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Artemis, the goddess of hunting and of childbirth, protector of girls. That's the name chosen for the moon mission which has captivated the entire universe (assuming there are beings elsewhere in this universe with the capacity for captivation).

Captivated the entire universe. Except me. Sure, millions and millions of earthlings have gazed at the images of the other side of the moon, seen what earth looks like from up there, thought, "Wow, astronauts are so otherworldly."

But to me, the Artemis II mission is more bread and circuses from a nation which has stopped delivering bread to its citizens on the election of its latest leader, Donald Trump.

Of course, I remember being utterly engrossed by Apollo 11. I remember cramming into the school hall to look at images of the landing. It couldn't possibly have been live because the times weren't set up to suit Australian school children. But whatever we were watching it was thrilling. "A small step for man" (which was what Neil Armstrong actually said), "one giant leap for mankind". Folks keep trying to rewrite aural history and insert "a" before man, as in, "a small step for a man" - but listen to the recordings endlessly, and it's just not there. Armstrong clearly couldn't remember his script. Totally understandable considering the magnitude of the occasion. Geez, I've been to weddings where the bride has forgotten to thank her parents. Pressure gets to you.

Unlike the Artemis II crew who clearly rehearsed their lines so often they sounded as flat as a child's representation of the man in the moon.

What's my beef? Julia Cartwright, a senior research fellow in law and economics at the American Institute for Economic Research, did the numbers for the Washington Post. Artemis II will cost $US4.1 billion. "The entire program is expected to exceed $100 billion by the time astronauts are scheduled to step on the lunar surface once again in 2028. That is enough to send every American a check for roughly $300. Instead, that money is being aimed at the moon."

I'm not a big fan of the idea of $300 per person though. What about huge community batteries in every city and town? What about better public transport? What about the kind of investment which would feed kids breakfast forever? What about better health care?

But the US has always considered itself to be special and important, to attempt to be at the forefront of what's totally pointless, such as space exploration.

What's Artemis II really about? Cassandra Steer, chair and founder of the Australasian Centre for Space Governance, told journalist Peter FitzSimons this week that the Artemis II project is not a "flag and footprint" exercise but a "a race for dominating prime lunar real estate in the long term, not just landing and leaving".

More colonialism. Mind you, in this case, it's not like there are any beings up there whose societies would be destroyed by this particular colonial excursion. At least, I don't think there are any beings.

But my big concern is that this is not a good use of money, nor is it a good use of our attention. Take your eyes off that "muted blue Earth with bright white clouds" setting behind the cratered lunar surface, as NASA described one of the astonishing images. And think about the people who live there and what they might need for a bright future (image inset).

Jenna Price is a guest Echidna and a regular columnist.

HAVE YOUR SAY: What do you think about Artemis II? Why do we need space exploration? Or should we save our money for earth? Email us: echidna@theechidna.com.au

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IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:

- In the last five years, adoptions have fallen by over 40 per cent, from 264 adoptions in 2020-2021 to 155 adoptions in 2024-2025, according to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare.

- New guidelines from the American College of Cardiology and other US medical organizations year recommend that adults, starting at age 19, have their cholesterol checked at least every five years. And kids should have their cholesterol checked once between the ages of nine and 11.

- Australian speed star Gout Gout is now officially faster than eternal sprint king Usain Bolt - at least in the age-for-age category. On Sunday, Gout Gout ran 19.67 seconds in the 200m at the Australian Athletics Championship. In 2024, when Bolt was 18, he ran 19.93s.

THEY SAID IT: "A radical change in thinking is needed before humans are ready to inhabit - not colonise - space." Alice Gorman

Over recent weeks, ACM mastheads have reported on a number of unrelated but disturbingly similar scenarios in which a young person is surrounded by a group and set upon - the assaults captured - gleefully - on the phones of onlookers and shared among so-called friends on social media. Executive editor James Joyce, known as JJ everywhere, asked if parents can stop the cycle of violence? If they can nurture their child's empathy? And is this really any worse than a pre-Zuckerberg era punch-up behind the bike racks after school?

Tony writes: "It is a serious concern as filming and posting will probably encourage others to likewise. Those that filmed it must have no compassion. Have they never been told to treat others as they would like to be treated?"

Helen has a great idea to centre the discussion in every classroom in every high school in Australia. "But then again, guess I'm just a person with no clue on how the 'real' world is run. Feeling very defeated right now."

And Sue reminds us of a quote often misattributed to Edmund Burke: "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing." As individuals, most teenagers seem to understand that, but teenagers are also a work in process: they are not adults, they are not necessarily sure just who they are and the idea of being socially isolated by others can be terrifying. To make action harder for them, is the fact that amongst the adults they know, they will see lots of bullies, and far fewer examples of good men doing something. Just look at what is happening politically! The president of the usa (doesn't deserve capitals any more) is the biggest bully in the world.

And Chris has a different view of Boomers: "The major difference between our Baby Boomer existence and the generations that have emerged since is that no-one would kick a person whilst they were down. If they were on the ground or the floor they were left alone unless they rose looking for more . . .one on one was also our creed, if you couldn't fight your own battles - there was no battle. If there was - then cheering on from the sidelines was no different then to now."

Deborah wrote: "I think social media is totally to blame for the extreme violence exhibited by some young people. Being filmed attacking someone is the attacker's '15 minutes of fame'. For as long as the cameras are rolling the attack will continue, and for as long as the film circulates, the attacker feels 'famous'. Sadly the attacker's path is set - they will never make anything of their lives. As for the onlookers - they would not want to risk intervening or the mob might turn on them."

Marie wrote: "My children were both born with severe intellectual disabilities so as a mother I did not have teenage or older kids to discuss the matters of life that really matter. How well would I have done this? I would hope it would have been with a soft inviolate iron fist. I have worked in Social services for many years so I have heard it first hand during those times, however the absolute viciousness in the reported incident is frightening and unimaginable."

She continued: "The art of communication plays a pivotal role here that should help parents to find and keep a strong yet fair modus operandi. In this instance what they say to their children should be posted where the children can read it. In their bedrooms or on the fridge, so that parents too can see it thus helping them to remain true as they, as a family, deal with the potential problem." Marie commended the young lady for reporting it to the police. "That took courage."

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