The podcasts are available on several platforms and they feature one of the pope's own Jesuit astronomers speaking with a notable figure in the world of space exploration or science.

The water was found in the Clavius Crater. So who was Christopher Clavius, S.J., and why is there a crater on the moon named after him?

Brother Macke said "every day is different ... which keeps the work fresh and exciting."

I wanted to know what it was really like to travel to the moon, but I realized that the only people who knew would not be around much longer.

“Throughout the history of the Society, the Jesuits have been key players in astronomy,” said Robert Macke, S.J., a specialist in meteorites who works at the Vatican Observatory in Rome. Jesuit contributions to astronomy are significant enough that 34 craters on the moon and several asteroids are named after them.

The 50th anniversary of the moon landing provides not just a moment for nostalgia but an occasion to revisit the values that should inform our public judgement.