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This Week in Space (Audio)
This Week in Space (Audio)

This Week in Space (Audio)

This Week in Space podcast covers the new space age. Every Friday we take a deep dive into a fascinating topic. What’s happening with the new race to the moon and other planets? When will SpaceX or NASA really send people to Mars? Join Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik from Space.com on This Week in Space. Subscribe today on your favorite podcatcher. New episodes posted every Friday.

Available Episodes 10

Space wants to kill you every moment you are there. From the harsh vacuum to extreme temperatures to killing radiation, there's no shortage of ways to make your stay in space brief. This Halloween, we discuss the Top Ten (and probably more) scariest moments and places in space. And a TWiS bonus--NASA Deputy Administrator and former astronaut Pam Melroy drops in with her scariest space story! Hold on to your thrusters; it's going to be a wild ride.

Headlines:

  • Pre-Halloween Lunar Eclipse! Partial lunar eclipse on October 28, but you must be in the Eastern Hemisphere to see it. Peak viewing will be in Asia, Australia, and New Zealand.
  • China launched a new crew to its Tiangong space station on the Shenzhou 17 mission. The three taikonauts will spend 6 months on the station, replacing the outgoing Shenzhou 16 crew.
  • The OSIRIS-REx asteroid sample capsule remains stuck shut after its return. NASA is still working on safely opening it to access the priceless cargo inside.


Main Topic - Top Space Frights

  • The harrowing Apollo 11 moon landing in 1969, the first time humans landed on another world, almost ran out of fuel before touching down.
  • Black holes, with their incomprehensible gravity wells that spaghettify anything that gets too close.
  • Alexei Leonov's dicey first spacewalk in 1965 where his suit ballooned up and he nearly couldn't get back into the spacecraft.
  • Gamma ray bursts, the most powerful explosions in the universe, that could strip a planet's atmosphere if pointed the wrong way.
  • The near-disaster of Gemini 8 in 1966, when Neil Armstrong and Dave Scott had to fire retrorockets, forcing an emergency reentry, to stop the violent tumbling of his spacecraft.
  • Spooky exoplanet TrES-2b, with its coal-black atmosphere and lava-hot winds.
  • Surprise guest and NASA Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy's Pick: Her own scary moment on STS-120 in 2007 when a snagged solar array threatened to electrocute spacewalker Scott Parazynski.

Hosts: Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik

Guest: Pam Melroy

Download or subscribe to this show at https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-space.

Get episodes ad-free with Club TWiT at https://twit.tv/clubtwit

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How many of us wanted to be an astronaut when we were younger? It's a big ask. Now, imagine holding this dream while being a young migrant farm worker in the arid fields of Central California. That was former NASA astronaut Jose Hernandez's dream--and against all odds and with enduring tenacity, he made it. This is a story of a child with a dream and the basis of the smash new biopic on Amazon Prime, "A Million Miles Away." Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik dive deep into the life and dream of Hernandez on this episode of This Week in Space.

Hosts: Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik

Guest: José Hernández

Download or subscribe to this show at https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-space.

Get episodes ad-free with Club TWiT at https://twit.tv/clubtwit

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On October 14 many in the western US will be able to see a partial eclipse of the sun. Astronomer and skywatcher Joe Rao joins us to discuss October 14th's annular eclipse, when most of the sun will be blocked with just a "ring of fire" visible around the margins, and 2024's total solar eclipse--the event of a lifetime. View both, and do it safely--we'll tell you how.

Hosts: Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik

Guest: Joe Rao

Download or subscribe to this show at https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-space.

Get episodes ad-free with Club TWiT at https://twit.tv/clubtwit

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From the Kennedy Space Center to Apollo Mission Control to SpaceX's Starbase, Rod and Tariq discuss the coolest space places on Earth for you to visit. Some are grand, a few are funky, but they are all great places to enjoy the finest moments in space exploration... and there are some hidden gems you shouldn't miss! Join us for this first installment of the Greatest Space Places, Phase One: USA!

Headlines:

  • Virgin Galactic's fourth commercial spaceflight launches first Pakistani woman astronaut Namira Salim. Salim flew with two other passengers on the successful suborbital flight.
  • SpaceX CEO Elon Musk speaks at the International Astronautical Congress, gives an update on Starship development. Musk says there is a "decent chance" Starship could reach orbit this year if engines fire properly. Also discussed upgrades to increase lift capacity.
  • Fashion brand Prada partners with spacesuit maker Axiom Space to design stylish spacesuits for NASA's Artemis moon missions. Prada will apply expertise in materials science and textiles.
  • Strange press release claims discovery of alien life, but only offers blurry photo of a dog staring at a wall as proof. Self-published book also promoted.

Main Topic: Favorite Space Places

  • Kennedy Space Center in Florida has both a visitor complex and active facilities. Highlights include the Space Shuttle Atlantis exhibit, Saturn V Center, Apollo-era launch pads, and bus tours to see current operations.
  • Johnson Space Center in Houston is home to historic Mission Control and astronaut training facilities. Nearby Space Center Houston houses space artifacts like the Saturn V rocket.
  • The National Air and Space Museum in Washington DC contains extensive aviation and space history exhibits, including the original Wright Flyer, Mercury and Gemini capsules, and a Skylab module you can enter.
  • SpaceX's Starbase test facility in South Texas allows the public to view Starship development up close from nearby roads. Launch attempts draw big crowds for a party-like atmosphere.
  • Other favorites highlighted: the Udvar-Hazy Center near Washington Dulles Airport, California Science Center, Wallops Flight Facility, Kansas Cosmosphere, and more. There are many unique sites around the country for space fans to explore.

Image Source: Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex

Hosts: Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik

Download or subscribe to this show at https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-space.

Get episodes ad-free with Club TWiT at https://twit.tv/clubtwit

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We all know that NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory designs, builds, and flies the premiere machines of space exploration, but just who designs and prepares them? It takes a team, but unique leadership must be at the top, and Rob Manning, JPL's Chief Engineer, has long been such a leader. From his earliest work on Voyager through engineering every set of wheels on Mars to overseeing engineering for all of JPL, Rob's story reads like an engineer's dream. Come share that dream with us as we talk to Rob, the Carroll Shelby of Mars.

  • Rod and Tariq kick off the show by discussing the latest space news, including OSIRIS-REx's return with asteroid Bennu sample, NASA website changes, and an impending government shutdown
  • Special guest Rob Manning shares his unbelievable career path from JPL technician to Chief Mars Engineer
  • Manning recalls the scrappy early days of Mars Pathfinder and the "magical" atmosphere of autonomy and innovation
  • Building Pathfinder on a shoestring $150 million budget meant improvising with consumer hardware and "ad hoc engineering"
  • Pathfinder team was isolated and given the freedom to innovate, but faced intense scrutiny from legendary NASA experts
  • Manning details how Pathfinder pioneered airbag landing and was the first Mars landing in over 20 years
  • Pathfinder was initially designed for one-month lifespan but kept going for over three months - a shocking engineering achievement
  • Manning emphasizes the importance of hands-on engineering experience versus today's digital abstraction
  • They discuss how Pathfinder's philosophy and margins set the stage for Spirit, Opportunity, and Curiosity greatly outlasting expectations
  • Manning previews upcoming Europa Clipper, Psyche asteroid missions, and more
  • Manning shares principles for building robust systems: embrace complexity, test thoroughly, plan for the unknown

Hosts: Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik

Guest: Rob Manning

Download or subscribe to this show at https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-space.

Get episodes ad-free with Club TWiT at https://twit.tv/clubtwit

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Franklin Chang-Diaz rose from arriving in America with $50 in his pocket to earning a Ph.D. from MIT, becoming a NASA astronaut, and flying seven shuttle missions--the first Latin American immigrant to reach space. Since his retirement from NASA, he has worked tirelessly on the VASIMR plasma drive, which promises to one day deliver crews to Mars in 39 days instead of the 6-7 months required by chemical rockets. Join us for this fascinating and inspirational conversation as we talk about an American/Latin American hero and the closest thing to warp drive we're likely to see for a century.

  • Asteroid bits from NASA's OSIRIS-REx are incoming this weekend after a successful sample grab from asteroid Bennu
  • Private company Varda Space appeals denied reentry license for their prototype capsule
  • Dr. Franklin Chang-Diaz introduced - MIT plasma expert, NASA astronaut, ISS builder, and plasma drive inventor
  • Dr. Chang-Diaz recounts being inspired by Sputnik and Yuri Gagarin as a child in Costa Rica, writing to Wernher von Braun about becoming an astronaut, and moving to the US in pursuit of his space dreams
  • He discusses overcoming obstacles as an immigrant learning English, earning scholarships to college and MIT, pivoting to nuclear and plasma physics when NASA cut Apollo funding
  • Dr. Chang-Diaz recalls the excitement of NASA selecting him as an astronaut, flying seven Space Shuttle missions, building the ISS, and spacewalking through an aurora
  • He explains how the nuclear-electric VASIMR plasma engine works, enabling weeks-long Mars trips, its testing status, and the next steps for commercial deployment
  • Dr. Chang-Diaz muses on solar system exploration with continuous VASIMR propulsion, recharging with space nuclear reactors, and mining fuel sources across the planets
  • He reflects on managing danger as an astronaut after losing friends in the Challenger and Columbia shuttle disasters
  • Dr. Chang-Diaz shares an inspiring vision for space as a cosmic civilization and business enabling humanity to spread beyond Earth

Hosts: Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik

Guest: Dr. Franklin Chang-Diaz

Download or subscribe to this show at https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-space.

Get episodes ad-free with Club TWiT at https://twit.tv/clubtwit

Sponsors:

For as long as they've understood what asteroids actually are, scientists have pined for pristine samples that haven't had to endure hurtling through Earth's scorching atmosphere. The OSIRIS-REx probe, which launched in 2016, is finally returning its ultra-valuable payload--a bit of primordial star-stuff from the early solar system--to Earth. On September 24, a small capsule will land in the Utah desert, and secreted inside is at least two ounces of sample material from asteroid Bennu. It's been a long and sometimes arduous voyage, and we're joined by Anjani Polit, the Mission Implementation Systems Engineer for OSIRIS-REx.

Hosts: Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik

Guest: Anjani Polit

Download or subscribe to this show at https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-space.

Get episodes ad-free with Club TWiT at https://twit.tv/clubtwit

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It's the end of summer, and what a summer it's been in spaceflight! We're overdue for a roundup of the latest and greatest of all the accomplishments in space this year. Join Tariq—surely one of the brightest space reporters out there (I mean, the guy runs Space.com)—and Rod, one of the grumpiest truthtellers in space news, for this grand look at where we've been and what's coming. Plus three—count 'em, three—space jokes. It's the most fun you can have on the launchpad!

Hosts: Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik

Download or subscribe to this show at https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-space.

Get episodes ad-free with Club TWiT at https://twit.tv/clubtwit

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Our favorite Martian and Arctic explorer is back! Dr. Pascal Lee has returned from his 25th season at the Haughton-Mars Project Arctic base, and what a field season he had! New space suits were tested, Moon drills were tried, his analog pressurized Mars rover was fixed and tested, and Apollo the Space Dog patrolled for polar bears as he always does. Come and join us for this exciting update.

Hosts: Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik

Guest: Pascal Lee

Download or subscribe to this show at https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-space.

Get episodes ad-free with Club TWiT at https://twit.tv/clubtwit

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Ever since the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter first confirmed the presence of water on the Moon, the rush has been on, as both Russia and India proved last week. Why is finding water there so important? How did the LRO probe first make the detection? What else has LRO been up to since reaching the Moon in 2019? Finally, what are the next steps? We'll find out from the source--Dr. Noah Petro, Project Scientist for the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter!

Hosts: Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik

Guest: Dr. Noah Petro

Download or subscribe to this show at https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-space.

Get episodes ad-free with Club TWiT at https://twit.tv/clubtwit

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