Lander, lander, who's got the lander? Last week, acting NASA Administrator Sean Duffy announced that the agency would be re-opening the contract for the Artemis III lunar lander, which had previously been let to SpaceX to be fulfilled by their Starship Human Landing System. Unfortunately, that effort is well behind schedule, and the Trump administration has made landing astronauts on the moon, before China does, a national priority. With multiple refuelings and landing tests required, there is concern that SpaceX may not be able to fulfil their commitment before China's announced landing date of 2030. Elon Musk responded to the announcement with characteristic tack, with phrasing like "Sean Dummy" and him having a two-digit IQ. Mike Wall of Space.com joins us to dive into this rapidly evolving story.
Hosts: Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik
Guest: Mike Wall
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If you ever saw the IMAX spectacular, "The Dream is Alive," you've seen astronaut Terry Hart in action, capturing the Solar Max satellite with the shuttle's robotic arm. But even if you missed that film, Terry has had a fascinating career as an Air Force pilot, NASA astronaut, senior leadership at Bell Labs (more than once!), and as an academic and creator of a new aerospace engineering program at Lehigh University. Join us for an enjoyable hour with one of our favorite guys. Also, is Jared Isaacman back as the new NASA Administrator? Will the Orion capsule soon be used for non-NASA missions? And what's going on with the layoffs at the Jet Propulsion Lab? All this and more on This Week in Space.
Headlines:
Main Topic: Astronaut Terry Hart's Career, Space Shuttle Missions, and NASA's Evolution
Hosts: Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik
Guest: Terry Hart
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World Space Week is a global celebration of all things space, bringing together thousands of participants from all over the planet to celebrate our future in space. Chartered by the United Nations in 1999, this year's theme is "Living in Space." The many associated events from across the world are a reminder to all of the importance of space in our lives and our future, and a clarion call to international youth of the value of their future involvement. We spoke with the WSW Association's executive director, Alma Okpalefe, who explained their origins, activities, and plans for the future. It's one of the premier space-related events of the year, and when you're done with the episode, you'll want to know more!
Headlines:
Main Topic: World Space Week 2025
Hosts: Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik
Guest: Alma Okpalefe
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This week we cover the headlines, from the shutdown of NASA, to the risky dismantling of the space shuttle Discovery (because Texas insists), to a rogue exoplanet's weird weather, and much more. Should we be worried about China investing in SpaceX? How about those close-up shots of the interstellar visitor 3I/Atlas? And are asteroids hiding out near Venus a threat to Earth? All this and more on episode 180 of This Week in Space.
Headlines:
• NASA Suffers Major Disruption Amid Government Shutdown
• Shuttle Discovery Faces Potential Forced Dismantling for Texas Move
• China Might be Eying Perseverance Mars Samples in Race to Retrieve Martian Rocks
• Near-Venus Asteroids Pose Hidden Threats to Earth
• Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS Gets Close-Up for Mars Orbiters
• Concerns Over Chinese Investments in SpaceX
• China Fast-Tracks Lunar Landing Systems and Rocket Tests
• James Webb Telescope Delivers First Rogue Exoplanet Weather Report
Hosts: Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik
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It's almost time for Artemis II to fly to the moon! We got together with Space.com writer Josh Dinner, who joined our own Tariq to attend the "astro unveiling" of NASA's newest class of astronauts and a major press event surrounding the crew of Artemis II. The mission is currently scheduled to loop the moon in early 2026. Join us for the newest details!
Headlines:
Main Topic: Artemis II Updates and NASA's Next Generation Astronauts
Hosts: Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik
Guest: Josh Dinner
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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
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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:
Main Topic: Signs of Ancient Life Discovered on Mars by Perseverance
Hosts: Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik
Guest: Dr. Michael Tice
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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:
Main Topic: Pluto, the New Horizons Mission, and the Future of Planetary Exploration
Host: Rod Pyle
Co-Host: Fredrick (Rick) Jenet
Guest: Alan Stern
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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:
Main Topic: AI Helpers for Diagnosing Space Emergencies (Interview with Dr. Daniel Selva)
Hosts: Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik
Guest: Dr. Daniel Selva
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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:
Main Topic: International Space Station Spinoffs & NASA's InSPA Breakthroughs
Hosts: Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik
Guest: Lynn Harper
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