art002e009288 (April 6, 2026) – Earthset captured through the Orion spacecraft window at 6:41 p.m. EDT, April 6, 2026, during the Artemis II crew’s flyby of the Moon. A muted blue Earth with bright white clouds sets behind the cratered lunar surface. The dark portion of Earth is experiencing nighttime. On Earth’s day side, swirling clouds are visible over the Australia and Oceania region. In the foreground, Ohm crater has terraced edges and a flat floor interrupted by central peaks. Central peaks form in complex craters when the lunar surface, liquefied on impact, splashes upwards during the crater’s formation.

On Friday evening April 10, I sat glued to the television watching the Artemis II astronauts return to Earth.

Their mission was remarkable. We watched humans travel through a part of space we hadn’t seen in generations—and then we held our breath as they made their way home. And they did.

NASA’s Orion spacecraft with Artemis II crewmembers NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, commander; Victor Glover, pilot; Christina Koch, mission specialist; and CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen, mission specialist aboard is seen as it lands in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California, Friday, April 10, 2026. NASA’s Artemis II mission took Wiseman, Glover, Koch, and Hansen on a 10-day journey around the Moon and back to Earth. Following a splashdown at , NASA, U.S. Navy, and U.S. Air Force teams are working to bring the crewmembers and Orion spacecraft aboard USS John P. Murtha. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

But the entire time, I kept wondering: If we went to the moon nearly 60 years ago, why is this such a big deal now?

The answer is surprisingly relevant to all of us.

The infrastructure and expertise behind the Apollo program are largely gone. To return to the moon, NASA had to rebuild, mostly from scratch—this time with more advanced technology, higher safety standards, broader collaboration, and far less funding. (At its peak, NASA received about 4% of the federal budget; today it’s closer to 0.5%.)

In other words: we’re not repeating the past—we’re reinventing the future. In many ways, journalism is facing the exact same challenge.

Across the country, more than 2,500 local newspapers have closed since 2005, and millions of Americans now live in “news deserts”—places without reliable local coverage of schools, housing, or government. When that happens, fewer people watch, decisions get made in the dark, and communities pay the price.

While we would never compare our work to the life or death stakes of space travel, the lesson is the same: if the system disappears, you can’t just turn it back on. You must rebuild it—intentionally.

Here’s what that means for local journalism:

1.)

We need vision and ambition
The old models no longer work. Audiences haven’t disappeared—but their habits have changed. People want news that meets them where they are: on their phones, in podcasts, on social media, in video. Like NASA, we have to design something built for the future, not the past.

2.)

 Technology is reshaping everything
From AI to new storytelling formats, we’re navigating a rapidly changing landscape. These tools create opportunity—but there is also peril.  They must be used with care, expertise, and clear ethical standards.

3.)

Trust is everything
After the astronauts landed, NASA leaders talked about the trust placed in the people behind the mission. Journalism depends on expertise and integrity. Our work may not be as high stakes, but it is critical. If people don’t trust the information, the entire system breaks down.

NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, commander; left, Christina Koch, mission specialist; CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen, mission specialist; and NASA astronaut Victor Glover, Artemis II pilot, right, pose for a group photo after viewing the Orion spacecraft in the well deck of USS John P. Murtha, Saturday, April 11, 2026, in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California. The quartet splashed down Friday, April 10 at 5:07 p.m. PDT (8:07p.m. EDT). Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

4.)

We’re doing more with less
Just as NASA is operating with a fraction of its former funding, local journalism has seen its primary revenue—advertising—collapse. Sustaining this work now requires creativity, community support, and new models.

5.)

We must work together
Artemis didn’t happen in isolation—it required partnerships across states, industries, and countries. Journalism is no different. Collaboration—not competition—is how we ensure every community is covered and no one is left out of the story.

What struck me most watching the mission was how it brought people together.  It created a sense of pride in our neighborhoods and our nation.

For a moment, people paused. Paid attention. Felt connected.

At a time when so many feel divided, this was something shared.

That’s what local journalism can do too. It helps us understand where we live, what’s happening around us, and how we’re connected to one another. It shines a light on injustice, actions and decisions. It tells the stories that inform and engage a community.

art002e009288 (April 6, 2026) – Earthset captured through the Orion spacecraft window at 6:41 p.m. EDT, April 6, 2026, during the Artemis II crew’s flyby of the Moon. A muted blue Earth with bright white clouds sets behind the cratered lunar surface.
The dark portion of Earth is experiencing nighttime. On Earth’s day side, swirling clouds are visible over the Australia and Oceania region.
In the foreground, Ohm crater has terraced edges and a flat floor interrupted by central peaks. Central peaks form in complex craters when the lunar surface, liquefied on impact, splashes upwards during the crater’s formation.

But just like space exploration, it doesn’t happen in a vacuum. It only exists if people decide it should.

At Bucket List Community News, we’re working to build something ambitious and sustainable—something that connects the Denver community today and into the future.

If you believe the Denver metro deserves to be informed, connected, and represented, we invite you to be part of this ambitious mission.

During our Spring Fling campaign, please contribute to help us dream big. Your support is an investment in the future of local news, our Denver area community and the democracy that connects us.  Imagine how far we can go together. 

Contribute Now

Do you have a listicle in mind? Any ideas can be sent to ryland.c.scholes@gmail.com. And don’t forget to check out our events calendar on our website to see what else is happening in our area.

See you next Tuesday with another Bucket Listicle.  

Vicky Collins

Publisher/ Bucket List Community News

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Vicky Collins is a freelance television producer and journalist based in Denver, Colorado with a diverse portfolio of projects that include network news, cable programming, Olympic sports, corporate and...

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