THIS WEEK IN SPACE

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This Week in Space (Audio)

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The new space age is upon us, and This Week in Space leaves no topic untouched. Every Friday, join Editor-in-Chief of Ad Astra magazine, Rod Pyle and Managing Editor of Space.com, Tariq Malik as they explore everything related to the cosmos. You can join Club TWiT for $10 per month and get ad-free audio and video feeds for all our shows plus everything else the club offers...or get just this podcast ad-free for $5 per month. New episodes posted every Friday.

  1. 1 HR AGO

    Tell It to the Mountain - Astronaut and Senate Hopeful Terry Virts Says NASA Needs a Major Rethink

    There's a very elite club in astronaut circles, one in which former astronauts go on to political careers. The most elite are senators, and so far, John Glenn, Harrison Schmitt, and Mark Kelly have been members, and may soon be joined by Terry Virts, a former shuttle and ISS astronaut. He's got a lot to say about today's NASA, the budget, the Artemis program (he was the astronaut embedded with the SLS rocket program back in 2011), and much more. Col. Virts is also an author and filmmaker, among his other pursuits. Join us for the enlightening episode. Headlines: • Ukraine Destroys Russian Military-Used Radio Telescope in Crimea • China's Surge in Spaceflight Triggers New Warnings About U.S. Competitiveness • Stunning New Black Hole Images Revealed by Event Horizon Telescope • Partial Solar Eclipse Coming, Visible Most Spectacularly to Penguins Main Topic: Interview with Colonel Terry Virts—Astronaut and Senate Candidate • Highlights of Terry Virts' Career: Air Force, Shuttle & Soyuz Missions, Space Station Command • Motivation Behind Virts' Run for U.S. Senate in Texas • Threats to American Democracy, Middle-Class Issues, and Human Rights Priorities • How Astronaut and Military Experience Prepares Him for Political Office • Views on the U.S. Space Program: Budget Cuts, Program Delays, and China's Lunar Ambitions • Specific Critiques of Artemis, SLS, and Lunar Lander Strategies • Advice for Aspiring Astronauts and Reflections on NASA's Challenges • The ISS at 25: Collaboration, Science Achievements, and Personal Lessons Learned • Space, Star Trek, and Geek Culture Moments from Virts' NASA Years Hosts: Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik Guest: Terry Virts Download or subscribe to This Week in Space at https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-space. Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free shows, a members-only Discord, and behind-the-scenes access. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit

    1h 1m

  2. 12 SEPT

    Life on Mars? - With Dr. Michael Tice

    You've heard the news about a possible detection of ancient life on Mars... now get the inside scoop from one of the paper's key authors. Dr. Michael Tice is a research scientist and planetary geologist at Texas A&M, and has a lot to say about how the research was pulled from the year-old drill sampling, the incredible rigor that was applied to their findings, and what's next in this amazing story. It's the one we've all been waiting for--a possible indication of life beyond our own planet! Headlines: NASA's Interim Chief Declares Mission to Beat China Back to the Moon Starlink Satellite Photobombs Maxar Image of Secret Chinese Airbase James Webb Telescope Captures Stunning Interstellar Jet "Flatulence" Main Topic: Signs of Ancient Life Discovered on Mars by Perseverance Dr. Michael Tice Explains Potential Biosignatures in Jezero Crater Discovery of Unusual "Leopard Spots" Linked to Possible Microbial Activity Redox Reactions and Organics Suggest Favorable Conditions for Life Debate Between Biological and Abiotic Explanations for Findings Cutting-Edge Rover Instruments Push Detection Limits Challenges of Confirming Life Without Sample Return to Earth Future Work Needed: Sample Return Missions and Analogs on Earth Broader Reflections on Mars Science, Search for Life, and Technology Choices Hosts: Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik Guest: Dr. Michael Tice Download or subscribe to This Week in Space at https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-space. Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free shows, a members-only Discord, and behind-the-scenes access. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit

    1h 4m

  3. 5 SEPT

    Beyond the Solar System - With Dr. Alan Stern, PI for New Horizons

    What's next in deep space exploration? Dr. Alan Stern, planetary scientist and the Principal Investigator for the New Horizons mission to Pluto, joins us to discuss what we learned about Pluto, the prospects for a future Pluto orbiter, the news from the Kuiper Belt, and to talk about his experiences as a commercial suborbital astronaut. Oh, and he might just mention that he was short-listed to fly on the space shuttle! Alan is one of those people that just has one adventure after another... did I mention that he dove on the Titanic? Yeah, that kind of guy. Join us for an hour of deep space adventure. Headlines: U.S. Faces Warnings of Losing Lunar Race to China NASA Selects a New Associate Administrator Third Interstellar Comet Spotted With Unusual CO2 Cloud Main Topic: Pluto, the New Horizons Mission, and the Future of Planetary Exploration Why Pluto Was Chosen as a Prime Target for Exploration Building and Launching New Horizons: Team Effort and Challenges Emotional Moments as Pluto Data Arrived on Earth Precise Navigation: Getting New Horizons Safely to Pluto Pluto's Surprising Geological Activity and Complexity Major Discoveries at Pluto's Moon Charon Exploring Arrokoth: Insights into Planetary Formation The Search for a Possible Third Flyby Target in the Kuiper Belt The Importance of Long-Term Funding for New Horizons NASA Budget Threats Could End Multiple Key Space Missions The Possible Role of Kuiper Belt Objects in Delivering Organics to Earth How Flybys at Pluto and Arrokoth Reshaped Theories of Planetary Systems Prospects for Future Pluto Orbiters and Human Spaceflight Advocacy for Continued U.S. Leadership in Deep Space Exploration Host: Rod Pyle Co-Host: Fredrick (Rick) Jenet Guest: Alan Stern Download or subscribe to This Week in Space at https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-space. Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free shows, a members-only Discord, and behind-the-scenes access. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit

    57 min

  4. 29 AUG

    More AI in Space - Crews and AI with Dr. Daniel Selva

    So you're on a months-long flight to Mars... seven months with five people and one computer as crewmates. You've been told to put any fears of a HAL-9000 computer takeover of your mission out of your mind, but can you, really? In this episode, Dr. Daniel Selva of Texas A&M joins us to talk about his recent study of crew interactions and trust with AI using, well, computers, and the HERA habitat simulator at NASA's Johnson Space Center. The results were not entirely as expected! Join us for this fascinating look at crew-AI interaction in spaceflight procedures and emergencies. Headlines: SpaceX Starship Flight 10 Nails Test Milestones, Despite Some Reentry Damage Simulated Satellite Deployments and Heat Shield Experiments Show Progress for Starship SETI's 1977 "Wow Signal" Mystery Gets Closer to Natural Explanation China Prepares for 2030 Moon Landing with New Hardware Tests, Spurs US Lunar Competition Main Topic: AI Helpers for Diagnosing Space Emergencies (Interview with Dr. Daniel Selva) Dr. Selva's Background and Journey from Europe to Texas A&M and Space AI Research Using AI Agents to Assist Astronauts During Long-Duration, Deep Space Missions Details of the DAPHNE Virtual Assistant Study: Lab and NASA Analog Experiments Surprising Results: AI Shows Big Benefits in Lab, Mixed Results with Experienced Crews Individual Differences: Experience, Trust, and Task Complexity Influence AI Effectiveness Real-World Limitations: Emergency Charts vs. AI, Training, and Interface Design Challenges Broader Implications: Evolving AI to Assist Mission Control, Crew Autonomy, and Future Tech Fun Sci-Fi Comparisons: Favorite AI Assistants in Movies and the Reality of Human-AI Collaboration Hosts: Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik Guest: Dr. Daniel Selva Download or subscribe to This Week in Space at https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-space. Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free shows, a members-only Discord, and behind-the-scenes access. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit

    58 min

  5. 22 AUG

    Gifts From Orbit - With Lynn Harper

    The International Space Station has been serving as a major research center in space for over 25 years, but its time is coming to an end with a planned deorbit in 2030. Should we end this expensive experiment in space, or are we squandering a $150 billion resource? Lynn Harper, the Lead for Integrative Studies at the NASA Ames Space Portal, joins us to discuss some of the amazing research taking place aboard the ISS. We've all heard about crystal growth and so forth, but how about the promising work done on cancer treatments? Or the growing of replacement retinas? Perhaps the potential breakthroughs for treating Alzheimer's disease might interest you? These and many more will be the focus of our conversation. Headlines: NASA Earth Science Faces Massive Cuts Under Interim Administrator Sean Duffy James Webb Telescope Discovers New Moon Orbiting Uranus SpaceX Gears Up for Starship Flight 10, Hopes for First Success of the Year Main Topic: International Space Station Spinoffs & NASA's InSPA Breakthroughs NASA's InSPA Program Pushes Space-Based Research for Terrestrial Benefits Microgravity Research Triggers Life-Changing Advances in Medicine and Technology Space-Grown Protein Crystals Revolutionize Cancer Treatments, Save Lives and Billions ISS Tissue Engineering Enables Next-Generation Organ and Cell Therapies Accelerated Disease Modeling in Space Fast-Tracks Drug Discovery for Alzheimer's, ALS, and Cancer Space-Based Manufacturing Dramatically Improves Semiconductor and Fiber Optic Quality The Case for Extending ISS Operations to Maintain Biomedical & Industrial Progress Future Visions: Overlapping Space Stations and Expansion into Commercial Free-Flyers and Industrial Complexes Hosts: Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik Guest: Lynn Harper Download or subscribe to This Week in Space at https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-space. Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free shows, a members-only Discord, and behind-the-scenes access. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit

    1h 8m

  6. 15 AUG

    The Return of the Malik - The Wild Proposals on NASA's Table

    Tariq is back from the Far East and bursting with space news! This week we'll look at the passing of Apollo 13 astronaut Jim Lovell, potential re-tasking of NASA's Juno probe from Jupiter to the interstellar interloper, 3I/Atlas--Avi Loeb wants it, of course--the third launch of ULA's Vulcan rocket, Artemis 2 lunar flyby updates, Virgin Galactic's new spaceplane (can they ever make a profit?), a proposed Pluto orbiter--with a planned mission of 50 years--and much more, on This Week in Space! Headlines: Remembering Apollo 13's Jim Lovell ULA's Vulcan Rocket Hits New Milestone With Powerful Launch Could Juno Chase an Interstellar Visitor? NASA Eyes Pluto Orbiter Mission Persephone Virgin Galactic Preps Next-Gen Delta Spaceplane Strange "Helmet" Rock Spotted on Mars Artemis II Orion Capsule Fuels Up for 2026 Launch Hosts: Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik Download or subscribe to This Week in Space at https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-space. Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free shows, a members-only Discord, and behind-the-scenes access. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit

    1h 3m

  7. 8 AUG

    Earth on Mars - Terraforming the Red Planet

    If we're ever to make Mars a second home, we have some serious housekeeping to do... as in a total renovation. The Red Planet has little atmosphere, no radiation shielding, and some seriously toxic soil. How can we make it more Earthlike... and should we? Dr. Erika Alden DeBenedictis joins us to discuss how terraforming might work, how it could be done in decades instead of millennia, and the questions surrounding the ethics of changing another planet to suit humanity's needs. We say it's a trailer park of a planet, but the best bet for human expansion. Dr. Rick Jenet is this week's co-host. Join us for the conversation! Headlines: NASA aims to place a nuclear reactor on the moon by 2030, competing with China's similar plans for the Moon. NASA's planned commercial space stations are facing delays. As ISS retirement nears, the U.S. risks losing its foothold in low-Earth orbit within the coming years. SpaceX hits 100 launches in 2025, dominating global orbital launch activity and enabling rapid rocket reuse. Main Topic: High-Speed Terraforming of Mars Guest Dr. Erika Alden DeBenedictis shares new, biotech-driven concepts for terraforming Mars much faster than traditional proposals. Dr. DeBenedictis shares a modern understanding of Mars' past and present environment, including radiation, toxic perchlorate-laced soil, and thin atmosphere. Discussion on the importance and challenges of Mars Sample Return for accurate soil and resource analysis. Modern synthetic biology as a tool for creating microbes tailored for Martian soil and future terraforming. A step-by-step outline by Dr. DeBenedictis on building a breathable Mars atmosphere via engineered photosynthetic microbes, engineered atmospheric warming, and greenhouse construction. Exploration of the ethical considerations and philosophical implications of turning Mars into a habitable "garden," weighing preservation versus transformation. Dr. DeBenedictis makes a case for Martian settlement, terraforming technology, and legal and resource challenges for commercial space expansion. And Dr. DeBenedictis' vision for Mars' future as a unique, partially Earth-like biosphere with new opportunities in planetary stewardship and human adaptation of the planet. Host: Rod Pyle Co-Host: Fredrick (Rick) Jenet Guest: Dr. Erika Alden DeBenedictis Download or subscribe to This Week in Space at https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-space. Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free shows, a members-only Discord, and behind-the-scenes access. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit

    1h 4m

  8. 1 AUG

    What's an UNOOSA? - Rick Jenet, the National Space Society, and the UN

    The United Nations has mediated conflicts since its founding in 1945. That domain of involvement extended into space in 1967 with the Outer Space Treaty. Today, their role is increasingly active with more and more nations entering space and the private sector getting into the game. The US's space-related branches, UNOOSA (the UN Office of Outer Space Affairs) and COPUOUS (UN Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space), are busy. Many years ago, the National Space Society gained permanent UN observer status, which is much less passive than the name sounds. The organization has addressed the committees on more than one occasion and is working to influence the policy for space flight positively. Dr. Rick Jenet has been instrumental in these efforts and joins us in explaining the landscape of newspace, international space efforts, and the organization's future initiatives.Headline Space Shuttle Discovery Controversy: Rod and Isaac discuss the proposed $85 million move of the Space Shuttle Discovery from the Smithsonian to Houston, plan that faces obstacles from the Smithsonian, which holds the rights to the shuttle. Main Topic: UNOOSA & Dr. Rick Jenet The National Space Society's UN Observer Status: Dr. Jenet explains that the NSS gained permanent observer status at the UN in 2001. The NSS uses this privilege to inform delegates by providing research and presentations. UNOOSA and COPUOS Explained: Dr. Jenet clarifies that UNOOSA organizes the Committee on Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS). While UNOOSA maintains a registry of space objects, COPUOS is the body of 104 member states that develops legal frameworks. Outer Space Treaty of 1967: Dr. Jenet talks about the Outer Space Treaty, a global treaty dating back to the Cold War era that governs how state actors behave in space. He that the treaty's language on property ownership is being re-examined due to the rise of commercial space activities. Space Traffic Management and Orbital Debris: Dr. Jenet highlights that discussions on space traffic management and orbital debris are in their early stages. These discussions focus on basic tenets like coordination and information sharing. Lunar Activities and Resource Utilization: The development of policies for lunar exploration and resource extraction is also an area of new activity. UNOOSA's "Action Team for Lunar Activities Consultation," with co-chairs from Romania and Pakistan, coordinates the future of humanity's return to the moon by aligning different national initiatives. The "Regulation Sandbox" Concept: Dr. Jenet discusses the "regulation sandbox" concept, where existing regulations for an area with commercial potential, for example a lunar ice deposit, are set aside for a limited time to allow a new set of rules to be tested. This concept could be applied more boradly to space launch or ISRU. Why the Public Should Care: Dr. Jenet emphasizes that the public should care about these efforts because these high-level discussions will lead to international laws governing the behavior of all actors in space, including private companies and entrepreneurs. Early awareness of these frameworks will be less painful for startups later on. These show notes have been truncated due to length. For the full show notes, visit https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-space/episodes/171 Host: Rod Pyle Co-Host: Isaac Arthur Guest: Fredrick (Rick) Jenet

    56 min
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About

The new space age is upon us, and This Week in Space leaves no topic untouched. Every Friday, join Editor-in-Chief of Ad Astra magazine, Rod Pyle and Managing Editor of Space.com, Tariq Malik as they explore everything related to the cosmos. You can join Club TWiT for $10 per month and get ad-free audio and video feeds for all our shows plus everything else the club offers...or get just this podcast ad-free for $5 per month. New episodes posted every Friday.

Information

  • Creator
    TWiT
  • Years Active
    2022 - 2025
  • Episodes
    176
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License - Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International - http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
  • Show Website
    This Week in Space (Audio)
  • Provider
    TWiT, LLC

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