As a child, he dreamed of becoming a pilot and astronaut, but it was after moving with his family to Houston when he knew he wanted to dedicate his life to space exploration. "My father, who was a merchant marine, was transferred there when I was 17, and one day we visited NASA. Since I was a kid, people talked to me around the campus, and when you see how they work, it's impressive," recalls Ernesto Álvarez (Santander, 52 years old), one of the very few Spaniards who are part of the staff at the Johnson Space Center of the space agency in Houston. His mission: to ensure that humans can survive on the Moon.
This engineer from Cantabria is one of the scientists dedicated to making the Artemis program a reality that Donald Trump launched in 2017 to see astronauts walking on the Moon again, as a stepping stone to reach Mars. Since 1972, when the crew of Apollo 17 returned, no one has gone back, but the plan is for both Americans and Chinese to reach the lunar surface in this decade. Both aim to plant their flag at the South Pole, where water is believed to exist. Who will achieve it first? The issue has sparked a new and exciting space race, especially due to the delays the NASA roadmap is experiencing, which initially planned to land on the Moon in 2024 with the Artemis 3 mission - now scheduled for August 2027. The Chinese plan is to send their taikonauts - as Chinese astronauts are known - before 2030.
Ernesto Álvarez has been part of two programs directly linked to the return to the Moon. After several years immersed in the technical supervision of the equipment and technologies that astronauts will need to survive on our satellite, which is the responsibility of the Extravehicular Activity and Human Surface Mobility program, he is now working on the Orion spacecraft program.
We took the opportunity to interview him during his visit to Madrid at the beginning of his vacation. "I have a month off, which is quite compared to other jobs in the US," he says. He met his wife, who is from Madrid and works in the banking sector, in Santander, and they have two daughters, who were born in the US. "We come every year. We usually spend a few days in Cantabria, and now that my daughters are older, we travel to other areas because I want them to know Spain," he says while posing next to an astronaut mannequin. We agreed to meet at the Planetarium, where you can still see the exhibition Artemis: the magic of the Moon.
During that inspiring visit to NASA he made at 17, he saw that many astronauts are trained as engineers or doctors. "Medicine never attracted me, so I chose to enroll in aerospace engineering at the University of Texas in Austin, which had a pretty good program and is three hours away from Houston."
He explains that NASA centers have a lot of contact with universities across the country, especially with those in Texas, to recruit interns who do internships at the agency and aerospace companies before they finish their studies: "When I finished my postgraduate studies, Lockheed Martin called me, which is a company that had many contracts with NASA, and they hired me for the shuttle program. I was there before and after the Columbia accident," he says in reference to the tragic explosion that occurred on February 1, 2003, as the spacecraft was returning to Earth, resulting in the death of the seven astronauts on board. "Everything stopped until the investigation was completed," he recalls.
Artistic recreation of astronauts collecting moon samples.
The problem that caused this tragedy originated during the launch of the spacecraft: a piece of foam insulation detached from the external tank and struck the left wing of the shuttle, causing a crack. "As a result of the accident, one of the improvements we made was to place sensors on the shuttle's wings to detect impacts," explains the engineer, who was part of the group that designed them.
Álvarez remembers the day of the accident very well: "That's when you really realize the importance of the work we do, and you are aware of what can happen if you make a mistake. Unfortunately, although you try to anticipate all possible anomalies, sometimes you don't realize until it happens," he reflects. "Following the investigation report, a series of changes began to be implemented, one of the main ones being that an independent engineering division was created, which is the one I currently work in, and so to speak, is in charge of analyzing any type of hardware or equipment that you are going to send into space - spacecraft, suits, etc. - to evaluate what the technical risks are. If you detect any, you report it, the type of risk, and how it could be minimized, and then they decide what to do. You are completely independent," he assures.
When Lockheed Martin obtained the contract for the Orion spacecraft, he was moved to this program: "And four years ago NASA called me to ask if I wanted to work with them," he recounts. Since then, he has been part of the staff at the Johnson Space Center in Houston. "I love it because it allows you to work on many projects, they usually let you choose, and there is quite a bit of flexibility."
Álvarez lives a 15-minute drive from the NASA Johnson Space Center. "I start at 8 and leave at 6, although it depends on what needs to be done. Right now, we are preparing the Artemis 2 mission [in which four astronauts will orbit the Moon]. We want to have everything ready by the end of the year or early 2026 because the goal is to launch the mission at the end of 2026," says the engineer. In his free time, he enjoys traveling, especially with his family: "We have a large car and we go to Colorado and places like that, and we have formed a group of Spaniards in Houston that we usually meet to eat. I also really enjoy reading and I am a big movie buff. With the heat, there is a lot of indoor life."
Although he usually does not mention that he works at NASA, he admits that people are very interested when they find out and he feels proud to be part of the project to send humans back to the Moon: "It is very exciting, both children and adults want to know more, and it is nice to see that what you do interests people. It helps you return to work with enthusiasm, instead of focusing so much on the technical work with your colleagues," the engineer says. Although it was done half a century ago, he believes that "there is excitement" to see astronauts on the Moon again: "We are going to do things we have never done before, and that is something that brings people and countries together because many people collaborate towards a common goal that is not economic. If you want to explore the Solar System, you have to start from the beginning, and we are laying the foundations for the future of space exploration."
There are also people who continue to question whether NASA astronauts have been to the Moon: "I tell them that there are many ways to prove it. There are rock samples they brought back, the flags they placed are still there, and the photos and videos can be analyzed. In addition, the Apollo program involved thousands of people for many years, and if it had been a hoax, someone would have provided evidence, as it would not have been possible to control so many people to prevent something like that from coming to light," argues Álvarez, who believes that there are people eager to spread misinformation. "During the unmanned Artemis 1 mission, five minutes after publishing the first photo taken by the Orion spacecraft in space, there were already people saying that everything was fake and done with photoshop."
The Artemis 1 mission took off on November 16, 2022, marking the beginning of the new U.S. lunar program. The Orion spacecraft he now works on was launched aboard the impressive SLS rocket and orbited the Moon for 11 days unmanned. His daughters and wife were with him at Cape Canaveral to witness the launch: "We were all very excited," Álvarez recalls. The next step will be Artemis 2, a 10-day mission where astronauts Reid Wiseman, Christina Koch, Victor Glover, and Jeremy Hansen will orbit the Moon in 2026. If all goes well, we will see humans walking on the Moon again in 2027 with the Artemis 3 mission. However, there is still much work to be done, and many voices in the industry believe that the timeline remains very optimistic.
Delays in the development of some components, combined with the uncertainty caused by Donald Trump's presidency, have added challenges for NASA. Nine months into his term, the agency still operates with an acting director -Trump unexpectedly withdrew the nomination of billionaire Jared Isaacman, a friend of Elon Musk, after their fallout. Additionally, Trump's administration proposed cutting nearly half of NASA's budget, mainly affecting scientific missions, sparking protests and criticism within the agency and the aerospace community. "We continue working as usual, especially in my case as we are mandated to push forward with the Artemis 2 mission for next year. Work on extravehicular activities continues with pressurized suits and rovers," he points out. "The good thing about NASA is that there are many opportunities to work; if one program is canceled, you can move to another, but budget cuts are unwelcome by all."
The pressure Elon Musk exerted on the U.S. president to prioritize a Mars mission also raised concerns about the future of the Artemis program beyond mission 3, where astronauts will return to the Moon. However, the Fiscal Law -the Big Beautiful Bill passed by Congress a month ago- includes funding for launching Artemis 4 and 5 missions with the U.S. SLS rocket, which Musk wanted to replace with his Starship. "The fiscal law provides financial support for missions beyond Artemis 3. We will have to wait to see how Congress allocates the money to have a definitive plan, but now the path to the moon is clearer," he states.
The development of a version of the Starship vehicle ordered by NASA from SpaceX is also not progressing as desired, with recent tests in Texas ending in explosions: "SpaceX conducts many tests, failures happen, and it's better they occur during tests. It's important to consider that the technology involved in these programs is complex, especially when aiming for maximum safety. For instance, the launch of Artemis 1 was significantly delayed due to fuel leaks."
Another crucial aspect of the lunar return is the suits for the moonwalkers: "They are much more comfortable than those used in the Apollo program, and they are designed for both men and women, unlike before when there was a single design overlooking certain aspects. They are more durable, practical, and lightweight as they will need to perform tasks requiring significant physical effort, such as collecting samples and using tools for extended periods. They are more ergonomic because moving around the Moon and getting up after a fall is quite challenging."
The goal is for Artemis astronauts to spend increasing time on the Moon and eventually establish a colony: "To maintain a semi-permanent base, everything will need to be sent there, and systems to survive the frigid lunar nights and temperature changes will need to be devised. Moving across the lunar surface will always require wearing a spacesuit or traveling in a pressurized vehicle like the one being developed by the Japanese agency, JAXA."
It will also be essential to devise ways to supply energy to the astronauts. Recently, NASA's acting director, Sean Duffy, announced an acceleration in the development of a nuclear reactor for the Moon to be ready by 2030. Water is another key element: "We are largely heading to the south pole because there are possibilities of finding ice. If present, ice can provide hydrogen for fuel, oxygen for breathing, and of course, water for drinking and cultivating hydroponic gardens. The aim is to have greenhouses, which is why there is extensive research on vegetables and their physiological effects on the International Space Station (ISS). "Life in space is less glamorous than in movies; astronauts work a lot and hardly have time to enjoy, although being in space is inherently glamorous, and when they can rest and appreciate where they are, it's incredible."
Speaking of movies, he found The Martian, based on the eponymous book, to be "quite accurate." He also enjoyed the series For All Mankind and the movie Ad Astra with Brad Pitt.
The debate on whether to return to the Moon or focus efforts on traveling to Mars remains ongoing. Álvarez believes that "we could go directly to the red planet," but he advocates for returning to our satellite: "This way, you take smaller steps that allow you to understand your limitations. Personally, I prefer it because I would like to be part of all this. Going to Mars is an incredible challenge; we'll see how it needs to be done, but it will be more long-term," he affirms.
One of the main challenges is rocket and spacecraft propulsion. "Both the engine and the fuel are heavy. The trajectory to the Moon takes about three or four days; you accelerate once and then coast. If continuous acceleration were possible, the journeys would be significantly shorter. One potential solution would be replacing chemical engines with nuclear engines, allowing continuous acceleration," he explains. Another advantage of nuclear propulsion would be the ability to generate 'artificial gravity' by providing constant acceleration. With this artificial gravity on the spacecraft, the astronauts' health deterioration during such a long journey would be mitigated.
The Spanish engineer has abandoned his plan to become a professional astronaut, although he admits that the idea of traveling to Earth's orbit still excites him: "I once applied to NASA's program, typically you have to apply three times before having a chance of being selected, but I didn't reapply. I love what I'm doing. Getting up in the morning to go to work is not a sacrifice for me. I tell my daughters that when you work on something you love, it's not work," Álvarez asserts.
Realizing his dream of traveling to space, even as a space tourist, he sees as "very challenging." These experiences are gradually becoming a reality with suborbital flights (reaching about 100 kilometers in altitude) and missions to Earth's orbit, previously reserved for millionaires. "Traveling to space won't be commonplace but will be more common, and once private companies see demand, space tourism will develop," he notes. However, he doesn't believe the Moon will become a vacation spot, not even for the wealthiest: "Considerations go beyond technical aspects, as extensive preparation would be needed, including safety and psychological factors due to its remote and isolated nature."
An astronaut, he explains, "undergoes many years of training. For someone without equivalent training, any minor issue would become a significant problem. Things must be done safely because we wouldn't want space tourism to impact other programs."
A future colony on the Moon would be constantly exposed to various dangers: "You are entirely exposed to asteroids and micrometeorites because there is no atmosphere, resulting in a surface full of craters. During rover designs, we realized that some craters are hidden and undetectable unless using infrared. Astronauts must be cautious with their suits because falling could lead to rocks puncturing them. Lunar dust is another issue, getting everywhere and potentially obstructing gears," he enumerates. Therefore, even upon reaching the Moon, he emphasizes, "vigilance and safety measures must always be heightened. As we stay there, we will continue learning."