© 2026 Iowa Public Radio
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Meet three Iowans behind NASA's Artemis II mission

Ways To Subscribe
River to River, hosted by Ben Kieffer

Ten days, a quarter-million miles from Earth and for the first time since 1972, humans flew around the moon.

On this episode we hear from three Iowans who were involved in the historic Artemis II mission that was completed on April 11.

Madison Tuttle of West Des Moines, Jack Sieleman of Waukee, and Alex Brewer of Council Bluffs are all relatively early in their careers, but they've spent all that time working at either the Kennedy or Johnson space centers. They each share about their love of space exploration — whether lifelong or found on the job — and what their roles were in the preparation for and execution of Artemis II.

Guests:

  • Madison Tuttle, public affairs specialist, NASA
  • Jack Sieleman, propulsion systems flight controller, NASA
  • Alex Brewer, software engineer, Amentum
Ben Kieffer is the host of "River to River." Since 2007, Kieffer has interviewed, conversed with, and shared ideas from guests of all backgrounds and locations, and has helped listeners better understand, appreciate, and explore their state and the world around them. Kieffer has a bachelor's degree from the University of Iowa.
Samantha McIntosh is an award-winning talk show producer for Iowa Public Radio. She holds a bachelor's degree from St. Cloud State University. Since 2022, McIntosh has worked with IPR's talk team to bring news and features to IPR's listening audience.