The Moon Mission No One Knows About

For those of us old enough to remember July 20, 1969—it was a watershed moment. For the first time in history, humans set foot on the moon. The whole world watched Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin hop around the lunar surface with awe and wonder. It was genuinely breathtaking.

Fast forward 57 years and a manned lunar mission is about to happen next week—the first since 1972. If you listen carefully, you can hear the world yawning. This has got to be the worst PR effort ever by NASA. 

The new Artemis program will launch on a 10-day mission carrying four astronauts around the Moon and back. Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen will take their Orion spacecraft farther from Earth than any previous human mission. On top of that, the crew will represent the first person of color (Glover), the first woman (Koch) and the first non-American (Canadian Hansen) to travel around the Moon. That sounds pretty historic—and yet almost no one knows anything about this spaceflight.

Sure the world today is full of wars, protests and other important events. But, trust me, the world of 1969 was not much different—maybe even worse. But back then, the entire world took a moment to recognize our common humanity on this frail blue ball. This mission deserves just as much attention.

Independent Voters Grow Again

Just about three years ago, we wrote of the surge in Independent voters as a real phenomenon in American politics:

“Research shows that independent voters are not merely "closet" Republicans or Democrats—but are actually developing their own political culture that rejects the increasingly extreme postures of the two main parties. If this is true, it could signal a dramatic reconfiguration of the American political landscape. Independents seem to base their voting decisions on individual candidates and specific public policy issues—not knee-jerk partisan messaging.”

Now, the Gallup organization has released new polling that shows the share of Independent voters has risen even higher—to 45% of the electorate. This is partly due to younger Gen Z voters moving to independent status at a greater pace than their Millennial and Gen X counterparts did. But, the trend is more profound than just age differentials can explain—it’s been happening steadily over the last 15 years. Moreover, today, just 27% each identify as either Republicans or Democrats—relegating the two major parties to also-ran status.

Whichever party can capture the hearts of this growing segment of Independent voters can significantly impact elections. For example, in 2022, while Republicans captured the Congress, they did so with much smaller margins in the House and Senate than was predicted. This was due in no small part to Independents breaking for Democratic candidates over Republicans by a 2-point margin.

As we near the critical 2026 mid-terms, Democrats still hold that edge—now by a 3-point margin. But, Independents—by their very nature—are a fickle lot. A whole host of issues between now and November (e.g., affordability, foreign military events, immigration enforcement) can swing things wildly in either direction. Indeed, Independent voters are now the new kingmakers.