NASA’s Dave Piatak Talks Artemis, and What’s Next in Space

What’s next for space exploration — and how close are we to the next big leap? On Richmond’s Morning News, Rich Herrera sat down with Dave Piatak, head of the Aeroelasticity Branch at NASA’s Langley Research Center, to discuss the upcoming Artemis II mission and the future of the program.

Piatak explained that Artemis II represents a major step forward, as NASA prepares to send astronauts on a mission that will help pave the way for a return to the Moon. It’s part of a broader effort to expand human presence in space and build toward future missions beyond lunar orbit.

The conversation also looked at how far space exploration has already taken us — not just in terms of travel, but innovation here on Earth. Many of the technologies developed through NASA research