NASA – Part II with Carlos Fontanot

Inside NASA: Post Apollo years

(Full video via YOUTUBE channel with instant subtitles in your language)

NICO

Carlos, in our previous episode we walked through Apollo, the Shuttle, and the Space Station in depth. Today we won’t repeat the technical details — but we do want to orient our audience.

If you had to summarize the history of human spaceflight at NASA in three brushstrokes, what would they be?

CARLOS

The first brushstroke is the Apollo program.

President John F. Kennedy set the challenge of landing a man on the Moon before the decade ended — at a time when NASA had not yet even orbited a human around Earth.

In less than ten years, we learned to orbit our planet, travel nearly 400,000 kilometers into deep space, land on another celestial body, conduct exploration, collect samples, and return safely. Six Apollo missions achieved lunar landings. Twelve human beings walked on the Moon.

The second brushstroke is the Space Shuttle program. Operational for 30 years. Flew 355 unique individuals. Enabled routine access to space. Allowed us to understand the effects of microgravity on the human body. Deployed satellites and observatories such as the Hubble Space Telescope. Built the International Space Station. Partnered with Russia to dock with Mir in preparation for ISS construction.

The third brushstroke is the International Space Station. Continuously inhabited for over 25 years. Hosted more than 300 individuals from 26 countries. Orbits at approximately 400 km altitude at 28,000 km/h. Circles Earth every 90 minutes. Built by NASA, Roscosmos, JAXA, ESA, and the Canadian Space Agency. A premier platform for microgravity science.

ARTURO

Apollo was arrival. The Shuttle was operations. The Station is permanence.

BLOQUE 2 – INSIDE NASA: THE HUMAN SIDE

NICO

Carlos, beyond programs and budgets — you spent over 30 years inside NASA. When you look back, what story comes to mind first?

CARLOS

Moments of humanity. Cultural contrasts. Camaraderie among flight controllers. Support for astronauts’ families. Salaries are public — no one is there for the money. They are there for the mission.

There were also private traditions: birthday recordings from orbit, Thanksgiving meals, World Cup celebrations, crew reassignments, budget uncertainty.

And moments of pride: seeing the James Webb Space Telescope successfully deployed 1.5 million kilometers away, and witnessing the repair missions of the Hubble Space Telescope.

BLOQUE 3 – THE PRESENT: NASA IS NO LONGER ALONE

ARTURO

When did it become clear the model had permanently changed?

CARLOS

Cost drove transformation. Apollo consumed roughly 5% of the U.S. federal budget. Shuttle operations were expensive. NASA redirected resources toward deep space missions. Commercial space emerged.

SpaceX, founded in 2002, survived early failures and secured NASA cargo contracts. In 2012, Dragon docked with the ISS. Booster recovery began in 2015. Reusability in 2017.

Commercial crew flights in 2020 ended sole reliance on Soyuz. Starship represents interplanetary ambition. NASA viewed commercial companies as an opportunity — enabling the agency to focus on exploration. Blue Origin’s New Glenn reflects competition that reduces cost.

Private astronauts and commercial stations signal a structural shift. Space democratizes access — though ticket prices remain in the millions.

Starlink, a SpaceX subsidiary, operates globally and has geopolitical implications through its Starshield variant.

BLOQUE 4 – THE FUTURE: ARTEMIS AND MARS

NICO

What is different about Artemis compared to Apollo?

CARLOS

Apollo aimed to land briefly and return. Artemis, established in 2017, aims to build permanence: Orion capsule, SLS rocket, Gateway station, lunar base concepts, multinational partnerships, commercial landing systems.

Artemis II mirrors Apollo 8. Artemis III targets extended lunar exploration. Mars remains a serious but complex goal: vast distance, radiation, propulsion challenges, communication delays, logistics, autonomy.

NASA depends on government funding, but commercial industry now provides flexibility.

BLOQUE 5 – PERSONAL CLOSING

NICO

After 30 years, what excites and concerns you?

CARLOS

What excites me is NASA’s ethos: “We can do this.” Lunar bases. Gateway. Discovery of water and minerals. International collaboration. Witnessing humanity reach Mars. What concerns me is political instability that could derail long-term programs.

ARTURO

What would you tell a young Latino dreaming of space?

CARLOS

Many Latinos are already part of the story: Rodolfo Neri Vela, Franklin ChangDíaz, Ellen Ochoa, José Hernández, Frank Rubio. Engineering, medicine, communications, science — multiple pathways exist. Space does not belong to one nation. It belongs to all of us.

NICO

Carlos Fontanot, thank you for sharing lived experience from inside the space program.