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PODCAST · science

This Week in Space (Video)

by TWiT

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.

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Episodes

  1. TWiS 232: The Lunar Dump - Over 800 GB of Moon Data

    In this week's episode we turned to Chelsea Gohd, former writer for NASA/JPL and now with Space.com, to talk about the recent large data dump from the Artemis II mission. What was included? Why is this new data important? What observations were made, and what discoveries might result from them?...

  2. TWiS 231: Sailing the Stellar Seas - Our Favorite Space Sci-Fi!

    From the earliest works of Jules Verne and H.G. Wells to the best of contemporary space science fiction, Tariq and I dive deep into our favorite space si-fi across the ages! And our challenge to you for some of the most obscure titles we know. Headlines: Remembering Apollo Era Legends Margaret...

  3. TWiS 230: Living on Lava Worlds - Atmospheres on Lava-Covered Exoplanets

    Think you're having a hot summer? Try living on 55 Cancri-e, a super-Earth with daytime temperatures above 4000 degrees Fahrenheit. Most of these super-Earths orbit frighteningly close to their host stars and have long since had their atmospheres scraped away, leaving them baked, parched rocks.…

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  4. TWiS 229: Is It Starship's Time? - Test Flight 14 to Orbit

    This week it's Rod and Tariq working through the most important space headlines. The big story: Starship could launch test flight 14 as early as Monday the 28th. We've seen lots of tests, but this is the first attempt at an orbital flight, the success of which is necessary for the lunar landing...

  5. TWiS 228: What's a HOTOL? - Britain in Space

    In the 1980s, as the US space shuttle was just starting operations, the UK embarked on an ambitious project called HOTOL—short for Horizontal Take Off and Landing, a radical, air-breathing spaceplane design. Political and funding shifts in the UK ultimately derailed the project, despite the...

  6. TWiS 227: TrekMania - Michael Okuda Talks LCARS, Easter Eggs, and Sci-Fi Innovation

    Hold onto your phasers, but it's been 60 years since Star Trek's debut, and the franchise is still going strong. For 40 of those years, Mike Okuda, working with a gifted team that included his wife Denise, has been central to the look, feel, and substance of the Star Trek universe. From the LCARS...

  7. TWiS 226: Who Owns the Moon? - Capitalism and Property Rights in Space

    Capitalism—and a strong profit motivation—has driven enterprise for centuries. Two notable examples are the East India Company and the US transcontinental railroad, and the various tycoons who built it. In neither case, by today's standards, were the operations fair or ethical on a number of...

  8. TWiS 225: Get a Grip! - New Technologies for Orbital Salvage

    The mitigation of orbital debris is an increasingly serious problem that has not gotten enough attention, but this is changing. Commercial companies are addressing orbital debris, and one of them, KMI Space, has flown its experiments aboard the International Space Station, performing over 170...

  9. TWiS 224: The Science of Artemis - What We'll Do on the Moon

    It has been said that the Moon is a harsh mistress, and nowhere is this more apparent than at the lunar south pole. That is, however, where the Artemis program is headed, and we need to figure out how to best explore the region. Dr. David Kring of the Universities Space Research Association's…

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  10. TWiS 223: The Lunar Domain - Our Future on the Moon with Dr. Scott Pace

    We're headed for a space renaissance, and it will be focused on the Moon. The US, China, and international partners of both are vying to land people there and construct a permanent lunar base. Meanwhile, NASA is evolving to embrace commercial enterprise unlike any time in its past, and American...

  11. TWiS 222: How to Invade Earth in 22 Easy Steps - With Rich Edwards

    We've all seen the movies... the aliens come to Earth, the aliens overcome the inferior humans, and the aliens fall prey to something dumb they overlooked, like microbes, Windows 95, or most absurdly, water. From the 1950s through yesterday, some of the best movies we've seen were about the...

  12. TWiS 221: Starship Can Float? - Roman Space Telescope Ready to Launch!

    Rod Pyle is out this week, so Rick Jenet of the National Space Society joins Tariq Malik this week to talk about SpaceX's Starship Flight 13, which deployed new Starlink V3 satellites and stunned viewers when the ship survived reentry intact enough to float in the ocean for days afterward. They...

  13. TWiS 220: First on Mars - The 50th Anniversary of Viking 1

    This week, we cover how Starship Flight 13 finally prepares to launch amid a legal battle over SpaceX's proposed land swap at Starbase, plus a Chinese Long March 3B rocket gets struck by lightning during liftoff, yet still delivers its satellite safely. Then, guests Dr. Pascal Lee and...

  14. TWiS 219: SpaceX Goes to War! - And Other Space Headlines

    This week we're jumping into the space headlines for the past few weeks. It's been busy, and some exciting things are happening! A couple of companies are moving into the space solar power arena--something we've long advocated--and that's welcome progress. Starship is set to fly Starship test...

  15. TWiS 218: Which Way to the Moonbase? - With Dr. Pascal Lee

    We've been hearing a lot about NASA's new moonbase plans, and they are ambitious. Starting with Artemis V (so far), the US plans to begin preparations for a permanent base situated in the south polar regions of the moon. Details are somewhat fluid, but one thing stands out: the poles are likely…

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  16. TWiS 217: America in Space - 250 Years of Bold Firsts & Our Favorite Missions!

    Since 1958, the United States has been part of the spaceflight adventure, and since the mid-1960s has led in just about any category that counts. In this episode, we discuss the progression of American space efforts, review which flights launched or landed on July 4, and relive some of our very...

  17. TWiS 216: Dark Matter Intelligence - With Physicist Dr. Daniel Whiteson

    We've had endless conversations about aliens and first contact--but what if a conversation with other intelligences is beyond our scope? Dr. Daniel Whiteson, particle physicist at CERN's Large Hadron Collider and professor at UC Irvine, joins us to explore less conventional thoughts on first...

  18. TWiS 215: Disclosure Day - With Dr. David Brin

    If you've seen "Disclosure Day" or "Age of Disclosure," you're going to want to join us for this fascinating discussion with famed bestselling sci-fi/sci-fact author Dr. David Brin. Long known for his universe-spanning visions, storytelling skills, and occasionally contrarian viewpoints, this...

  19. TWiS 214: Moon Man - With Former NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine

    There are NASA Administrators, and then there are NASA Administrators—all are very accomplished individuals, but some stand out for their unique backgrounds and on-the-job successes, and Jim Bridenstine is one of the latter. Entering service as the new NASA Administrator in 2017 with a background...

  20. TWiS 213: Live From ISDC With Gerry Griffin - NASA Flight Director Breaks Down the Realities of Spaceflight

    Recorded live from the International Space Development Conference in McLean, Virginia, Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik are joined by Apollo legend and former Johnson Space Center director Gerry Griffin. Griffin takes us on a journey through his extraordinary career, from his appointment as a flight...

  21. TWiS 212: Kabooms, Starship, and a Moon Base - What New Glenn's Explosion Means for NASA's Moon Base

    What a wild week in space news! We were all set to discuss Starship Test Flight 12 and NASA's recent press conference updating their lunar base plans, when on Thursday night, Blue Origin lost a New Glenn rocket on the pad during a static test. The explosion appears to have severely damaged the...

  22. TWiS 209: Astronauts for America - The Best of the Best Speak Out

    Many of us grew up idolizing astronauts as the best of the best that America—and other nations—have to offer. After leaving NASA, many of them go on to relatively routine careers in business or academia, but some stay "on mission" and continue striving to improve the human condition. The 100-plus...

  23. TWiS 207: What, This Again? - Attempted Cuts to the NASA Budget

    As you have doubtless heard, the White House has once again proposed drastic budget cuts of about 24% for NASA's 2027 budget. It's deja vu all over again for us, as we followed an almost identical story last year. And as with last year, Congress has signaled the new budget to be DOA. This time,...

  24. TWiS 206: I Want to Believe - When We Meet the Aliens

    What happens next when science can confidently announce the discovery of an alien life form? Whether it's a fully functioning civilization or a lowly Martian microbe, the implications are vast. Dr. Brianne Suldovsky of Portland State University has studied this mostly ignored question and come up...

  25. TWiS 205: All About Artemis - The Brilliance of Artemis 2

    This week's episode is devoted to the flight of Artemis II. From the spectacular, on-time launch to the lunar flyby to reentry preparation, we chart all the major events of the mission. Some are technical and scientific--the interest in the small meteoritic impacts on the lunar farside and the...

  26. TWiS 204: A New NASA - Artemis 2 Firsthand, and Isaacman Shakes up NASA!

    We've seen NASA go through a lot of drama this year, and recently, some remarkable changes have been announced under the new administrator, Jared Isaacman. We're taking a deep dive into what's changed, what's the same, and what to expect. But first: Tariq and Rod are in Houston monitoring the...

  27. TWiS 203: China Rising - With Dr. Namrata Goswami

    Many suggest there is a new space race afoot, this time between the US and China. We've also seen that America seems to be at its best in innovation and achievement when challenged by some external force. Will the Chinese human lunar program light the fuse of American innovation and…

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  28. TWiS 202: Artemis Imminent - Artemis II Back on the Pad!

    We've waited, and we've waited, and it looks like Artemis 2 might be ready to go in early April! It's moved back to the launch pad, LC-39B, and will begin preparations for a launch as early as April 1. There will be no wet-dress rehearsal this time — associate administrator Lori Glaze said in a...

  29. TWiS 201: Born to Explore - With Jay Gallentine

    When most people think about deep space exploration, management acumen is generally not the first thing they settle on—but without it, no robotic mission would ever succeed. This week we are joined by Jay Gallentine, author of multiple books on the robotic exploration of space. Each of these…

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  30. TWiS 200: Our 200th Episode Listener Special! - We're Talking to You!

    It's our 200th episode, our annual listener special! We took your comments, suggestions, advice, and insults and wove them into a rollicking, fun-filled hour of mishaps, mayhem, and mirth! Plus space headlines and a whole passel of your space jokes! This is a fun one, so don't be shy—join us!...

  31. TWiS 199: The Obsolete Astronaut? - And a New Report on Crewed Mars Missions

    In this age of rapidly advancing AI and robotic technology, do we still need to send humans into space? The argument has long been that people can do things better and faster off-Earth, but the changing face of robotic tech has some feeling otherwise. This week's guest is a returning friend of…

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  32. TWiS 198: A Dragonfly on Titan - Inside the Dragonfly Mission

    One of the most exciting missions to ever journey to the outer solar system has the be the Dragonfly multi-rotor helicopter that will head to Saturn's moon Titan in 2028. The car-sized probe will arrive at that strange, frozen world in 2034, descending into the soupy, smoggy atmosphere and then...

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ABOUT THIS SHOW

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.

HOSTED BY

TWiT

Produced by Leo Laporte

Frequently Asked Questions

How many episodes does This Week in Space (Video) have?

This Week in Space (Video) currently has 32 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.

What is This Week in Space (Video) 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...

How often does This Week in Space (Video) release new episodes?

This Week in Space (Video) has 32 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.

Where can I listen to This Week in Space (Video)?

You can listen to This Week in Space (Video) on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.

Who hosts This Week in Space (Video)?

This Week in Space (Video) is created and hosted by TWiT.
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