The Next Space Race: Joe Pappalardo

The impressive launch of the Falcon Heavy rocket by SpaceX from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, and the touchdown of two boosters back at Cape Canaveral minutes later, are the latest milestones in a thrilling comeback story. Space is becoming sexy again and the pace of innovation is remarkably fast.Not since the days of John Glenn,the Apollo moon launch, and the Space Shuttle program has spaceflight been so exciting.In this episode, technology journalist Joe Pappalardo, author of the new book, "Spaceport Earth: The Reinvention of Spaceflight", tells us why the emerging space race is different this time, and includes a vital role played by SpaceX, Blue Origin and other private companies. Their drive may lead to stunning advances in the human quest to explore and understand the universe.The goal of entrepreneur and billionaire visionary Elon Musk, is to put men and women on Mars. In addition to the shining ambition of interplanetary travel, Musk's firm, SpaceX, has already sharply cut the cost of rocket launches. Learn more about current breakthroughs as well as how NASA can play a leading role in this episode of "How Do We Fix It?" Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.