The Space Show

Pending summary Dr. Sara Seager, MIT

Dr. Keller, a professor emeritus of paleontology and geology at Princeton, shared her journey from a childhood in poverty to becoming a leading expert on mass extinctions and impact events. She discussed her unconventional path, including traveling the world during wars and surviving a shooting, before eventually pursuing a career in science. Dr. Keller's research challenges the traditional asteroid impact theory for the extinction of dinosaurs, proposing instead that volcanic activity played a significant role. The Space Show audience was introduced to her work and invited to learn more about her findings and career. Read the full summary at www.theswpaceshow.com and at doctorspace.substack.com. In addition, you can watch the Zoom video at the Substack address, both of which are dated Sept. 134, 2025.

Our program primarily focused on Rick's upcoming book "Why Space: The Purpose of People" and his involvement in the New Worlds and Cowboy Ball conference in Austin, which will feature various workshops, speakers, and entertainment. The group discussed the Earthlight Foundation's "Space 4" project for STEM education in Ukraine and an upcoming art exhibition featuring space-themed paintings. The conversation concluded with discussions about NASA leadership challenges, concerns about the Space Launch System program, and plans for future space exploration initiatives. See the full summary at www.thespaceshow.com and doctorspace.substack.com on this date.

The program focused on discussing NASA's lunar exploration program and its challenges, with participants expressing concerns about the current complexity of the mission architecture and its potential for failure. The group explored alternative approaches and architectures, including simpler lander options and reusable vehicle systems, while considering the geopolitical implications of China's space program and the need for U.S. technological leadership. The discussion concluded with proposals for an independent review of NASA's space program to assess its feasibility and recommend potential changes, with emphasis on the importance of maintaining American prominence in space exploration. Read the full summary of this program for this date, Friday, Sept. 12, 2025 at www.thespaceshow.com and doctorspace.substack.com.

Summary is pending

Dallas Bienhoff was our guest regarding cislunar space. Dallas defined cislunar, talked about our being in a space race, including a race for lunar development and a presence on the Moon. We talked about propellants, a Moon Base, the Chinese lunar program, L4 and L5 points, Artemis and the potential usage of same by government and military. Be sure to read the full summary of this program at www.thespaceshow.com and also at doctorspace.substack.com for this date, Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2025.

Mike Gold from Redwire Space spoke about many topics including budgets, Artemis, international relations and space, China, UAPs and more. See the full summary at www.thespaceshow.com for this date as well as both the video and audio archive at doctorspace.substack.com.

Eric talked about the Starship flight 10, overall Starship progress and Artemis timelines. He also talked about the upcoming Version 3 of Starship next year. Read the full summary at www.thespaceshow.com and also doctorspace.substack.com.

We welcomed our guest, Dr. Namrata Goswami, with the objectives of exploring China's lunar ambitions and space policies, comparing them to US initiatives while discussing the implications for commercial space activities and national security. The discussion concluded with analyses of China's strategic energy initiatives and space technology development, including their approach to commercial space partnerships and the potential impact of U.S. sanctions on Russian oil imports on India's space relationships. Space Show participants included Marshal Martin, Dr. Ajay Kothari, Rick Kwan, John Hunt, Dr. Charles Lurio and Amir Notea. Read the full summary at both www.thespaceshow.com and doctorspace.substack.com. The Zoom video is also on the Substack page.

Our Open Lines program began members of our Advisory Board in the Zoom meeting on casual conversation before transitioning into discussions about SpaceX's fundraising efforts and technical challenges with video conferencing and their upcoming Starship test 10 flight. The group then explored various space-related topics including more Starship test flights and SpaceX, lunar landing architectures, and NASA's Artemis program, while also discussing the importance of public communication about space exploration and its potential benefits. The conversation ended with discussions about scientific discoveries, upcoming shows featuring space policy experts, and an art showing by Dr. Kothari, along with additional updates about the upcoming Starship launch. Read the full summary at both www.thespaceshow.com and doctorspace.substack.com for this date, Sunday, August 24, 2025.

John Batchelor and I welcomed Rick Fisher back to the program to discuss China's space program, focusing on the Long March 10 and 9 rockets. Rick explained that the Long March 10, which recently passed a static test, is designed to transport cargo and astronauts to the moon, while the Long March 9, similar in size to SpaceX's Starship, is intended for lunar missions and eventual Mars expeditions. David asked about China's funding of their space program given report of Chinese economic problems. Rick noted that China's space program is a priority for the Communist Party due to its strategic importance. He suggested that the Chinese government may prioritize space exploration over other areas due to its focus on maintaining power. Rick also outlined a timeline for China's lunar program. Rick was also asked about their work on human spaceflight medical challenges plus their lunar settlement plans, if any. You might be surprised by what our guest had to say about their lunar development settlement plans/program.

Our Zoom program with Mari Anne Snow, CEO of EASCRA, began with a focus on Eascra Biotech's innovative work in nanomedicine, including their space missions and development of Janus-based nanoparticles for medical applications. The discussion concluded with detailed exploration of the company's space-based manufacturing processes, potential profitability, and future plans for clinical trials and product development. Read the full summary at both www.thespaceshow.com and doctorspace.substack.com for this date, Friday, August 22, 2025. You can also watch the video at our Substack site.

In this space policy discussion, host David and guest Michael Listener, a space attorney, addressed recent developments including potential changes to COMSTAC, budget concerns, and the Trump administration's approach to commercial space through executive orders. They explored international competition with China, regulatory challenges for lunar nuclear power, and the philosophical differences between US and European space law approaches. The conversation also covered practical ways citizens can influence space policy, though both speakers acknowledged the difficulty of accessing decision-makers without connections or expensive lobbying efforts. Read the full summary for this date at www.thespaceshow.com and at doctorspace.substack.com.

ur Open Lines program began by delving into a wide-ranging discussion about space exploration topics including nuclear power on the Moon, micro reactors, and SpaceX's Starship program. Together we explored various challenges facing space missions, including regulatory hurdles, technical limitations, and the need for proper infrastructure, while also discussing the financial implications of space programs and the role of government involvement. The conversation ended with updates on upcoming events, including an art show by Dr. Ajay and discussions about Artemis program development, along with announcements about future Space Show programs. Joining us in our Zoom discussion were Marshall Martin, John Hunt, Dr. Sherry Bell, Dr. Ajay Kothari, and John Jossy. We had a call from Tony in Pasadena and a few emails from the live stream listening audience. I also talked about my recent Coast to Coast appearance on one or two specific topics in conjunction with anew Sunday Op-Ed by Mark Whitington.

Hotel Mars guest Andrew Chanin discussed the ETF (Exchange Traded Fund UfO, which provides exposure to global space companies, and explored various investment opportunities in the space industry, including both public and private companies. He examined different investment approaches and vehicles, such as exchange-traded funds, special purpose vehicles, and private securities markets, while considering factors like company profitability and access to public markets. The conversation concluded with discussions about space infrastructure development, military strategy, and the potential for investing in lunar space infrastructure, emphasizing the importance of proper capital management and technology diversity.

The program focused on Ajay Kothari's proposal to use multiple Falcon Heavy rockets instead of Starship or SLS for lunar missions, which he argued would be more cost-effective and implementable within two years despite technical challenges raised by other participants. The group discussed broader concerns about the Artemis program's leadership, timeline feasibility, and competition with China's lunar ambitions, with some members expressing skepticism about returning to the moon while others emphasized the importance of establishing infrastructure like nuclear power systems. The conversation ended with participants debating when humans would actually return to the moon, with estimates ranging from 2028-2029, and David announcing upcoming shows including Hotel Mars and an appearance on Coast to Coast. Please read the full summary of this program at www.thespaceshow.com for this date, Tuesday, August 12, 2025. In addition, the video and audio archive will soon be published at doctorspace.substack.com.

Our program started with Tom announcing his new MBA program in space commerce at Sul Ross University. Tom also talked about different universities' offerings, program structures, and Texas's support for the space industry. The conversation concluded with detailed discussions about commercial space exploration, employment opportunities in the space industry, and the capabilities and future of space travel, particularly focusing on SpaceX's Starship and Falcon 9 rockets. Read the full summary of this program at www.thespaceshow.com and at Substack (doctorspace.substack.com) for this date, August 10, 2025.

Rand Simberg was our guest for this one segment Hotel Mars program. Our discussion centered on commercial space's role in the U.S. moon return efforts, with particular focus on NASA's Artemis program and the challenges posed by the Space Launch System (SLS) program's high costs and limited sustainability. Concerns were raised about the U.S. potentially losing the moon race to China due to the current focus on SLS, with suggestions to redirect funding toward more innovative space transportation solutions. The conversation concluded with an analysis of human lunar lander development progress between SpaceX and Blue Origin, highlighting both companies' capabilities and challenges in their respective development paths. Read the full summary for this program at www.thespaceshow.com and doctorspace.substack.com for this date, Wednesday, August 6, 2025

Dr. Space hosted a discussion with Ben Roberts, founder and CEO of Skyworker Work Group Finance and Advisory Surfaces LLC, about financing entrepreneurs developing health and material products in microgravity. The conversation explored how the absence of gravity in orbit can be leveraged to produce advanced materials and medical goods, with applications including protein crystals for medicines, nanoparticles, 3D printing cardiac tissue, and accelerated aging studies. While the microgravity economy is still in early development with no companies currently making significant commercial profits, many ventures are approaching viability and could potentially access substantial markets within the next 3-5 years once they clear regulatory hurdles.

Our program covered vertical takeoff and landing technology, tracing its evolution from science fiction to modern concepts and exploring various engineering challenges and potential solutions. The discussion concluded with updates on space travel innovations, including rocket designs, propellant considerations, and the importance of collaboration between private sector and government agencies in advancing space exploration. We also talked Moon and Mars. Read the full summary at www.thespaceshow.com for this date, Tuesday, 8-5-25 and at doctorspace.substack.com.

Pending

John and I introduced Megan to our Hotel Mars program for a discussion of her work with dormant blackholes and more. Megan presented research on tidal disruption events (TDEs) observed using the James Webb Space Telescope, which has revealed previously dormant black holes becoming active and providing insights into their environmental effects. The discussion covered the physics of TDEs, including their impact on surrounding gas and dust, as well as the challenges of studying dormant black holes and their relationship with galaxy size. The conversation concluded with a discussion about the limitations of current telescopes, the importance of time-domain astronomy, and the potential impact of the Golden Dome project on the space industry. Read the full summary at www.thespaceshow.com for this date, Wednesday, July 30, 2025. The same summary will be posted on our Substack page for the same day and date at doctorspace.substack.com.

I introduced Mark, who discussed the current turmoil at NASA, describing the agency as "rudderless" due to the stalled nomination of billionaire Jared Isaacman as Administrator. Isaacman, known for funding private missions like Inspiration 4, was nominated by Donald Trump and had garnered bipartisan support, including backing from former NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine. However, his nomination unraveled after a post on Truth Social falsely labeled him a Democrat and criticized his connection to Elon Musk. Influenced by low-level staffer Sergio Gor—reportedly motivated by personal grievances—Trump withdrew his support. As a result, the nomination collapsed, and NASA remains without permanent leadership. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy is currently serving as interim Administrator while also handling his existing responsibilities. Mark talked about Sean so don't miss his commentary on this subject. Read the full summary for this day and date, www.thespaceshow.com, Tuesday, July 29, 25

Our Space Show Advisory board focused on NASA's proposed budget cuts and current funding discussions in Congress, where the Senate has approved a $24.9 billion NASA budget while the House is still working on its version. The group discussed NASA's budget allocation and space policy, including concerns about potential cuts to key programs and the need for balanced government-commercial space exploration efforts. Our program concluded by discussing planning and advocacy strategies plus communication approaches to influence space policy decisions, particularly regarding budget allocations and program priorities. Please read the full summary at www.thespaceshow.com for this program and date, Sunday, July 27, 2025. You can also read it and see the video as well as hear the audio on our Substack page, doctorspace.substack.com.

Drs. Krylov and Pierce were with us to discuss the challenges in funding science for NSF, NASA & other groups. Our guests focused on challenges in science funding and peer review processes, with discussions about budget cuts, public pushback, and the need for advocacy and reform. Together we explored issues related to diversity, equity, and inclusion policies in scientific research and academia, including their impact on merit-based evaluations and graduate admissions. The conversation concluded with discussions about the role of private versus public funding in scientific research, the potential risks and benefits of AI in proposal evaluation, and the importance of maintaining funding for NASA and NSF research. Read the full summary for this program for this date at www.thespaceshow.com. You can also read the summary on our Substack page for the same date, July 25, 2025, doctorspace.substack.com.

Rand discussed various updates, including changes in NASA funding and personnel. The conversation covered topics such as space policy, lunar missions, commercial space ventures, and the challenges facing NASA and private companies in space exploration. The discussion also touched on the need for leadership in space policy, the potential for future missions to Venus and Mars, and the importance of public and congressional support for space initiatives. Read the full summary at www.thespaceshow.com for this date, Sunday, July 20, 2025.

This program covered various aspects of space research, technology, and exploration, including the role of the Universities Space Research Association (USRA) in advancing these fields. Discussions focused on challenges in human spaceflight, the importance of government investment in space research, applications of AI in space-related activities, and the development of nuclear technology for space missions. The meeting also addressed workforce development in the space program, the significance of satellite data in weather and climate modeling, and the balance between competition and cooperation in technological advancements. Please read the full summary at www.thespaceshow.com for this date, Friday, July 18, 2025. You can also read the summary at doctorspace.substack.com for the same day and date.

Pending

David introduced John Hunt as the guest for the Tuesday Space Show program. John quickly turned to criticizing the Wall Street Journal's two-part series on UFOs/UAPs, arguing that it unfairly dismissed the subject as government disinformation. He highlighted several issues with the article, including its selective use of evidence, misrepresentation of sources, and failure to address key cases like the Maelstrom missile shutdown and Soviet incidents. John suggested the article was designed to reassure the public that there's nothing to the UFO phenomenon, rather than providing a balanced analysis. He also discussed the background of Lou Elizondo, the former head of the Pentagon's UFO program, and criticized the article's treatment of him. John concluded that the article was part of a broader campaign to discourage further congressional inquiries into UFOs. John also mentioned others brought forward in the Wall St. Journal article, both as to how the Journal article treated and dismissed them to many of the dismissed topics that John thought should have been addressed in the article. Read the full summary @ www.thespaceshow.com for Tuesday, July 15, 2025 or doctorspace.substack.com for the same day and date.

The summary is pending

John, David and Dr. Haym Benaroya discussed the progress and ongoing challenges of human exploration and habitation on the Moon and Mars. Since 2002, significant advancements have been made in data collection and our understanding of Martian and lunar environments. These improvements were contrasted with earlier speculative or fictional portrayals of space colonization. Professor Benaroya, a mechanical and aerospace engineering expert from Rutgers University, emphasized that while technological progress has been substantial, fundamental obstacles—such as low gravity and abrasive regolith—continue to pose major challenges for sustained human presence. Please read the full summary at www.thespaceshow.com for this day and date, Wednesday, 7-9-25. In addition, it is on our Substack page for this day and date, doctorspace.substack.com.

We welcomed guest Bryant Cruz, founder of New Sapience, a company developing artificial intelligence technology that processes language in a fundamentally different way from traditional models such as ChatGPT and GROK. New Sapience's approach involves building internal models of the world that mirror human knowledge, allowing their AI to reason and understand more like a person rather than relying on statistical language patterns.As we started the interview, I offered Bryant a quick summary of the key difference in New Sapience's technology compared to a traditional AI company in that New Sapience does not rely on statistical word associations like current mainstream AI models. Instead, as then explained by Bryant, their system creates an internal, structured representation of knowledge—more akin to how humans comprehend and retrieve information. He emphasized that while models like ChatGPT often produce plausible responses, their accuracy can be misleading, and users should be cautious when relying on them for critical tasks. Read the full summary of this program at www.thespaceshow.com for this program on this date, July 11, 2025. You can also read the summary on our Substack page, doctorspace.substack.com.

Our program centered on the Viking life detection experiments on Mars and their broader implications for the search for extraterrestrial life. Our guest, Dr. Steven Benner, delved into topics including synthetic biology, paleogenetics, and the potential for current and future Mars missions to detect life. The conversation also addressed the capabilities and limitations of genetic engineering technologies such as CRISPR, along with the conditions required for life to exist on Mars and other planets. Following co-host Bill's introduction of Dr. Benner, our conversation transitioned into a discussion of paleogenetics. Dr. Benner explained how ancient proteins can be inferred and resurrected using techniques analogous to those used in historical linguistics. These approaches allow scientists to better understand the evolution of life and the environmental conditions of early Earth. Drawing on his extensive background in paleogenetics, bioinformatics, astrobiology, and synthetic biology—with significant contributions to medical applications, Dr. Benner offered valuable insights into the Viking life detection experiments. Read the full summary at www.thespaceshow.com for this program and date plus at Substack, doctorspace.substack.com

John and I welcomed Dr. Marchi from the SWRI in Boulder, CO to discuss his work pertaining to "The shaping of terrestrial planets by late accretions." You can review his Nature Review paper at https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-08970-8. Briefly, he and his co-author examine the "disproportionate role of the last approximately 1% of planetary growth, or late accretion, in controlling the long-term evolution of the Earth and other terrestrial planets. Late accretion may have been responsible for shaping Earth's distinctive geophysical and chemical properties and generating pathways conducive to prebiotic chemistry." During our discussion with Dr. Marchi he explained why the last 1% was so vital in the formation of Venus, Mars and Earth. Also Mercury but his comments on Mercury were a bit different. We talked about impacts being similar in nature but since each rocky planet was different, the consequences of the impacts were different. He said they were random, atmospheres made a difference and even shaped some of the consequences. Don't miss his comments about the dinosaurs and their extinction event, the role of luck, and the fact that we need to be looking for exoplanets not just for an Earth twin but also a similar impact history to Earth. When asked about our TRL for being able to do that, well, we have much to learn. In the second half John asked his usual question about having an unlimited budget. don't miss what he had to say about Venus as a priority in this four minute segment. Read the full version of this summary at www.thespaceshow.com and doctorspace.substack.com.

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John and I talked with Doug Messier for a single Hotel Mars program on SpaceX launches, the latest with Starship, including troubleshooting recent launch failures. Doug also talked costs, testing, technical problems, and timelines going forward for essential SpaceX and Starship related programs. Doug reviewed Block 1,2, and 3 for Super Heavy though he said things were not yet clear fro Block 3. Doug was asked about an ongoing risk for debris falling on populated areas. Don't miss his comment on this potential risk factor given he said they had a very thin and narrow needed to fly through over the Gulf. See the review on TSS site for this show and on our Substack page, doctorspace.substack.com.

Dr. Young Bae was our guest for this Zoom program to discuss fusion energy possibilities. We began our discussion with Dr. Bae with a focus on nuclear fusion power and space propulsion. The conversation covered Dr. Bae's research career, the challenges in developing fusion technology, and potential applications for space. We aimed to conclude with a consensus that both fusion and thorium-based fission could play key roles in future space propulsion, while fission would likely remain the more viable option for terrestrial energy needs. At the start of the program, I reminded listeners of the importance of financially supporting The Space Show, as it is 100% listener-funded. Please see the large Pay Pal button in the middle of the right side of our home page, www.thespaceshow.com.

We welcomed Casey Dreier of The Planetary Society to discuss what is termed the Skinny Budget cutting NASA programs and science. Casey went through the issues and concerns in detail. You can hear the audio archives on our website and our Substack page, doctorspace.substack.com. The video will also be archived on our Substack page.

We welcomed Dr. Ersilia Vaudo to the program from Paris, France to discuss her book, "The Story of Astrophysics in Five Revolutions." This was a fascinating discussion. It is audio archived both on The Space Show site and our Substack site, doctorspace.substack.com plus our video of the interview is also on Substack. I encourage you to watch the video rather than just listen to the program. Your comments are welcome on our blog and on Substack. The full program summary is on both TSS site and our Substack page.

The Space Show hosted a discussion with Dr. Saralyn Mark, focusing on space medicine, human spaceflight, and the challenges of long-duration space travel. The conversation covered topics such as the impact of space on human health, advancements in space technology, and the potential for space research to benefit medical treatments on Earth. Dr. Mark emphasized the importance of international collaboration, ethical considerations, and continued funding for space exploration to address challenges and unlock new possibilities for human health and space colonization. See the full summary at both www.thespaceshow.com for this program and the same on our Substack page, doctorspace.substack.com.

Summary is upcoming

John and I welcomed Dr. Enrique Gaztanaga who is at the Portsmouth University, in the UK. The professor proposes an alternative theory of the universe to the established Big Bang theory. Since the JWST has been on line, problems with the Big Bang have been detected with our guest at the lead in proposing his alternative theory which is still under investigation. While listening to this two part program, visit Professor Gaztanaga's excellent website for more detail and a listing of his published articles. See https://darkcosmos.com. You can also read his new publshed paper in In a new paper just published in Physical Review D. Briefly and from his website, "the Big Bang was not the start of everything, but rather the outcome of a gravitational collapse that formed a very massive black hole — followed by a bounce inside. This idea — which we call the Black Hole Universe — offers a radically different view of cosmic origins, yet it is grounded entirely in known physics and observations." Listen to his discussion and check out his papers and more on his theory. I am sure Enrique will be back to Hotel Mars and to The Space Show many times over in the future.

Dr. Robert Bishop of Texas A&M was welcomed to the program to discuss and cover a range of topics related to space exploration, technology, and education, with a focus on Texas A&M University's involvement in these areas. Discussions included technical issues, SpaceX developments, radio show logistics, and the structure of Texas A&M's engineering programs, particularly their new space engineering initiative and research partnerships. The conversation also touched on broader themes such as national security, commercial space activities, and ethical considerations in space exploration, highlighting the interdisciplinary nature of current and future space endeavors.

Summary forthcoming

John and I welcomed back to Hotel Mars Eric Berger of Ars Technica for a one segment update and discussion regarding SpaceX, Musk & Starship. Eric was asked what the SpaceX testing success of Starship would look like. Our guest said he did not know. We talked about the upcoming Demo Test #10, possible hardware issues and even the possibility of assembly issues. Our guest expanded on this part of our conversation. Starship and the planned Moon launch were mentioned, we talked about testing ins LEO and the need to develop and test fueling in LEO. Eric also mentioned the fuels that Starship would use and need testing concerning possible boil off and more. Before ending the segment, he was asked about the feud between Musk and President Trump. Eric said it was hard to predict but probably Musk would walk back some of what he said regarding President Trump. He pointed out how important SpaceX was to the government on both space and national security. While the FAA could slow walk permits in retaliation for some of what Musk said, he did not see that happening at this time.

We welcomed Dave Barnhart, CEO and Co-founder of Arkisys, Inc., back to the program to share updates since his last appearance on May 2, 2023. The conversation focused on developments in the growing field of space servicing and the evolving commercial space industry. Dave provided a comprehensive update on Arkisys's Port project, highlighting increased interest from the U.S. Space Force, the Space Development Agency, and other key government and private stakeholders. He discussed concepts such as deorbit augmentation and post-launch integration, offering specific examples of potential business opportunities emerging from these efforts. R&D and funding were key parts of the discussion. Dave explained how Arkisys is reducing risk through terrestrial experimentation, with a strong emphasis on rendezvous and transport capabilities via their Cutter vehicle. Listener questions focused on space logistics, satellite servicing markets, and the economic implications of declining launch costs. Dave noted that as launch prices continue to fall, the economics of on-orbit servicing become significantly more challenging and competitive. Later in the program, Dave introduced two major industry consortiums: COSMIC, a U.S.-only initiative, and CONFERS, which has a global scope despite being based in the U.S. He emphasized the importance of establishing industry norms and standards—an area of growing importance as the space economy matures. As the discussion wrapped up, Dave outlined Arkisys's five-year plan, which includes deploying up to three Port modules, potentially connected, along with using the Cutter vehicle to ferry payloads to and from the Port. While human spaceflight is not currently part of their roadmap, he expressed interest in supporting human spaceflight companies with the Port platform in the future. Dave also addressed the use of AI in Arkisys operations—be sure to catch his insights on that topic. Before concluding, he shared updates on internships and future hiring plans. Earlier in the conversation, he enthusiastically described Arkisys's mentorship of student teams focused on in-space construction, noting a significant year-over-year increase in participation, underscoring growing interest in this sector.

I introduced Marcus Chown, an award-winning writer and former radio astronomer at Caltech, to discuss his latest book "A Crack in Everything: How Black Holes Came in from the Cold and Took Cosmic Center Stage." Marcus shared his personal journey into astronomy, inspired by his father's gift of an astronomy book and witnessing the moon landing as a child. He discussed the evolution of black hole science, explaining how they were initially considered fictional but became central to understanding the universe. Marcus detailed the discovery of the first black hole in 1971 and its connection to Cygnus X-1, a binary star system where a giant star is being pulled into a black hole, emitting X-rays. He also explained how supermassive black holes were discovered before stellar mass black holes, with the Hubble Space Telescope revealing their prevalence in galaxies. Marcus clarified that light from black holes does not escape from within but is emitted by matter swirling around them before falling in. Much more was discussed during this 77 minute listener and guest discussion.

John and I welcomed Casey Dreier from The Planetary Society to the program to go over the proposed NASA space and science budget cuts and project eliminations. Casey suspected the direction for the cuts originated out of OMB without much space guidance or thought. He identified several of the projects and programs identified for either a budget cut such as the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope to the New Horizons and Venus missions being totally eliminated. Casey also talked about the bleak future for SLS and the Gateway for their demise post Artemis 3. Casey talked about their being a shift to commercial Moon missions but with little detail and clarity. Cislunar development, cargo and resupply to the ISS, the future for the private space stations, Mars and EDL for Mars plus demos all were part of our discussion. In Part 2, John talked about the robotic missions including existing missions plus the future missions, all of course depending on robots. Casey worked in commentary about cuts and changes for both JPL and Goddard, two very important and key Nasa centers. Before concluding the program, our guest was asked about the impact of the layoffs for NASA scientists and engineers. Casey suggested they would have an uncertain future ahead of them as their might not be abundant job opportunities for these important skills. Read the full summary at The Space Show website, www.thespaceshow.com and also at doctorspace.substack.com.

We welcomed Jim Meigs from the Manhattan Institute to the program to discuss his paper, "U.S. Space Policy: The Next Frontier", space news including a changed in the proposed NASA Administrator plus the argument with President Trump and Elon Musk. The meeting considered the potential impact of the dispute and administrator change on space policy and projects, including NASA's future leadership and priorities. Jim, along with program participants on both Zoom and the live stream explored various challenges and uncertainties surrounding NASA's human space program, including budget concerns, mission timelines, and the need for private sector involvement. The group also discussed potential alternatives for U.S. space exploration, including more collaboration between different commercial space companies, while addressing the ongoing feud between Trump and Musk. Programs such as Artemis, Starship, timelines, even the need to restructure the FAA for both aviation and space plus NASA as a more entrepreneurial organization were both part of our discussion and Jim's paper. Please read the full summary of this program on The Space Show archives and our Substack page, doctorspace.substack.com.

We welcomed Richard Easton, Lee Hammarstrom & Pete Wilhelm to This special 2 hour 16 minute program on Zoom. You should be able to see the video on doctorspace.substack.com and The Space Show Vimeo account as it will soon be posted to both accounts. This program on TSS website is audio only. Our discussion focused on the development and evolution of GPS and the PARCAE satellite technologies, along with NRO, NRL, computer tech of the time, covering their origins, technical challenges, and applications. Our guests discussed the historical context, including early proposals, declassification processes, and the interconnected nature of these programs. Understanding time, atomic clocks and even Einstein's relativity equations were crucial to this up to now classified project. The conversation also touched on future developments, potential applications in space exploration, and concerns about system resilience in various environments. We talked innovation "back in the day" along with the Grab, Poppy and the transition from strategic to tactical information. Be sure to read the comprehensive program summary on TSS website as well as our Substack page, doctorspace.substack.com.

Jess Sponable returned to the program to discuss his recent Op-Ed on NASA, aerospace and the defense sectors needing more entrepreneurs and intrapreneurs. While Jess spent time with us explaining what he meant when he and others advocated for more of these folks in management and leadership, most of our program discussion was a mega-example of the need for innovation in R&D, problem solving, financing and such. Over and over again he stressed the need for the entrepreneurial type for leadership, even within the government structure of public organizations or government agencies. Jess used his experiences in the past for excellent supportive illustrations plus he talked about the early 1950's, 60's and 70's history with commercial and military jets, X-planes and flight in general. He focused on motivation while making the point that entrepreneurial type leadership would serve to motivate people. We talked about returning to the Moon, Mars, SpaceX, Musk and Starship as examples along with Starlink. The Golden Dome project was an additional large part of our focus with Jess making a call for it to be space based in design, not terrestrial or Earth-based with Earth-based infrastructure. Jess explained why he said it needed to be space developed but he was not sure this would be the approach taken by Golden Dome planners and designers. We did talk about the degree of protection we would get from Golden Dome plus obvious security gaps that would not have such protection as mentioned by one of our listeners regarding ships and port vulnerability. Dallas called as we were talking about developing a cislunar economic infrastructure plus the Blue Origin designs coming up. Jess mentioned competing rocket companies including Stoke Space, Rocket Lab and Blue as the companies driving down the launch costs which he said was absolutely crucial to get below $100/lb to LEO. Toward the end of the program our guest was asked about progress in human spaceflight medicine. Jess spent a few minutes at the end of the program to go over some the information on this subject and talked about spinning stations and more but we must get the price to LEO down and entrepreneurial leadership was what was needed. Other topics came up including the experience Jess brought to our discussion by his earlier work with DC-X, reusable VTOL Launch, DARPA and the Air Force. Before ending we squeezed in a short discussion on his New Frontier Aerospace company hypersonic flight project which would enable west coast to Asia in a few hours by skimming across the top of the stratosphere. Do not miss this concluding discussion to today's program. Jess said he would return after their demo flight next year. We wish him and our industry great success in moving forward, including handling the political, budget and policy challenges faced at this time. Check out the full summary at www.thespaceshow.com for this program plus the summary on doctorspace.substack.com.