Liftoff

In 1972, the final lunar mission of the Apollo program took place, finally sending a geologist to study the moon up close.

In the early morning of November 16, the SLS launched for the very first time.

Jason and Stephen pop open the hatch to marvel at the JWST's first images, talk about the SLS and wonder what is going on with Russia and the ISS.

In April 1972, the crew of Apollo 16 spent 71 hours on the surface of the moon after a series of technical glitches put their landing in jeopardy. The second of three J-missions, the crew spent nearly three whole days on the surface and completed an EVA on the way home, returning one day earlier than initially planned.

The SLS has enjoyed some Florida sunshine but is headed back to the VAB for more work. This time, Stephen and Jason catch up on NASA's new rocket, plus some other news.

On this special episode, Stephen and Jason celebrate the launch of the James Webb Space Telescope and talk about the future of the podcast. The short version is that we will no longer be publishing every other week. Moving forward, we'll be recording special episodes as major news warrants.

Days away from (hopefully) the launch of the James Webb Space Telescope, Stephen and Jason talk about the hype around the mission, as well as the latest with SLS and Starliner.

The future of the International Space Station is the topic of a new report, all while the SLS inches closer to its first launch. Also: DART is on its way to a celestial crash and a spacewalk has been delayed thanks to debris from the recent Russian ASAT test.

Artemis' 2024 lunar landing is officially off the table. Russia has shot one of its own satellites down, leading to emergency procedures being carried out at the ISS. Yeah, not a great week in space.

Ingenuity is flying faster than ever as JWST and SLS inch closer to launch. Then, a look at two different proposed commercial space stations.

This week, Jason preps a glass of ice water for Stephen and the two discuss recent Starliner updates, the future of the ISS and Lucy.

This week, there's news about cubesats, several commercial space programs and more. Then, a look at what is going on at Blue Origin.

NASA has published information about its work with AR, VR and getting sleepy while in a self-driving car. Jason and Stephen talk through the reports, then get into the breaking news of NASA's two new mission directorates.

It's a real roller coaster this week, except for the Astra rocket that went ... sideway off the pad. Other stories include Inspiration4, the James Webb Space Telescope and dual-core stars.

Boeing is returning the Starliner capsule to the factory, while Cassini continues to teach us about Saturn from beyond the grave. Then, Stephen and Jason give good and bad news about Artemis.

Jason and Stephen are back, catching up on the news. Topics include SLS flight computers, Starliner's continued struggles, the recent incident at the ISS and a lot more.

As the first J mission, Apollo 15 marked a new era of broader discovery and scientific work on the lunar surface. David Scott, Alfred M. Worden, James Irwin worked to further our understanding of the moon, and were the center of a bit of a scandal after splashdown.

Jason and Stephen check in on the Hubble's progress to return to normal operation and talk about Russia's upcoming ISS plans. Then, a discussion of billionaires in space and how the Virgin Galactic and Blue Origin missions are changing the world of space travel.

Jason and Stephen catch up with several commercial space companies before reviewing footage of Zhurong on Mars and talking about the issues currently plaguing the Hubble Space Telescope.

After catching up on a couple of present and future robotic missions, Stephen and Jason talk with former astronaut Dr. Ed Lu about his work at the B612 Foundation, which is focused on protecting Earth from large asteroid strikes.

It's budget time, and Stephen is here with the numbers. He and Jason are both excited about the final steps before the JWST launches. That, and a bunch of news updates this fortnight!

This fortnight, Jason and Stephen catch up on what NASA's new administrator has been saying about the future of the agency, and China's actions in space, both near and far away.

There's a new boss at NASA, and he already has a mess to deal with in the contested Human Landing System contract with SpaceX, which is seeing success in Texas with Starship testing. Then, an update on Mars missions and a goodbye to Michael Collins.

With its Ingenuity Mars Helicopter's first flight compete, NASA has made history, opening the door to missions beyond landers and rovers. Also: what SpaceX's Human Landing System contract means for the SLS and the future of NASA leadership.

This fortnight, Jason and Stephen discuss traffic management at the International Space Station, upgrades to KSC's ground systems in preparation for SLS and the instruments that will fly with Europa Clipper.

The SLS has completed a full-length hot fire test and NASA is on the verge of having a new administrator, all while SpaceX continue to move ahead with its Starship testing.

March is here, and it brings with it a lot of space news. On Mars, Perseverance is busy with a lot of firsts, even as Insight says goodbye to an old friend. In Texas, SpaceX keeps churning out test vehicles as the SLS program readies for a second hot fire test. Elsewhere, China and Russia join forces to build a lunar space station.

Jason and Stephen are joined by Eric Berger to discuss his new book *Liftoff,* which covers the origins of SpaceX. Eric is the Senior Space Editor at Ars Technica and the book comes out on March 2. The guys also discussed the landing of Perseverance, the Starship test flights and who may be the next NASA Administrator.

On this bonus episode, Jason and Stephen speak with Ron Moore, co-creator, writer and producer of *For All Mankind.* Topics covered include the challenges writing for a parallel timeline and a bit about episode 1 of the new season after a spoiler warning is given.

Jason and Stephen are getting back to the news, and talk about Alan Shepard's golf balls, the state of NASA's programs under the Biden administration and what NASA would do if the SLS program were ended. Lastly, they discuss the upcoming Inspiration4 mission.

Less than a year after the disastrous Apollo 13 mission, the program returned to flight when Alan Shepard, Stuart Roosa and Edgar Mitchell landed on the moon in February, 1971.

Jason and Stephen start 2021 by picking some things they are looking forward to in what promises to be a very busy year in space.

You get a sample return; you get a sample return; you get a sample return! In other news: SN8 had a rough landing, SpaceIL is getting back on the horse and NASA has unveiled more Artemis plans.

The world is mourning the uncontrolled collapse of the Arecibo observatory, even as China's Chang’e-5 mission is underway to return lunar samples to Earth, which would be a first since the final Apollo mission. Also: an update on the SLS and Orion and a look at what's going on at Roscosmos.

Commercial Crew has gotten official with the launch of Crew-1 over the weekend, the start of a six-month expedition on the International Space Station. That and the possibilities of Jim Bridenstine's future. Oh, and kilonovas!

Zac Hall from Space Explored and 9to5Mac joins Jason to discuss the post-election future of NASA (and administrator Jim Bridenstine), the 20th anniversary of the permanent habitation of the International Space Station, a bunch of news about the moon, and OSIRIS-REx taking a bite out of Bennu.

Stephen comes with good news about InSight's Mole, and Jason says there probably aren't aliens on Venus. Also: OSIRIS-REx is due for a big day and the space industry in China is heating up.

Jason and Stephen are joined by Dr. Katie Mack to discuss her book *The End of Everything: (Astrophysically Speaking).*

The recent announcement of phosphine being detected in Venus' atmosphere could have a major effect on future scientific missions, so Jason is excited about space blimps again. Then, Stephen walks through NASA's most recent Artemis roadmap, and the guys discuss what the future of the program could look like if the White House changes hands next year.

In the Utah desert, Northrop Grumman has tested a full-sized SLS SRB, while the future of work in low-Earth orbit is being debated. On Mars, InSight's troubles continue and 17 billion light years-away, two black holes have collided.

It's a busy week on Florida's Space Coast, and supernovas are in the news. Thankfully the two won't cross paths. Neither will Earth and an asteroid the day before Election Day in the United States.

Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley have splashed down after their historic mission to the ISS, and SpaceX's finally gotten a Starship test article to hop in Texas and the OSIRIS-REx team is gearing up for their sample return flight. Also: Ceres' bright spots, government contracts and an update on the SLS.

Mars 2020 is set to launch in just a few days, and should be followed by the splashdown of the Commercial Crew Demo-2 mission. Elsewhere, Virgin Galactic has shown off the interior of its space tourism craft, and we remember Rene Carpenter.

There are three missions bound for Mars launching this month, and Jason walks through them each. Then, Stephen gives a NASA budget update and the two get into some space law ... and guidelines.

This week: black holes doing weird black hole things, a progress report on the SLS and a discussion of how some of NASA's facilities should be renamed.

The crew of Demo-2 are likely working on orbit until August, while here on the ground, COVID-19 is taking its toll on NASA schedules. Also: a conversation about CLPS and Gateway, as well as NASA's new Director of Human Spaceflight, Kathy Lueders.

The age of Commercial Crew has arrived, with Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken arriving at the International Space Station safely after riding a Falcon 9 there this weekend. Also: tiny CubeSats can do big things and Tom Cruise may be taking a trip.

The Artemis Accords have been unveiled, but will their adoption be hurt by their rollout? Could Starship be more useful as a refueling station than a lander? Jason and Stephen get into these questions and more this fortnight.

NASA has unveiled its plans to source a lunar lander for the Artemis program, while Hubble celebrates its 30th anniversary.

May seems to be the Month of Commercial Crew! Also: NASA is working from home, an exoplanet may be no more and a look at a future Mars sample return mission.