Mars Exploration Program has successfully sent orbiters and robotic landers that delivered groundbreaking discoveries. The most recent major milestone came in 2021 when the Perseverance rover began collecting an impressive set of rock and soil samples. A joint NASA–European Space Agency mission to return those samples to Earth — originally planned for 2028 — remains the highest scientific priority, but it has been placed on indefinite hold due to overly complex designs and escalating costs. Societally, maintaining long-term support for human space exploration is equally challenging. A 2023 poll showed that sending humans to the Moon or Mars ranked near the bottom of the American public’s priorities for NASA, falling behind planetary defense against asteroids, Earth science, and fundamental research. While many expect space tourism to become common in their lifetimes, they remain skeptical about the high costs of sending astronauts into space. Simply aiming to “be first” or promising economic benefits is not enough. To gain broader public support, both the approach and the participants in human space exploration need to change. Artemis II presents a valuable opportunity to begin that shift. Unlike the 1960s, space technology today is much more affordable and accessible — from satellite weather images to everyday GPS navigation. We can envision a future in which high-school and university students operate lunar rovers to scout landing sites or help prepare satellites for Mars. I began my career as an undergraduate working on Mars rovers, and today I lead a university institute that conducts cutting-edge space missions while training students to build hardware, analyze data, and operate NASA spacecraft. Expanding space work beyond traditional NASA control rooms — bringing it into universities, schools, and communities — would increase public engagement and help develop vital technical skills for the future. Today, more than 70 national space agencies operate across six continents, fostering international collaboration even during times of conflict. The United Arab Emirates’ Hope Mars mission was developed in partnership with my institution. China has shared samples from the far side of the Moon with scientists worldwide. Russia and the United States continue to work together aboard the International Space Station. Space science has a long tradition of diplomacy, and initiatives like the Artemis Accords — signed by 61 countries — can help expand peaceful international cooperation in outer space. For the Artemis program to succeed and endure, it must fully capitalize on every technological milestone, prioritize scientific discovery, train the next generation of explorers, and actively engage the public. As we return to the Moon and eventually push onward to Mars, I am optimistic that we can make the right choices to build a true space-faring civilization.