{"version":1,"type":"rich","provider_name":"Libsyn","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.libsyn.com","height":90,"width":600,"title":"May 21, 2026 - UK and the Artemis Project","description":" LEXINGTON, Ky. (May 26, 2026) \u2014 When NASA\u2019s Artemis II mission sent four astronauts on a path around the moon \u2014 farther from Earth than any humans have traveled in decades \u2014 the world watched in awe.  Yet, one of the most critical parts of the journey remained invisible.  For a team of faculty, staff and students in the Stanley and Karen Pigman College of Engineering at University of Kentucky, that unseen work is their expertise.  Artemis II shows how research \u2014 right here in Kentucky \u2014 is helping address one of human spaceflight\u2019s most dangerous challenges: surviving the fiery return to Earth.  \u201cWhatever energy you have coming back from the moon has to go somewhere,\u201d Alexandre Martin, Ph.D., professor of\u202faerospace engineering\u202fand director of the\u202fKentucky Space Grant Consortium and NASA EPSCoR programs, said.\u202f \u201cAnd most of it becomes heat. Without a heat shield, there is no safe return.\u201d  On this edition of \u201cBehind the Blue,\u201d three UK researchers share how their work made the \u201cMission to the Moon\u201d possible \u2014 offering an inside look at the innovation behind heat shield technology and the role UK plays in advancing it.  You\u2019ll hear from Martin, Savio Poovathingal, and Michael Renfro about why re-entry is so challenging, how UK\u2019s research helped explain what NASA saw after Artemis I, and how students are central to this work, from lab analysis to flight-testing materials in UK-led capsule projects. Learn more about UK\u2019s aerospace programs and their role in advancing space exploration at\u202fengr.uky.edu\/undergraduate\/aerospace-engineering.\u202f  \u201cBehind the Blue\u201d is available via a variety of podcast providers, including Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Subscribe to receive new episodes each week, featuring UK\u2019s latest medical breakthroughs, research, artists, writers and the most important news impacting the university.  \u201cBehind the Blue\u201d is a joint production of the University of Kentucky and UK HealthCare. Transcripts for this or other episodes of \u201cBehind the Blue\u201d can be\u202fdownloaded from the show\u2019s blog page.  To discover how the University of Kentucky is advancing our Commonwealth, click here.  This interview has been edited for time and clarity. This research was supported by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) through the Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) award numbers 80NSSC22M0034 and 80NSSC22M0174, awarded to the University of Kentucky.  The material is based upon work supported by NASA under award Nos. 80NSSC21K0286, 80NSSC21K1117 and 80NSSC20M0047. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.  ","author_name":"Behind the Blue","author_url":"http:\/\/behindtheblue.libsyn.com\/podcast","html":"