This Week in Space (Audio)

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 lunar efforts are lagging. What are the stakes? Does it matter who returns humans there first? What does the future of lunar commerce look like? Dr. Scott Pace, the Director of the Space Policy Institute at George Washington University, joins us.



Main Topic: The Evolving Lunar Domain and US Space Policy

• Dr. Scott Pace's space policy background and legacy

• Policy continuity from Trump to Biden and the focus on implementation

• Artemis program direction and geopolitical influences

• The importance of commercial and international partnerships

• NASA's commercial contract successes and limitations

• Need for an off-ramp from SLS as commercial heavy lift matures

• Differentiating between short-term wins and long-term infrastructure goals in lunar strategy

• Tension between NASA centers and commercial LEO station development

• Challenges and prospects for lunar landers from SpaceX and Blue Origin

• Recommendations for NASA's future focus: tough technical problems, integration, and talent

• The cultural and inspirational necessity of human presence in space despite advancing AI and robotics

Host: Rod Pyle

Co-Host: Dale Skran

Guest: Dr. Scott Pace

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 audio and video feeds, a members-only Discord, and exclusive content. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit

Sponsors:
threatlocker.com/twit

rippling.ai/twis

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 invasion of our planet. They can be clever, scary, or even downright dumb, but they are all fun. Veteran space writer Rich Edwards joins us to give advice on how to repel the invaders!



Headlines:

Department of Defense drops new batch of UFO/UAP files

Blue Origin traces New Glenn rocket explosion to faulty oxygen valve

SpaceX's first public earnings call reveals key financials and hints at Starship's future

Total solar eclipse set to cross Europe; safety tips and gear recommendations

Main Topic: How to Invade Earth in Sci-Fi—22 Dos and Don'ts with Rich Edwards

The enduring appeal and adaptability of War of the Worlds

Why alien invaders always go for major landmarks (and why it's all for show)

Critique of aliens with impractical invasion strategies—water allergies and cocky attitudes

Pop culture's obsession with alien disguises, conspiracy plots, and gradual infiltration

Deep dive into Invasion of the Body Snatchers, Day of the Triffids, and the power of slow, stealthy takeovers

Starting small: Alien invasions in isolated towns and subtle conquests

The strategic use of time travel in alien invasion movies, with Star Trek: First Contact

Why James Cameron's Aliens remains a sci-fi invasion classic decades later

What makes a satisfying alien invasion ending—and the pitfalls of lazy resolutions

Hosts: Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik

Guest: Richard Edwards

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 audio and video feeds, a members-only Discord, and exclusive content. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit

Sponsor:
helixsleep.com/space

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 also discuss NASA's Roman Space Telescope, now just a month from launch, and an in-progress emergency effort to save the ailing Swift Space Observatory using a servicing spacecraft that is itself now experiencing technical trouble. Finally, they look into Boeing's continued Starliner delays and India's first successful private orbital launch via Skyroot Aerospace's Vikram-1 rocket. Tune in!



Headlines:

SpaceX Starship Flight 13 Splashdown and Recovery Efforts

Starlink V3 Satellite Deployment Updates

SpaceX Wins $1.6 Billion Space Force Contract

NASA's Roman Space Telescope Countdown and Origin Story

Urgent Swift Space Observatory Rescue Mission Faces Technical Setbacks

Boeing Starliner Faces More Delays and Uncertainty

India's First Commercial Rocket Launch Enters Global Market

Artemis II Astronaut Questions South Pole as Lunar Landing Target

Astronomers Detect Possible First-Ever Exomoon

Upcoming SpaceX Falcon 9 Impact Experiment on the Moon

Preview: August Almost Total Solar Eclipse and Night Sky Events

Host: Tariq Malik

Co-Host: Fredrick (Rick) Jenet

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 audio and video feeds, a members-only Discord, and exclusive content. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit

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 astrobiologist Dr. Penny Boston join the show to mark the 50th anniversary of Viking 1's landing on Mars and revisit the mission's groundbreaking life-detection experiments and the decades-long controversy over what they actually found. The conversation traces Mars exploration from the earliest Mariner flybys through Viking's ambiguous, still-debated results—later explained by perchlorates in the Martian soil—and the fierce scientific rivalry the findings sparked. Join us!



Headlines:

SpaceX Starship Flight 13 faces engine and weather delays ahead of launch

SpaceX land swap proposal sparks conservation group lawsuit over Rio Grande Valley wildlife preserve

Chinese Long March rocket survives dramatic lightning strike during launch

Main Topic: 50th Anniversary of Viking Mars Landers—Search for Life on Mars

The evolution of Mars exploration from telescopes to Viking lander

Early Mars missions: Mariner flybys, Soviet attempts, and breakthroughs in orbital imaging

Viking 1 and 2: Ambitious design, life-detection experiments, and landing impact

Mixed public and scientific reactions to Viking's first iconic Mars surface images

Technical overview of the Viking biology experiments and their controversial results

The unresolved debate: Did Viking detect life or chemical reactions on Mars?

Personal accounts of key scientists, scientific disputes, and the "Wolf Trap" experiment that never flew

Lessons from Viking: Limitations of technology, extremophile discoveries, and shifting strategies for detecting life

The scientific case for seeking life in Martian caves and subsurface environments

Critique of current and future Mars missions: Perseverance rover findings and value of Mars Sample Return

Exploring planetary protection, contamination risks, and the challenges of certifying Martian samples=

Key takeaways for future missions—bold searches, new technologies, and the ongoing quest for answers

Hosts: Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik

Guests: Pascal Lee and Dr. Penelope Boston

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 audio and video feeds, a members-only Discord, and exclusive content. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit

Sponsor:
rippling.ai/twis

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 number 13, and a lot is riding on this--the system is overdue for some proof of concept to keep up with NASA's HLS contract. An exoplanet spotted a decade ago has shown signs of a potentially habitable atmosphere; there are landslides--big ones--on Pluto, and evidence of "space candy" sugars in an interstellar cloud are in the news. Finally, SpaceX is doubling down on their big defense contracts with a well-funded US Space Force. Join us for all the latest!



Headlines:

SpaceX Starship Flight 13 Launch Aborted Due to Engine Issue

Meteorite Crashes Into New Jersey, Preserved Sample Fuels Origins of Life Research

Discovery of Atmosphere Around Habitable-Zone Exoplanet LHS 1140 b

NASA Moon Tree Planted After Artemis 1 Mission

Reflect Orbital to Launch Mirrors in Space, Sparking Astronomer Backlash

Landslides Found on Pluto Could Bury Entire Cities

Rare Sugar Found in Interstellar Cloud Hints at Building Blocks of Life

SpaceX's Growing Military Launch Contracts and Pentagon Ties

Space Development Agency's Expanding Satellite Constellation for Space Force

Starship's Dual Focus: NASA Moon Landings vs. Mars and Satellite Deployment

Artemis 3 Updates: New Renderings, Docking Plans, and Starlink HD Laser Payloads

Defense Innovation Unit's Push for Space-Based Power Beaming Technology

Pulse Space and Laser-Based Satellite Power and Communication

New Satellite Concept to Detect Nuclear Devices in Orbit Amid Global Security Concerns

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 audio and video feeds, a members-only Discord, and exclusive content. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit

Sponsors:
blackhat.com/us-26 and use code TWIT

ethos.com/twis