At a moment when humanity stands closer than it has in half a century to returning to the moon, two of NASA's most seasoned astronauts—the commander and pilot of the Artemis II lunar mission—have chosen to step away from the agency. Their departures arrive not at the end of an era, but at its most consequential threshold, raising quiet questions about what draws people toward the stars and what, in time, calls them back. NASA must now find new hands to carry a mission that belongs not only to the agency, but to the longer human story of reaching beyond what is known.