Podcasts about Firefly Aerospace

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Play Episode Listen Later May 30, 2025 25:06

Northrup Grumman has invested $50 million into Firefly Aerospace to further advance production of their co-developed medium launch vehicle, now known as Eclipse. Chinese startup Space Epoch has completed its first sea recovery test of a verification rocket. Jaguar Space is collaborating with The Karman Project in a multinational partnership, and more. Remember to leave us a 5-star rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Be sure to follow T-Minus on LinkedIn and Instagram. T-Minus Guest NASASpaceflight.com brings us the Space Traffic Report. Selected Reading Northrop Grumman Invests $50 Million in Firefly Aerospace to Advance Medium Launch Vehicle Named Eclipse™ Chinese rocket completes vertical sea recovery test to boost reusable technology India's Protoplanet and Jaguar Space sign MOU Snowdonia Space Centre Officially Opens with Support from UK Space Agency Elevating Europe in space for fifty years Watch SpaceX launch advanced GPS satellite for US Space Force today in record-short turnaround New Shepard's Crewed NS-32 Mission Targets Liftoff on Saturday, May 31- Blue Origin Momentus to Host Portal Space Systems' Inaugural On-orbit Demonstration Mission- Satcom UNOOSA "When the sky falls" Want to hear your company in the show? You too can reach the most influential leaders and operators in the industry. Here's our media kit. Contact us at space@n2k.com to request more info. Want to join us for an interview? Please send your pitch to space-editor@n2k.com and include your name, affiliation, and topic proposal. T-Minus is a production of N2K Networks, your source for strategic workforce intelligence. © N2K Networks, Inc. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Time to place your order for a spaceplane.

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Play Episode Listen Later May 22, 2025 29:01

Dawn Aerospace's Aurora spacecraft has been offered for direct sale to customers with deliveries expected in 2027. Firefly Aerospace has signed a new agreement with the United Arab Emirates' Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre to deliver the Emirates Lunar Mission's Rashid 2 Rover to the far side of the Moon on Firefly's Blue Ghost lander. The CASSINI Business Accelerator program, an initiative of the European Commission and European Union Agency for the Space Program, has selected 20 new businesses for the latest cohort, and more. Remember to leave us a 5-star rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Be sure to follow T-Minus on LinkedIn and Instagram. T-Minus Guest Our guest today is Steve Luczynski, President of the Aerospace Village. You can connect with Steve on LinkedIn, and learn more about the Aerospace Village on their website. Selected Reading Dawn Aerospace Begins Taking Orders for Aurora Spaceplane: A Breakthrough Rocket-Powered Aircraft Firefly Aerospace Adds UAE's Rashid 2 Rover to Blue Ghost Mission to the Far Side of the Moon High 5 to the Stars- Cassini Accelerator Redwire Awarded Contract to Provide Critical Avionics Technology for Multinational Earth Observation Satellite Constellation Space Force losing 14% of its civilian workers - Defense One Blue Origin Announces Crew for New Shepard's 32nd Mission Space Florida: Project Beep mystery aerospace company wants to hire 1,000 on Merritt Island Giant 'white streak' appears over multiple US states as Chinese rocket dumps experimental fuel in space | Live Science Want to hear your company in the show? You too can reach the most influential leaders and operators in the industry. Here's our media kit. Contact us at space@n2k.com to request more info. Want to join us for an interview? Please send your pitch to space-editor@n2k.com and include your name, affiliation, and topic proposal. T-Minus is a production of N2K Networks, your source for strategic workforce intelligence. © N2K Networks, Inc. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Galactic Updates: Firefly's Alpha Failure, Kiwi Space Defense, and Shenzhou 19's Safe Landing

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 30, 2025 18:41

In this episode of Astronomy Daily, join host Anna as she navigates through a whirlwind of recent space developments, from rocket failures to national space initiatives. This episode is packed with intriguing stories that highlight the ever-evolving landscape of space exploration.Highlights:- Firefly Aerospace's Alpha Rocket Failure: Explore the details of Firefly Aerospace's recent setback as their Alpha rocket experienced a critical failure during its sixth flight, resulting in a Lockheed Martin satellite crashing into the Pacific Ocean. Discover the implications of this incident for the commercial space industry and the lessons learned moving forward.- New Zealand's Space Squadron: Learn about New Zealand's announcement to establish a dedicated space squadron, comprising just 15 personnel. This bold move reflects the country's commitment to space-based defense and enhances its role in international security initiatives.- China's Shenzhou 19 Mission: Delve into the successful return of China's Shenzhou 19 spacecraft and its crew after a six-month mission aboard the Tiangong Space Station. Discover the scientific experiments conducted during their stay, including innovative tests on lunar soil bricks.- SpaceX's Record Launch Schedule: Get the latest on SpaceX's ambitious launch schedule, featuring multiple Starlink missions this week as they continue to expand their satellite constellation. With over 7,000 satellites already in orbit, SpaceX's rapid pace is reshaping global broadband access.- ESA's Biomass Satellite Launch: Uncover the groundbreaking capabilities of ESA's new biomass satellite, designed to enhance our understanding of forests and carbon storage through advanced radar technology. This mission promises to provide critical data for climate research.- Buzz Aldrin Podcast Series: Exciting news for space enthusiasts! A new podcast series titled "Buzz," featuring acclaimed actor John Lithgow as Buzz Aldrin, is set to launch. This series promises to reveal the personal struggles behind the iconic astronaut's journey to the moon.For more cosmic updates, visit our website at astronomydaily.io. Join our community on social media by searching for #AstroDailyPod on Facebook, X, YouTubeMusic, TikTok, and our new Instagram account! Don't forget to subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts.Thank you for tuning in. This is Anna signing off. Until next time, keep looking up and stay curious about the wonders of our universe.00:00 - Welcome to Astronomy Daily01:10 - Firefly Aerospace's Alpha rocket failure10:15 - New Zealand's space squadron announcement15:30 - China's Shenzhou 19 mission and crew return20:45 - SpaceX's upcoming Starlink launches25:00 - ESA's biomass satellite launch30:10 - Buzz Aldrin podcast series announcement✍️ Episode ReferencesFirefly Aerospace[Firefly Aerospace](https://firefly.com/)New Zealand Air Force[New Zealand Defence Force](https://www.nzdf.mil.nz/)China's Shenzhou 19 Mission[China National Space Administration](http://www.cnsa.gov.cn/)SpaceX Starlink Missions[SpaceX](https://www.spacex.com/)ESA Biomass Satellite[European Space Agency](https://www.esa.int/)Buzz Aldrin Podcast Series[iHeart Podcasts](https://www.iheart.com/podcast/)Astronomy Daily[Astronomy Daily](http://www.astronomydaily.io/)Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/astronomy-daily-exciting-space-discoveries-and-news--5648921/support.

USSF to expand payload processing facility access.

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 28, 2025 28:17

The United States Space Force (USSF)'s Space Systems Command (SSC) today awarded a National Security Space Launch (NSSL) Space Vehicle (SV) Processing Commercial Solutions Opening (CSO) contract to Astrotech Space Operations (ASO). Firefly Aerospace scrubs the Message in a Booster mission for Lockheed Martin. China is working on a traffic management system to better organize satellite placement and operations, and more. Remember to leave us a 5-star rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Be sure to follow T-Minus on LinkedIn and Instagram. Our guest today is David Schleeper, RS&H Project Manager. You can connect with David on LinkedIn, and learn more about RS&H on their website. Space Systems Command Expands Commercial Space Vehicle Processing Capacity Alpha FLTA006 - Firefly Aerospace China plans space traffic management system amid commercial satellite boom AST SpaceMobile and U.S. National Science Foundation Establish Coordination Agreement Between Satellite and Ground-Based Astronomy Operations Space Flight Laboratory (SFL) Announces Key Milestone in Development of Aspera Space Astronomy Microsatellite Mission Space Foundation, Space Workforce for Tomorrow, and International Space University Sign MOU to Advance U.S. Space Workforce Development Trump administration cancels lease for NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies lab in New York City New Director Space appointed at the South Australian Space Industry Centre – SASIC Axiom Space Appoints Tejpaul Bhatia as CEO Old Soviet spacecraft to fall to Earth in early May 2025 We want to hear from you! Please complete our 4 question survey. It'll help us get better and deliver you the most mission-critical space intel every day. You too can reach the most influential leaders and operators in the industry. Here's our media kit. Contact us at space@n2k.com to request more info. Please send your pitch to space-editor@n2k.com and include your name, affiliation, and topic proposal. T-Minus is a production of N2K Networks, your source for strategic workforce intelligence. © N2K Networks, Inc. T-Minus GuestSelected ReadingT-Minus Crew SurveyWant to hear your company in the show?Want to join us for an interview? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Lunar Legacies: Chang'e 5 Samples, Titan's Dragonfly Mission, and Firefly's Next Launch

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 28, 2025 16:36

In this episode of Astronomy Daily, join host Steve Dunkley and his witty digital companion Hallie as they explore the latest developments in space exploration and lunar research. From exciting lunar sample tours to innovative missions targeting Saturn's moon Titan, this episode is packed with cosmic news that will expand your horizons.Highlights:- Chang'e 5 Sample Tour: Discover the latest updates on China's Chang'e 5 lunar samples, which are set to tour universities across the United States. Learn about the international collaboration that allows institutions like Brown University and Stony Brook University to study these precious lunar materials.- NASA's Dragonfly Mission: Dive into the details of NASA's groundbreaking Dragonfly mission, designed to explore Titan's potential for hosting life. With its recent critical design review passed, this nuclear-powered rotorcraft is gearing up for a launch that promises to revolutionize our understanding of extraterrestrial environments.- Firefly Aerospace's Latest Launch: Get the scoop on Firefly Aerospace's upcoming Alpha rocket launch, carrying the Lockheed Martin LM400 satellite bus into polar orbit. This mission marks a significant step in Firefly's partnership with Lockheed Martin and showcases the capabilities of their innovative satellite technology.- Insights into Lunar Exploration: Explore the implications of China's lunar sample sharing and its impact on international space cooperation, amid ongoing US-China trade tensions. Understand how these collaborations could shape the future of lunar exploration and scientific discovery.For more cosmic updates, visit our website at astronomydaily.io. Join our community on social media by searching for #AstroDailyPod on Facebook, X, YouTubeMusic, TikTok, and our new Instagram account! Don't forget to subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts.Thank you for tuning in. This is Steve signing off. Until next time, keep looking up and stay curious about the wonders of our universe.00:00 - Welcome to Astronomy Daily with Steve and Hallie01:17 - Today's stories include the latest chapter for the Chang'e 5 samples02:28 - China has accepted international applications to borrow moon samples from its Changi 5 mission07:12 - NASA's $3.35 billion Dragonfly mission passes critical design review15:58 - Hallie will be leaving for the Astronomy Daily virtual studio soon✍️ Episode ReferencesChang'e 5 Lunar Samples[China National Space Administration](http://www.cnsa.gov.cn/)NASA's Dragonfly Mission[NASA](https://www.nasa.gov/)Firefly Aerospace Launch Details[Firefly Aerospace](https://firefly.com/)Astronomy Daily[Astronomy Daily](http://www.astronomydaily.io/)Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/astronomy-daily-exciting-space-discoveries-and-news--5648921/support.

Horizonte de Eventos - Episódio 72 - Aurora Em Netuno, Escudo de Poeira E Nebulosa da Hélice

Horizonte de Eventos

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 20, 2025 20:58

Auroras em Netuno: Uma Descoberta HistóricaO Telescópio Espacial James Webb (JWST) fez história em março de 2025 ao capturar as primeiras imagens diretas de auroras em Netuno, o gigante gelado mais distante do nosso Sistema Solar. Esta descoberta marca um ponto de virada em nossa compreensão não apenas de Netuno, mas também dos processos auroras em planetas gigantes gasosos.As observações do JWST revelaram que a atmosfera superior de Netuno esfriou em várias centenas de graus nas últimas décadas, atingindo temperaturas próximas a 200 graus. Esta queda significativa de temperatura, combinada com a inclinação peculiar do campo magnético do planeta, pode explicar por que as auroras de Netuno permaneceram ocultas dos astrônomos por tanto tempo.Netuno também é conhecido por seus ventos extremos, que podem atingir velocidades superiores a 2.100 km/h, os mais rápidos registrados em qualquer planeta do Sistema Solar. Estas correntes de ar intensas, combinadas com formações de nuvens intrigantes, criam um ambiente atmosférico complexo que os cientistas ainda estão tentando compreender completamente.O Escudo Eletrodinâmico de Poeira: Revolucionando a Exploração LunarA NASA desenvolveu e testou com sucesso o Escudo Eletrodinâmico de Poeira (EDS), uma inovação que promete transformar a maneira como lidamos com um dos maiores desafios da exploração lunar: a poeira lunar abrasiva e eletricamente carregada.O EDS utiliza forças elétricas para levantar e remover o regolito lunar das superfícies, mantendo equipamentos críticos livres de poeira prejudicial. A tecnologia foi demonstrada com sucesso na superfície lunar durante a Missão 1 Blue Ghost da Firefly Aerospace, concluída em março de 2025.Este teste bem-sucedido representa um marco significativo na exploração espacial, abrindo caminho para missões lunares mais seguras e duradouras. A tecnologia pode ser aplicada a uma variedade de superfícies e equipamentos, incluindo painéis solares, radiadores térmicos, visores de capacetes e instrumentos científicos.A Nebulosa Hélice: O Fantasma de um Planeta DestruídoA Nebulosa Hélice, conhecida informalmente como o "Olho de Deus", abriga um segredo sombrio: dados do Observatório de Raios-X Chandra descobriram que a anã branca no centro da nebulosa, WD 2226-210, pode ter destruído um planeta que orbitava muito próximo a ela.A anã branca está emitindo raios-X de uma maneira que sugere a presença de material planetário sendo acretado pela estrela. Décadas de emissão constante de raios-X indicam que detritos de um planeta do tamanho de Júpiter estão caindo constantemente sobre a superfície da anã branca.Esta descoberta tem implicações profundas para nossa compreensão do destino final dos sistemas planetários, incluindo nosso próprio Sistema Solar. Em aproximadamente 5 bilhões de anos, nosso Sol seguirá um caminho evolutivo semelhante, expandindo-se em uma gigante vermelha antes de se transformar em uma anã branca.Uma Visão Interconectada do CosmosEstas três descobertas ilustram a natureza dinâmica e interconectada do universo. Elas nos lembram que o cosmos está em constante mudança e destacam o poder da curiosidade humana e da exploração científica para desvendar seus mistérios.Se você gostou deste vídeo, não se esqueça de deixar seu like, se inscrever no canal e ativar as notificações para não perder nenhum conteúdo sobre as maravilhas do cosmos. Compartilhe com seus amigos que também se interessam por astronomia!#Astronomia #JamesWebb #Netuno #Auroras #NASA #EscudoDePoeiraLunar #NebulosaHelice #Ciencia #Espaco

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263: Lunar Landings & Late-Night Shifts: Ben Tackett from Firefly Aerospace on Blue Ghost Mission 1

Casual Space

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 17, 2025 43:20

Ben Tackett Show Notes TITLE: Lunar Landings & Late-Night Shifts: Ben Tackett from Firefly Aerospace on Blue Ghost Mission 1” This week on Casual Space, it's one small step for your playlist — one giant landing for a Blue Ghost…this episode delivers big on space, story, and spirit! Beth is joined by Ben Tackett, Lead Systems Operator at Firefly Aerospace, to relive the extraordinary journey that took him from Purdue classrooms to helping land a spacecraft on the Moon. Ben shares how his early love of aerospace evolved into a hands-on career that's shaping the future of space exploration. From collaborating with Buzz Aldrin on a Mars colonization project, to working the operations console for Blue Ghost Mission 1, Ben gives us a raw and real look at what it takes to bring a mission like this to life. In this episode, you'll hear about: The long nights, tight timelines, and 500+ hours of simulations that made history possible Real-time moments of awe: lunar images streaming in after touchdown The behind-the-scenes grit of small teams doing big things Why parking lot champagne tastes better after a lunar landing And what's next with Blue Ghost Mission 2, featuring payloads from the European Space Agency and a radio telescope bound for the far side of the Moon Ben's story is one of curiosity, commitment, and cosmic-scale inspiration — a reminder that behind every successful mission is a team of passionate people pushing past limits. This episode captures not just the technical triumph, but the human heartbeat of spaceflight. Don't miss this inside look at a truly historic mission — and a glimpse of what's just over the horizon. #CasualSpacePodcast #BlueGhostMission1 #FireflyAerospace #MoonLanding Credit/copyright for photo/video footage: Firefly Aerospace About Ben Tackett: Ben is the lead systems operator for the Blue Ghost lunar program at Firefly Aerospace, current commercial New Space systems engineer , and a prior NASA hypersonic flight mechanics engineer. For Blue Ghost, Ben maintains the technical "big picture" of the program and ensures that the sub-systems required to make a successful spacecraft work together towards a successful mission program. In addition to Blue Ghost, Ben has been a part of the Mars Sample Return initiative as Lead Flight Mechanics Engineer for development of the Earth Entry Vehicle, supported Aerocapture and Aerogravity-Assist initiatives, and completed multiple Verification & Validation efforts for the Artemis program with the NESC. Ben completed his education at Purdue University, focusing on hypersonic mission design, re-entry trajectory guidance and optimization, and aerospace systems engineering publishing a thesis on real-time trajectory optimization for onboard optimal control. If you enjoyed this episode and would like to share, I'd love to hear it! YOU CAN HELP US SEND STORIES TO SPACE! Please visit our GoFundMe campaign and help send more stories to space! https://gofund.me/62f1ff87 Follow Casual Space Podcast and share your favorite episode: LinkedIn - @casualspacepodcast Facebook - @casualspacepodcast Instagram - @casualspacepodcast YouTube - @casualspacepodcast83 Got a great guest suggestion or idea for the show? E-mail me at beth@casualspacepodcast.com. Send your story to space TODAY! The window for STORIES of Space MISSION 03 AND MISSION 04 are NOW OPEN! Send your story, for free, to www.storiesofspace.com

Radiation Tolerant

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Play Episode Listen Later Apr 17, 2025

When RadPC hitched a ride to the Moon on Firefly Aerospace's Blue Ghost mission, it was another example of how NASA and American companies are working together to deliver science and technology to the Moon.

Cosmic Milestones: All-Female Spaceflight, Supernova Secrets, and Stellar Symphonies

The 365 Days of Astronomy, the daily podcast of the International Year of Astronomy 2009

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 15, 2025 17:03

Astronomy Daily | Space News: S04E90In this episode of Astronomy Daily, host Anna takes you on an exhilarating exploration of groundbreaking cosmic events and discoveries that are shaping our understanding of the universe. From historic milestones in human spaceflight to the mysteries of supernovae, this episode is packed with insights that will ignite your curiosity about the cosmos.Highlights:- Blue Origin's Historic All-Female Flight: Join us as we celebrate Blue Origin's remarkable achievement with the first all-female crewed rocket launch since 1963. Experience the transformative journey of six extraordinary women, including pop superstar Katy Perry, as they venture beyond Earth's atmosphere and reflect on the profound impact of their experience in space.- Upcoming Rocket Launches: Get the latest updates on this week's launch schedule, featuring significant missions including a Minotaur 4 rocket carrying a classified payload and Firefly Aerospace's Alpha Rocket aiming to deploy Lockheed Martin's new satellite bus.- NASA's Lucy Spacecraft Approaches Asteroid Encounter: Discover the exciting preparations for NASA's Lucy spacecraft as it approaches its second asteroid encounter with Donald Johansson. This mission promises to enhance our understanding of the solar system through its innovative approach to asteroid exploration.- Supernovae and Earth's Extinction Events: Delve into a fascinating new study linking cosmic supernova explosions to two major extinction events on Earth. Researchers reveal how these stellar phenomena may have disrupted our atmosphere and contributed to mass extinctions, reshaping life on our planet.- The Sounds of Stars: Explore groundbreaking research from UNSW Sydney that reveals how scientists have been listening to stars, unlocking the secrets of stellar evolution through their unique oscillations. This study offers insights into the ages and life stages of stars, enhancing our understanding of the Milky Way and the search for habitable planets.For more cosmic updates, visit our website at astronomydaily.io. Join our community on social media by searching for #AstroDailyPod on Facebook, X, YouTubeMusic, TikTok, and our new Instagram account! Don't forget to subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts.Thank you for tuning in. This is Anna signing off. Until next time, keep looking up and stay curious about the wonders of our universe.00:00 - Welcome to Astronomy Daily01:05 - Blue Origin's all-female crewed flight10:30 - Upcoming rocket launches17:00 - NASA's Lucy spacecraft asteroid encounter22:15 - Supernovae and extinction events27:30 - The sounds of stars✍️ Episode ReferencesBlue Origin Flight[Blue Origin](https://www.blueorigin.com/)Rocket Launch Schedule[NASA](https://www.nasa.gov)Lucy's Asteroid Encounter[NASA Lucy Mission](https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/lucy/main/index.html)Supernova Research[Keele University](https://www.keele.ac.uk/)Stellar Oscillations Study[UNSW Sydney](https://www.unsw.edu.au/)Astronomy Daily[Astronomy Daily](http://www.astronomydaily.io/)Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/astronomy-daily-exciting-space-discoveries-and-news--5648921/support.

EVSN - Space is Hard: IM2 Failure, Starship 8 Explosion, Mars Sample Return Delays & More

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 11, 2025 30:28

Published on April 9, 2025. Let's take a fast-paced journey through all that's new in space and astronomy, including new results from Perseverance Rover, Venusian Volcanism, Mars Sample Return (or not), Intuitive Machines' failure to land upright, Firefly Aerospace's amazing success with Blue Ghost, and tales from the launch pad. We've added a new way to donate to 365 Days of Astronomy to support editing, hosting, and production costs. Just visit: https://www.patreon.com/365DaysOfAstronomy and donate as much as you can! Share the podcast with your friends and send the Patreon link to them too! Every bit helps! Thank you! ------------------------------------ Do go visit http://www.redbubble.com/people/CosmoQuestX/shop for cool Astronomy Cast and CosmoQuest t-shirts, coffee mugs and other awesomeness! http://cosmoquest.org/Donate This show is made possible through your donations. Thank you! (Haven't donated? It's not too late! Just click!) ------------------------------------ The 365 Days of Astronomy Podcast is produced by the Planetary Science Institute. http://www.psi.edu Visit us on the web at 365DaysOfAstronomy.org or email us at info@365DaysOfAstronomy.org.

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Space is hard: IM2 Failure, Starship 8 explosion, Mars Sample Return delays, and more

The Daily Space

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 9, 2025 29:09

Let's take a fast-paced journey through all that's new in space and astronomy, including new results from Perseverance Rover, Venusian Volcanism, Mars Sample Return (or not), Intuitive Machines' failure to land upright, Firefly Aerospace's amazing success with Blue Ghost, and tales from the launch pad.

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Firefly's Elytra selected for DIU on-orbit mission.

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 8, 2025 14:25

Firefly Aerospace to perform a responsive on-orbit mission with its Elytra spacecraft in support of the US Department of Defense (DoD's) Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) Sinequone Project. A Soyuz MS-27 spacecraft carrying a three-member crew arrived at the International Space Station. Millennium Space Systems has completed the critical design review (CDR) for the FOO Fighter, and more. Remember to leave us a 5-star rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Be sure to follow T-Minus on LinkedIn and Instagram. Selected Reading Firefly Aerospace Awarded DoD Contract for Responsive On-Orbit Mission with Elytra Spacecraft NASA Astronaut, Crewmates Arrive Safely at Space Station Millennium Space Systems Completes FOO Fighter Critical Design Review in Just 10 Months Axiom Space to Launch Orbital Data Center Nodes to Support National Security, Commercial, International Customers RTX's Raytheon awards dual-source contracts for solid rocket motor development IENIA secures €2.3 million in funding from the Spanish Space Agency (AEE), through the CDTI and NextGenerationEU, to lead our latest R&D project: ATALAIA Voyager Onboards USAF Enterprise-wide Agile Acquisition Contract Exclusive: Germany funds Eutelsat internet in Ukraine as Musk tensions rise- Reuters T-Minus Crew Survey We want to hear from you! Please complete our 4 question survey. It'll help us get better and deliver you the most mission-critical space intel every day. Want to hear your company in the show? You too can reach the most influential leaders and operators in the industry. Here's our media kit. Contact us at space@n2k.com to request more info. Want to join us for an interview? Please send your pitch to space-editor@n2k.com and include your name, affiliation, and topic proposal. T-Minus is a production of N2K Networks, your source for strategic workforce intelligence. © N2K Networks, Inc. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Goodnight Moon

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Play Episode Listen Later Apr 4, 2025

As the Sun set, Blue Ghost said its final farewell.

Repelling Dust

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Play Episode Listen Later Mar 31, 2025

The Electrodynamic Dust Shield, or EDS, was one of the NASA payloads sent to the Moon on Firefly Aerospace's Blue Ghost Mission 1.

Total Eclipse from the Moon

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Play Episode Listen Later Mar 28, 2025

While many of us across North America were watching the lunar eclipse, Blue Ghost captured images of it from the Moon!

Images of Descent

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 26, 2025

During Blue Ghost's successful soft landing, NASA cameras captured the first-of-its-kind imagery of a lander's engine plumes interacting with the Moon's surface.

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USSF to rapidly expand its assets in space.

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 24, 2025 26:15

The United States Space Force (USSF) says it will launch 100 or more satellites into orbit in 2025. Blue Origin's Honeybee Robotics has been contracted by Firefly Aerospace to provide the lunar rover for their third mission to the Moon. Exolaunch has signed a Launch Services Agreement (LSA) with the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), and more. Remember to leave us a 5-star rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Be sure to follow T-Minus on LinkedIn and Instagram. T-Minus Guest Our guest today is Richard Cooper, Vice President, Strategic Communications & Outreach at the Space Foundation. You can connect with Rich on LinkedIn, and learn more about the Space Symposium on their website. Selected Reading Space Force Will Add 100-Plus Satellites in 2025 to Boost Resilient Networks Firefly Aerospace Selects Blue Origin's Honeybee Robotics to Provide Rover for Lunar Mission to Gruithuisen Domes Exolaunch Selected to Deploy CubeSats for Canada's CUBICS Initiative Star Catcher Completes First Demonstration of Space Power Beaming Technology at EverBank Stadium First Test Flight Going Full Spectrum Nasa drops plan to land first woman and first person of color on the moon- The Guardian NASA to Launch Three Rockets from Alaska in Single Aurora Experiment 60 Years Ago: Gemini III, America's First Two-Person Flight - NASA T-Minus Crew Survey We want to hear from you! Please complete our 4 question survey. It'll help us get better and deliver you the most mission-critical space intel every day. Want to hear your company in the show? You too can reach the most influential leaders and operators in the industry. Here's our media kit. Contact us at space@n2k.com to request more info. Want to join us for an interview? Please send your pitch to space-editor@n2k.com and include your name, affiliation, and topic proposal. T-Minus is a production of N2K Networks, your source for strategic workforce intelligence. © N2K Networks, Inc. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Strategic Space Bases, Lunar Sunsets, Ancient Impact Craters

The LIUniverse with Dr. Charles Liu

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 24, 2025 22:46

Astronomy Daily | Space News: S04E71In this captivating episode of Astronomy Daily, host Steve Dunkley and his witty AI companion Hallie explore a plethora of fascinating stories that illuminate the ever-evolving landscape of space exploration and security. From the strategic importance of Greenland for the U.S. Space Force to the groundbreaking achievements of the Blue Ghost lunar mission, this episode is filled with insights that will keep you on the edge of your seat.Highlights:- Space Force's Role in Greenland: Delve into the critical importance of Petufik Space Base in Greenland, where the U.S. Space Force is enhancing its capabilities in missile defense and satellite communication. With increasing tensions in space, General Michael Gitlein emphasizes the need for a strategic pivot to maintain superiority and safeguard national interests.- The Evolution of Space Warfare: Discover how the U.S. Space Force is adapting to new threats in space, including the emergence of orbital weaponry and adversarial tactics. General Gitlein warns of a narrowing capability gap and the necessity for improved partnerships and integrated defense systems to counter these challenges.- Blue Ghost Lunar Mission Highlights: Celebrate the achievements of Firefly Aerospace's Blue Ghost Mission 1, which successfully operated on the lunar surface, gathering vital data on lunar geology and radiation. The mission's stunning imagery, including a lunar sunset, marks a significant milestone in commercial lunar exploration.- Ancient Impact Crater Discovery: Learn about the groundbreaking discovery of the oldest impact crater on Earth, located in Australia's Pilbara Craton. This finding sheds light on the chaotic early solar system and the potential role of ancient impacts in shaping Earth's crust and fostering conditions for life.- The Future of Lunar Exploration: Explore the implications of Blue Ghost's findings for future lunar missions and the growing lunar economy, as scientists anticipate significant discoveries from the wealth of data transmitted back to Earth.For more cosmic updates, visit our website at astronomydaily.io. Join our community on social media by searching for #AstroDailyPod on Facebook, X, YouTubeMusic, TikTok, and our new Instagram account! Don't forget to subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts.Thank you for tuning in. This is Steve signing off. Until next time, keep looking up and stay curious about the wonders of our universe.00:00 - Welcome to Astronomy Daily01:05 - Space Force's strategic role in Greenland10:30 - Evolution of space warfare tactics17:00 - Highlights from the Blue Ghost lunar mission22:15 - Discovery of the oldest impact crater on Earth27:30 - Future implications for lunar exploration✍️ Episode ReferencesPetufik Space Base Overview[Department of Defense](https://www.defense.gov)Space Force Capabilities[Space Force](https://www.spaceforce.mil)Blue Ghost Mission Details[Firefly Aerospace](https://fireflyspace.com)Ancient Impact Crater Research[Curtin University](https://www.curtin.edu.au)Astronomy Daily[Astronomy Daily](http://www.astronomydaily.io/)Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/astronomy-daily-space-news--5648921/support.

Future Fashion: Spacesuits, Exoskeletons & More with Alexia Stylianou

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 22, 2025 47:01

What will well-dressed astronauts be wearing on the Artemis III mission? Will AI destroy creativity? Can we actually make leather clothing out of mushrooms? To find out, Dr. Charles Liu and co-host Allen Liu welcome engineer and futurist Alexia Stylianou, who is designing wearable biometric platforms that can measure human biomechanics to a resolution and degree far beyond what's accessible to everyday people. Before we get to introducing our guest this episode, though, Charles whets our appetite about amazing developments coming out of the Vera C. Rubin Observatory where he's on the Science Advisory Committee. Our joyfully cool cosmic thing of the day is Firefly Aerospace's Blue Ghost Mission 1 to the Moon. As Allen points out, it's part of NASA's CLPS (Commercial Lunar Payload Services) initiative and is the most successful private Lunar landing to date – among other things, it landed right-side up! Alexa talks about the importance of giving engineers the freedom to solve problems and the uncertainty of programs like this continuing to be funded by NASA. Allen brings up the Viper, a NASA-funded lunar rover which was built, but lost its funding before testing was completed. Charles asks Alexia to tell us about an example of something on the horizon she thinks is really cool, and she mentions that Prada is designing the space suits for the Artemis III mission in partnership with Axiom Space. She explains that Prada has a history of using cutting edge materials and design that makes them an appropriate partner in the process. Then it's time for our first audience question. Luis asks, “What is needed to create the next amazing space technology that will break all the conventions we have about space travel?” Alexia talks about the increasing importance of incorporating user-centered design or human-centered design, and how it's revolutionizing the process. You'll hear about the development of direct pressure space suits, as well as research into exoskeletons for use in industry and auto manufacturing – although sadly, Alien-style exoskeleton loaders like Ripley uses are still science fiction, for now. Looking even further out, Alexia talks about nuclear semiotics – the effort to come up with ways to communicate to societies that will exist hundreds of thousands of years in the future the danger of radioactive material we're creating now? You'll find out why the skulls and crossbones and other danger iconography we use now aren't up to the task, and the universality of stick-figure iconography. Our next question comes from Johanna: “Will AI destroy creativity?” Questions like this are becoming more frequent, especially in areas like education. Chuck, Alexia and Allen jump into a thought-provoking conversation, and how there are ways to let students use AI as a tool like a calculator while simultaneously incentivizing and stimulating their creativity. Speaking of creativity, Chuck asks Alexia about her love of science fiction and the well-designed stack of books behind her (sorry, Podcast People!). She pulls out and describes “Gideon the Ninth,” the first book in a sci-fi fantasy series about immortal space necromancers by Tamsyn Muir. Alexia talks about speculative fiction and speculative design, and tells us about a team of designers that have created a room that smells like the pollution of the future in order to offer a tangible way to engage our senses now about a future we might yet be able to avoid. Finally, Chuck asks Alexia for one more cool futuristic development she's wants us all to think about. She tells us about the development of mushroom leather (aka mycelium leather), an alternative, eco-friendly, and ethical textile made from fungi grown on apple waste. If you'd like to know more about Alexia, you can find her on LinkedIn. We hope you enjoy this episode of The LIUniverse, and, if you do, please support us on Patreon. Credits for Images Used in this Episode: NSF-DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory on Cerro Pachón in Chile. – Credit: NSF-DOE Rubin Observatory/AURA/B. Quint. Blue Ghost final descent and landing video. – Credit: NASA/Olivia Tyrrell. Prada and Axiom Space Extravehicular Mobility Unit (AxEMU). – Credit: Prada/Axiom Space (image provided for press coverage). The Space Activity Suit developed by Paul Webb and built under a NASA project (taken c. 1971). – Credit: NASA. Exoskeleton designed for the auto industry by Ekso Bionics. – Credit: Ekso Bionics. Proposed design for "small subsurface markers" to be buried randomly in great numbers across the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant. – Credit: Department of Energy (Public Domain).

Homeward Bound Astronauts and Betelgeuse's Imminent Supernova: S04E66

SpaceTime with Stuart Gary | Astronomy, Space & Science News

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 18, 2025 13:39

Astronomy Daily | Space News: S04E66In this exciting episode of Astronomy Daily, host Anna takes you on a journey through the latest developments in space exploration, featuring stranded astronauts preparing for their return, groundbreaking telescope observations, and a busy week of space launches. From the International Space Station to the far reaches of the cosmos, this episode is filled with news that will spark your curiosity about our universe.Highlights:- Stranded Astronauts Return Home: After an unexpected 300-day stay at the International Space Station, NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams are set to return home aboard SpaceX's Dragon capsule, Freedom. Learn about the technical challenges that led to their extended mission and what this means for future space travel.- SKA Low Telescope's First Image: Discover the remarkable achievement of the SKA Low telescope, which has captured its first image of 85 galaxies, each with supermassive black holes at their centers. This groundbreaking instrument is set to become the most sensitive radio telescope, revealing more than 600,000 galaxies once fully operational.- Upcoming Space Launches: Get ready for an action-packed week with multiple launches from SpaceX, Rocket Lab, and Galactic Energy. From Starlink missions to the final batch of satellites for Kinese, the commercial space sector continues to thrive with increased launch activity.- Successful Blue Ghost Lunar Lander Mission: Celebrate the success of Firefly Aerospace's Blue Ghost 1 mission, which completed its lunar operations and collected over 119 gigabytes of data. This mission marks a significant milestone for commercial lunar exploration and sets the stage for future missions to the Moon.- James Webb Space Telescope's Carbon Dioxide Discovery: Uncover the groundbreaking observations from the James Webb Space Telescope, which captured direct images of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere of distant planets, providing insights into planetary formation and the potential for habitability.- Betelgeuse's Imminent Supernova: Explore the fascinating story of Betelgeuse, the red giant star in Orion, as it approaches the end of its life. Learn about the potential spectacle of its supernova and the safety of Earth in relation to this cosmic event.For more cosmic updates, visit our website at astronomydaily.io. Join our community on social media by searching for #AstroDailyPod on Facebook, X, YouTubeMusic, TikTok, and our new Instagram account! Don't forget to subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts.Thank you for tuning in. This is Anna signing off. Until next time, keep looking up and stay curious about the wonders of our universe.00:00 - Welcome to Astronomy Daily01:05 - NASA astronauts prepare for return after extended ISS stay07:30 - SKA Low telescope captures first image of galaxies12:15 - Upcoming space launch schedule18:00 - Firefly Aerospace's successful lunar mission22:30 - James Webb's carbon dioxide discovery27:00 - Betelgeuse's potential supernova✍️ Episode ReferencesNASA Astronaut Return Details[NASA](https://www.nasa.gov)SKA Low Telescope Insights[SKA Observatory](https://www.skao.int)Space Launch Information[SpaceX](https://www.spacex.com)Firefly Aerospace Mission Details[Firefly Aerospace](https://www.fireflyspace.com)James Webb Space Telescope Discoveries[NASA JWST](https://www.nasa.gov/webb)Astronomy Daily[Astronomy Daily](http://www.astronomydaily.io/)Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/astronomy-daily-space-news--5648921/support.

Episode 6 Season 7: E-taste, Moon Landing, and Snacky Labs

The Science Pawdcast

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 14, 2025 30:04 Transcription Available

Send us a textThe Science Podcast explores cutting-edge taste technology that lets you experience flavors in virtual reality through chemical delivery to your tongue, along with updates on private lunar missions and the genetic basis of Labrador retrievers' food obsession.• New "eTaste" technology delivers five basic taste chemicals directly to users' tongues through a flexible conduit while in virtual reality• Device successfully simulated complex flavors like lemonade, cake, fried egg, fish soup, and coffee with 87% accuracy• Private lunar missions making history with Firefly Aerospace's Blue Ghost successfully landing on Mare Crisium• Intuitive Machines' Athena Lander tipped over in a crater but still collected valuable data• Researchers identified five genes linked to obesity in Labradors, most notably DENND1B which increases body fat by 8%• Labs with high obesity-risk genes showed stronger food-seeking behaviors• Strict feeding regimens by owners can maintain healthy weight even in genetically predisposed LabradorsSupport the Science Podcast on Patreon to keep it free and join our community of science enthusiasts.Our links! Our Website! www.bunsenbernerbmd.comSign up for our Weekly Newsletter!Bunsen and Beaker on Twitter:Bunsen and Beaker on TikTokSupport the showFor Science, Empathy, and Cuteness!Being Kind is a Superpower.https://twitter.com/bunsenbernerbmd

Orbital Shifts and Ice Ages, Starship's Explosive End, and Moon's Haunting Discoveries: S28E30

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 10, 2025 31:45

SpaceTime Series 28 Episode 30The Astronomy, Space and Science News PodcastEarth's Jessica Cycles, Starship's Latest Failure, and Lunar Landings in TroubleIn this episode of SpaceTime, we explore a groundbreaking discovery linking Earth's ice age cycles to its orbital shifts. Recent research indicates a predictable pattern for glacial and interglacial periods, suggesting the onset of the next ice age could occur in approximately 10,000 years. This insight stems from a million-year climate record that matches changes in Earth's orbit with significant climate shifts.Starship's Crash and BurnWe also discuss the latest mishap involving SpaceX's Starship, which experienced a dramatic failure just seconds before achieving orbit. The test flight ended in a spectacular explosion over the Caribbean, prompting multiple investigations into the incident. This marks the second consecutive failure for SpaceX's ambitious rocket program, raising concerns about its future, particularly in relation to NASA's Artemis lunar missions.New Developments on the MoonAdditionally, we report on the recent successful landing of Firefly Aerospace's Blue Ghost lander on the lunar surface, marking a milestone in commercial lunar exploration. However, not all lunar missions are faring well, as Intuitive Machines' IM2 lander appears to have landed on its side, echoing past failures. Meanwhile, NASA's Lunar Trailblazer has lost communication, raising further concerns about its operational status.00:00 Space Time Series 28 Episode 30 for broadcast on 10 March 202500:49 Linking Earth's ice age cycles to orbital shifts06:30 Predicting the next ice age12:15 Overview of SpaceX's Starship crash18:00 Implications for NASA's Artemis program22:45 Successful landing of Blue Ghost on the Moon27:00 Challenges faced by IM2 and Lunar Trailblazer missions30:15 Study on vaping and smoking cessationwww.spacetimewithstuartgary.comwww.bitesz.com

Protesters ‘Stand Up For Science' At Rallies Nationwide | Blue Ghost Lunar Lander

Science Friday

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 7, 2025 27:55

Scientists aren't always encouraged to be politically active. But recent political interference by the Trump administration has many fired up. And, the Blue Ghost lunar lander, part of NASA's CLPS initiative, completed the first fully successful commercial moon landing.Protesters ‘Stand Up For Science' At Rallies Across The CountryScientists and defenders of science are gathering in cities across the U.S. today as part of Stand Up for Science rallies, events to protest recent political interference by the Trump administration in science funding. The main rally in Washington, D.C. features speakers including Bill Nye, Dr. Frances Collins and Dr. Atul Gawande, and will advocate for ending censorship, expanding scientific funding, and defending diversity, equity, and inclusion.Host Flora Lichtman speaks to science reporter Anil Oza, a Sharon Begley Fellow at STAT and MIT, about the runup to Stand Up For Science, and what he's heard from organizers and attendees. Then, Flora speaks with two listeners, D.C.-based planetary scientist Mike Wong and University of Louisville student Emily Reed, about why they're fired up to attend local rallies. Touchdown For The Blue Ghost Lunar LanderLast weekend, the Blue Ghost lander, built by the Texas-based company Firefly Aerospace, became the first commercial spacecraft to execute a fully successful landing on the surface of the moon. On board the lander were 10 NASA instruments flown as part of NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative. The lander will be in operation on the moon over the course of one lunar day (about 2 Earth weeks), before running out of battery power as the lunar night falls.Kevin Scholtes, an engineer at Firefly Aerospace, and Dr. Nicky Fox, associate administrator for the NASA Science Mission Directorate, join Host Flora Lichtman to talk about building a commercial spacecraft, the role of private companies in spaceflight, and some of the science the mission aims to achieve.Transcripts for each segment will be available after the show airs on sciencefriday.com. Subscribe to this podcast. Plus, to stay updated on all things science, sign up for Science Friday's newsletters.

This Week in Space 151: In Search of Alien Megastructures

All TWiT.tv Shows (MP3)

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 7, 2025 76:05 Transcription Available

In this episode of This Week in Space, Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik talk with Dr. Jim Green, former NASA Chief Scientist. He discusses how we can search for technosignatures that might indicate advanced civilizations in other star systems, new ideas on Mars sample return, and his fascinating experience consulting on the movie, The Martian! Also: this week's robotic landings on the Moon - one successful, one partly so; what's up with the USAF X-37B mini-shuttle; and recent news on those Energizer Bunnies of space, Voyagers 1&2. Their wings have been clipped a bit, but they just keep going... join us! News Lunar Landing Week: Firefly Aerospace's Blue Ghost lander achieved a flawless touchdown in Mare Chrisium, the Intuitive Machines Athena lander reached the Moon's south polar region but experienced issues with its navigation radar (and tipped over), and SpaceX's Starship test flight 8 successfully caught its booster for the third time but lost control of the upper stage, resulting in the breakup of the upper stage and debris over the Bahamas and Caribbean. NASA powered down additional instruments on both Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 to extend their remaining power supply, including Voyager 1's cosmic ray system that helped confirm its entry into interstellar space in 2012. The secretive US Space Force X-37B space plane landed at Vandenberg Space Force Base after 434 days in orbit, completing its seventh mission, which tested new orbital capabilities, including aerobraking techniques. A newly released list showcases the world's top ten locations for dark skies and stargazing, with the US only having only one location—in Hawaii—to make the list. Dr. Jim Green His Career: Dr. Green goes over his former role as NASA's Chief Scientist and highlights key aspects of his career, including running the National Space Science Data Center (NSSDC) and leading NASA's Planetary Science Division, and how his interest in space first began. The Martian: Dr. Green also explains how he got involved as a consultant for Ridley Scott's movie, "The Martian," and how NASA got really involved with the film. He also shares his favorite scene from the movie. NASA's Search for Alien Civilizations: Dr. Green shares how he helped shift NASA's focus from traditional SETI to searching for technosignatures like Dyson Spheres and O'Neill structures in other star systems, securing $10 million in funding for research that could detect megastructures in our astronomical data while noting that humanity may need similar space habitats in 800 million years when the sun makes Earth uninhabitable. Mars Sample Return Strategy: Dr. Green explains how NASA's evolving plan to return samples fropm Mars includes developing Mars Ascent Vehicles that could eventually support human missions while revealing that Perseverance was deliberately designed to place sample tubes on the surface so any nation could retrieve them, making the mission more politically viable with budget offices and Congress. Humanity's Cosmic Future: Dr. Green reveals that he helped create NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program to support new companies for lunar missions. Despite early failures, he emphasized that humanity must utilize space resources and capabilities to ensure our species' long-term survival. Hosts: Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik Guest: Dr. Jim Green 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 shows, a members-only Discord, and behind-the-scenes access. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit

Episode 574: We are back on the Moon Baby

Comes Naturally

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 7, 2025 71:28

This week's episode begins with an engaging discussion centered around some exciting developments in the realm of space exploration, particularly highlighting the recent achievements of Firefly Aerospace. The company has made history by successfully landing its Blue Ghost lander on the lunar surface, marking a significant milestone as it becomes the first commercial entity to accomplish such a feat. This achievement not only signifies a leap forward for Firefly Aerospace but also opens up new avenues for commercial space ventures and lunar exploration, potentially paving the way for future missions by private companies aiming to explore and utilize the resources of the Moon. As we delve into the implications of this landmark event, we reflect on how it impacts the broader landscape of space travel and the ongoing competition among various private aerospace firms. Following this captivating space news, we transition to the realm of cinema, where a plethora of new trailers and teasers have been unveiled over the past week, generating buzz and excitement among movie enthusiasts. Among these, we have a tantalizing new teaser for the highly anticipated film Alien: Earth, which promises to expand the iconic Alien franchise in intriguing ways. Additionally, fans of the unique and versatile actor Nicolas Cage can look forward to his latest project, The Surfer, which showcases his ability to tackle diverse roles and narratives. Furthermore, we discuss the newly released trailer for Death of a Unicorn, a film that appears to blend fantasy with poignant storytelling, captivating audiences with its imaginative premise. In addition to these cinematic highlights, we also touch upon some intriguing developments regarding upcoming Star Wars movies. Filmmakers Simon Kinsberg and Shawn Levy have been making headlines with their involvement in new projects set within the beloved Star Wars universe. We explore the potential directions these films might take, discussing the narratives and character arcs that could be explored, and how they fit into the expansive lore of the franchise. As we speculate on the future of Star Wars, we consider the excitement and anticipation surrounding these developments, as fans eagerly await to see how the saga of a galaxy far, far away continues to unfold.Official Website: https://www.comesnaturallypodcast.comOfficial Merchandise: https://shop.spreadshirt.com/comes-naturally-podcast/iTunes: http://tinyurl.com/kqkgackFacebook: http://tinyurl.com/myovgm8Tumblr: http://tinyurl.com/m7a6mg9Twitter: @ComesNaturalPodYouTube: http://tiny.cc/5snxpy

death babies star wars moon alien unicorns nicolas cage surfer shawn levy firefly aerospace

Manifest Space: Blue Ghost's Moon Mission with Firefly Aerospace CEO Jason Kim 3/7/25

Closing Bell

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 7, 2025 10:54

Firefly Aerospace has made history with its commercial lunar lander Blue Ghost making a soft landing over the weekend—the second private operation to ever do so, and the first to do it without complications. The mission involved five payloads collected valuable data. CEO Jason Kim joins Morgan Brennan to discuss Blue Ghost's successful soft landing, the company's upcoming plans to launch its Alpha rocket and potentially launching lunar missions to Mars.

ghosts mars alpha manifest moon mission firefly aerospace jason kim

Blue Ghost tocca il suolo lunare, la seconda volta per una compagnia privata

SBS Italian - SBS in Italiano

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 7, 2025 11:44

Il lander lunare Blue Ghost della Firefly Aerospace ha toccato la superficie della Luna, un passo fondamentale nel percorso che porterà l'uomo sulla Luna nei prossimi anni.

ghosts volta seconda compagnia privata tocca firefly aerospace suolo

Blue Ghost's Moon Mission with Firefly Aerospace CEO Jason Kim 3/7/25

Manifest Space with Morgan Brennan

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 7, 2025 10:54

Firefly Aerospace has made history with its commercial lunar lander Blue Ghost making a soft landing over the weekend—the second private operation to ever do so, and the first to do it without complications. The mission involved five payloads collected valuable data. CEO Jason Kim joins Morgan Brennan to discuss Blue Ghost's successful soft landing, the company's upcoming plans to launch its Alpha rocket and potentially launching lunar missions to Mars.

ghosts mars alpha moon mission firefly aerospace jason kim

TWiS 151: In Search of Alien Megastructures - With Former NASA Chief Scientist, Dr. Jim Green

This Week in Space (Audio)

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 7, 2025 76:05

In this episode of This Week in Space, Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik talk with Dr. Jim Green, former NASA Chief Scientist. He discusses how we can search for technosignatures that might indicate advanced civilizations in other star systems, new ideas on Mars sample return, and his fascinating experience consulting on the movie, The Martian! Also: this week's robotic landings on the Moon - one successful, one partly so; what's up with the USAF X-37B mini-shuttle; and recent news on those Energizer Bunnies of space, Voyagers 1&2. Their wings have been clipped a bit, but they just keep going... join us! News Lunar Landing Week: Firefly Aerospace's Blue Ghost lander achieved a flawless touchdown in Mare Chrisium, the Intuitive Machines Athena lander reached the Moon's south polar region but experienced issues with its navigation radar (and tipped over), and SpaceX's Starship test flight 8 successfully caught its booster for the third time but lost control of the upper stage, resulting in the breakup of the upper stage and debris over the Bahamas and Caribbean. NASA powered down additional instruments on both Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 to extend their remaining power supply, including Voyager 1's cosmic ray system that helped confirm its entry into interstellar space in 2012. The secretive US Space Force X-37B space plane landed at Vandenberg Space Force Base after 434 days in orbit, completing its seventh mission, which tested new orbital capabilities, including aerobraking techniques. A newly released list showcases the world's top ten locations for dark skies and stargazing, with the US only having only one location—in Hawaii—to make the list. Dr. Jim Green His Career: Dr. Green goes over his former role as NASA's Chief Scientist and highlights key aspects of his career, including running the National Space Science Data Center (NSSDC) and leading NASA's Planetary Science Division, and how his interest in space first began. The Martian: Dr. Green also explains how he got involved as a consultant for Ridley Scott's movie, "The Martian," and how NASA got really involved with the film. He also shares his favorite scene from the movie. NASA's Search for Alien Civilizations: Dr. Green shares how he helped shift NASA's focus from traditional SETI to searching for technosignatures like Dyson Spheres and O'Neill structures in other star systems, securing $10 million in funding for research that could detect megastructures in our astronomical data while noting that humanity may need similar space habitats in 800 million years when the sun makes Earth uninhabitable. Mars Sample Return Strategy: Dr. Green explains how NASA's evolving plan to return samples fropm Mars includes developing Mars Ascent Vehicles that could eventually support human missions while revealing that Perseverance was deliberately designed to place sample tubes on the surface so any nation could retrieve them, making the mission more politically viable with budget offices and Congress. Humanity's Cosmic Future: Dr. Green reveals that he helped create NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program to support new companies for lunar missions. Despite early failures, he emphasized that humanity must utilize space resources and capabilities to ensure our species' long-term survival. Hosts: Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik Guest: Dr. Jim Green 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 shows, a members-only Discord, and behind-the-scenes access. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit

This Week in Space 151: In Search of Alien Megastructures

All TWiT.tv Shows (Video LO)

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 7, 2025 76:05 Transcription Available

In this episode of This Week in Space, Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik talk with Dr. Jim Green, former NASA Chief Scientist. He discusses how we can search for technosignatures that might indicate advanced civilizations in other star systems, new ideas on Mars sample return, and his fascinating experience consulting on the movie, The Martian! Also: this week's robotic landings on the Moon - one successful, one partly so; what's up with the USAF X-37B mini-shuttle; and recent news on those Energizer Bunnies of space, Voyagers 1&2. Their wings have been clipped a bit, but they just keep going... join us! News Lunar Landing Week: Firefly Aerospace's Blue Ghost lander achieved a flawless touchdown in Mare Chrisium, the Intuitive Machines Athena lander reached the Moon's south polar region but experienced issues with its navigation radar (and tipped over), and SpaceX's Starship test flight 8 successfully caught its booster for the third time but lost control of the upper stage, resulting in the breakup of the upper stage and debris over the Bahamas and Caribbean. NASA powered down additional instruments on both Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 to extend their remaining power supply, including Voyager 1's cosmic ray system that helped confirm its entry into interstellar space in 2012. The secretive US Space Force X-37B space plane landed at Vandenberg Space Force Base after 434 days in orbit, completing its seventh mission, which tested new orbital capabilities, including aerobraking techniques. A newly released list showcases the world's top ten locations for dark skies and stargazing, with the US only having only one location—in Hawaii—to make the list. Dr. Jim Green His Career: Dr. Green goes over his former role as NASA's Chief Scientist and highlights key aspects of his career, including running the National Space Science Data Center (NSSDC) and leading NASA's Planetary Science Division, and how his interest in space first began. The Martian: Dr. Green also explains how he got involved as a consultant for Ridley Scott's movie, "The Martian," and how NASA got really involved with the film. He also shares his favorite scene from the movie. NASA's Search for Alien Civilizations: Dr. Green shares how he helped shift NASA's focus from traditional SETI to searching for technosignatures like Dyson Spheres and O'Neill structures in other star systems, securing $10 million in funding for research that could detect megastructures in our astronomical data while noting that humanity may need similar space habitats in 800 million years when the sun makes Earth uninhabitable. Mars Sample Return Strategy: Dr. Green explains how NASA's evolving plan to return samples fropm Mars includes developing Mars Ascent Vehicles that could eventually support human missions while revealing that Perseverance was deliberately designed to place sample tubes on the surface so any nation could retrieve them, making the mission more politically viable with budget offices and Congress. Humanity's Cosmic Future: Dr. Green reveals that he helped create NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program to support new companies for lunar missions. Despite early failures, he emphasized that humanity must utilize space resources and capabilities to ensure our species' long-term survival. Hosts: Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik Guest: Dr. Jim Green 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 shows, a members-only Discord, and behind-the-scenes access. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit

TWiS 151: In Search of Alien Megastructures - With Former NASA Chief Scientist, Dr. Jim Green

This Week in Space (Video)

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 7, 2025 76:05

In this episode of This Week in Space, Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik talk with Dr. Jim Green, former NASA Chief Scientist. He discusses how we can search for technosignatures that might indicate advanced civilizations in other star systems, new ideas on Mars sample return, and his fascinating experience consulting on the movie, The Martian! Also: this week's robotic landings on the Moon - one successful, one partly so; what's up with the USAF X-37B mini-shuttle; and recent news on those Energizer Bunnies of space, Voyagers 1&2. Their wings have been clipped a bit, but they just keep going... join us! News Lunar Landing Week: Firefly Aerospace's Blue Ghost lander achieved a flawless touchdown in Mare Chrisium, the Intuitive Machines Athena lander reached the Moon's south polar region but experienced issues with its navigation radar (and tipped over), and SpaceX's Starship test flight 8 successfully caught its booster for the third time but lost control of the upper stage, resulting in the breakup of the upper stage and debris over the Bahamas and Caribbean. NASA powered down additional instruments on both Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 to extend their remaining power supply, including Voyager 1's cosmic ray system that helped confirm its entry into interstellar space in 2012. The secretive US Space Force X-37B space plane landed at Vandenberg Space Force Base after 434 days in orbit, completing its seventh mission, which tested new orbital capabilities, including aerobraking techniques. A newly released list showcases the world's top ten locations for dark skies and stargazing, with the US only having only one location—in Hawaii—to make the list. Dr. Jim Green His Career: Dr. Green goes over his former role as NASA's Chief Scientist and highlights key aspects of his career, including running the National Space Science Data Center (NSSDC) and leading NASA's Planetary Science Division, and how his interest in space first began. The Martian: Dr. Green also explains how he got involved as a consultant for Ridley Scott's movie, "The Martian," and how NASA got really involved with the film. He also shares his favorite scene from the movie. NASA's Search for Alien Civilizations: Dr. Green shares how he helped shift NASA's focus from traditional SETI to searching for technosignatures like Dyson Spheres and O'Neill structures in other star systems, securing $10 million in funding for research that could detect megastructures in our astronomical data while noting that humanity may need similar space habitats in 800 million years when the sun makes Earth uninhabitable. Mars Sample Return Strategy: Dr. Green explains how NASA's evolving plan to return samples fropm Mars includes developing Mars Ascent Vehicles that could eventually support human missions while revealing that Perseverance was deliberately designed to place sample tubes on the surface so any nation could retrieve them, making the mission more politically viable with budget offices and Congress. Humanity's Cosmic Future: Dr. Green reveals that he helped create NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program to support new companies for lunar missions. Despite early failures, he emphasized that humanity must utilize space resources and capabilities to ensure our species' long-term survival. Hosts: Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik Guest: Dr. Jim Green 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 shows, a members-only Discord, and behind-the-scenes access. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit

Lunar Landings, Asteroid Adventures & Andromeda Mysteries: #501

Space Nuts

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 6, 2025 33:50

This episode is brought to you by NordVPN....the VPN we all use and highly recommend. We wouldn't advertise them if we didn't love the product. And there's a very special limited time deal for Space Nuts listeners at the moment. Check it out ASAP at www.nordvpn.com/spacenuts ...and it comes witha 30 day money back guantee.Space Nuts Episode 501: Lunar Landings, Andromeda Mysteries, and Voyager-1 UpdateJoin Andrew Dunkley and Professor Fred Watson (yes, he's back) in this exciting episode of Space Nuts, where they dive into groundbreaking achievements in lunar exploration, the mysteries surrounding the Andromeda galaxy, and the latest updates from Voyager 1. This episode is packed with fascinating insights and updates that will keep you engaged and curious about the cosmos.Episode Highlights:- Blue Ghost Lunar Lander: The episode kicks off with the successful landing of the Blue Ghost lunar lander by Firefly Aerospace. Andrew and Fred discuss the significance of this commercial mission, how it differs from past government-funded endeavors, and what it means for future lunar exploration.- Odin Asteroid Probe Troubles: The duo then shifts focus to the Odin asteroid probe, which has encountered some challenges en route to its target. They explore the implications of its current state and what this means for the future of asteroid mining and exploration missions.- Andromeda Galaxy's Dwarf Galaxies: Andrew and Fred delve into the latest research on Andromeda, discussing how its dwarf galaxies are behaving unusually. They explore the potential gravitational influences at play and the surprising findings from Hubble observations that challenge existing theories about galaxy formation.- Voyager 1's Communication Update: The episode wraps up with an update on Voyager 1, the most distant human-made object, which has resumed sending intelligible signals back to Earth after overcoming some technical difficulties. Andrew and Fred reflect on the incredible journey of Voyager 1 and its ongoing contributions to our understanding of the universe.For more Space Nuts, including our continually updating newsfeed and to listen to all our episodes, visit our website. Follow us on social media at SpaceNutsPod on Facebook, X, YouTube Music Music, Tumblr, Instagram, and TikTok. We love engaging with our community, so be sure to drop us a message or comment on your favorite platform.If you'd like to help support Space Nuts and join our growing family of insiders for commercial-free episodes and more, visit spacenutspodcast.com/aboutStay curious, keep looking up, and join us next time for more stellar insights and cosmic wonders. Until then, clear skies and happy stargazing.00:00 - Introduction and lunar lander success02:15 - Discussion on the Blue Ghost lunar lander10:30 - Updates on the Odin asteroid probe18:00 - Insights into Andromeda's dwarf galaxies26:45 - Voyager 1's communication update30:00 - Closing thoughts and listener engagement✍️ Episode ReferencesBlue Ghost Lunar Lander Mission Detailshttps://www.firefly.com/blueghostOdin Asteroid Mission Overviewhttps://www.astro.com/odinAndromeda Galaxy Research Findingshttps://www.hubblesite.org/andromedaVoyager 1 Communication Updateshttps://www.nasa.gov/voyager1Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/space-nuts-exploring-the-cosmos--2631155/support.

Firefly's Alpha secures a new launch contract.

ghosts nasa partnership private sector lunar landing firefly aerospace pbs news

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 5, 2025 16:34

NASA selects Firefly Aerospace to provide the launch service for the Investigation of Convective Updrafts (INCUS) mission. Astroscale UK and BAE Systems to collaborate on an In-orbit Refurbishment and Upgrading Service (IRUS), to advance the transition away from the current single-use culture in space. Spire Global announces third quarter 2024 financial results, and more. Remember to leave us a 5-star rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Be sure to follow T-Minus on LinkedIn and Instagram. Selected Reading NASA Awards Launch Service for Mission to Study Storm Formation Astroscale and BAE Systems Lay the Foundation for a Circular Space Economy with Design for Refurbishment and In-Orbit Satellite Upgrades Spire Global Announces Third Quarter 2024 Results and Completion of Restatement Fleet Space Acquires HiSeis: Introducing A New Era of End-To-End Exploration Services Starlab Advances to Full Development After Successfully Completing Key NASA Milestone Flight VA263 now scheduled on March 6, 2025- Arianespace Starfighters Space Advances StarLaunch Platform ICEYE and Saab cooperate to integrate advanced space-based radar data to military command systems BoxMica Partners with ICEYE US to Accelerate Mission-Critical Intelligence Operations NASA Successfully Acquires GPS Signals on Moon Lunar Data Center Achieves First Success En Route To The Moon T-Minus Crew Survey We want to hear from you! Please complete our 4 question survey. It'll help us get better and deliver you the most mission-critical space intel every day. Want to hear your company in the show? You too can reach the most influential leaders and operators in the industry. Here's our media kit. Contact us at space@n2k.com to request more info. Want to join us for an interview? Please send your pitch to space-editor@n2k.com and include your name, affiliation, and topic proposal. T-Minus is a production of N2K Networks, your source for strategic workforce intelligence. © N2K Networks, Inc. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

mission design foundation nasa launch alpha contract results investigation firefly completion saab bae systems refurbishment t minus firefly aerospace spire global

Blue Ghost Mission 1

Let's Know Things

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 4, 2025 20:42

This week we talk about Luna 2, soft-landings, and Firefly Aerospace.We also discuss the private space launch industry, lunar landers, and regolith.Recommended Book: The Mercy of Gods by James S.A. CoreyTranscriptIn 1959, Luna 2, a Soviet impactor-style spacecraft, successfully reached the surface of the Moon—the first-ever human-made object to do so.Luna 2 was very of its era; a relatively simple device, similar in many ways to the better-known Sputnik satellite, but getting a craft to the moon is far more difficult than placing something in orbit around Earth, in part because of the distance involved—the Moon is about 30-Earth's from the surface of the earth, that figure varying based on where in its elliptical orbit it is at the moment, but that's a good average, around 239,000 miles which is about 384,000 km, while Sputnik's orbit only took it something like 359 miles, around 578 km from the surface. That's somewhere in the neighborhood of 670-times the distance.So new considerations, like fuel to get there, but also charting paths to the moon that would allow the human-made object to actually hit it, rather than flying off into space, and even figuring out whether craft would need to be designed differently if they made it out of Earth's magnetic field, were significant hurdles that had to be leapt to make this mission a success; everything was brand new, and there were gobs of unknowns.That said, this craft didn't settle onto the moon—it plowed into it like a bullet, a so-called ‘hard landing.' Which was still an astonishing feet of research and engineering, as at this point in history most rockets were still blowing up before making it off the launch pad, including the projects that eventually led to the design and launch of Luna 2.The US managed their own hard landing on the Moon in 1962, and it wasn't until 1966 that the first soft landing—the craft slowing itself before impact, so that some kind of intact device would actually continue to exist and function on the surface of the moon—was accomplished by the Luna 9.The Luna 9 used an ejectable capsule that was protected by airbags, which helped it survive its 34 mph, which is about 54 kmh impact. This successful mission returned the first panoramic photographs from the surface of the moon, which was another notable, historic, incredibly difficult at the time feat.A series of rapid-fire firsts followed these initial visits, including the first-ever crewed flight to the Moon, made by the US Apollo 8 mission in 1968—that one didn't land, but it did circle the Moon 10 times before returning to Earth, the first successful crewed mission to the surface of the Moon made by the Apollo 11 team in 1969, and by the early 70s humans had made several more moon landings: all of them were American missions, as the US is still the only country to have performed successful crewed missions to the Moon's surface, but the Apollo 11, 12, 14, 15, 16, and 17 missions all put people on the lunar surface, and then returned them safely to Earth.The Luna 24, another Soviet mission launched in 1976, was the last big space race era mission to return lunar samples—chunks of moon rock and regolith—to earth, though it was a robotic mission, no humans aboard. And by many measures, the space race actually ended the previous year, in 1975, when Apollo and Soyuz capsules, US and Soviet missions, respectively, docked in orbit, creating the first international space mission, and allowing US astronauts and Soviet cosmonauts to shake hands, symbolically burying the hatchet, at least in terms of that particular, non-earthbound rivalry.What I'd like to talk about today is a recent, successful soft landing on the lunar surface that's historic in nature, but also contemporarily significant for several other reasons.—Firefly Space Systems was founded in the US in 2014 by a team of entrepreneurs who wanted to compete with then-burgeoning private space companies like SpaceX and Virgin Galactic by, like these competitors, reducing the cost of getting stuff into low Earth orbit.They were planning to become profitable within four years on the back of the also-burgeoning small satellite industry, which basically means selling space on their rockets, which are capable of carrying multiple small satellites on what's often called a ‘rideshare' basis, to companies and agencies that were keen to launch their own orbital assets.These smaller satellites were becoming increasingly popular and doable because the tech required was shrinking and becoming cheaper, and that meant you no longer needed a boggling amount of money to do basic research or to lob a communications satellite into orbit; you could spent a few million dollars instead of tens or hundreds of millions, and buy space on a rocket carrying many small satellites, rather than needing to splurge on a rocket all by yourself, that rocket carrying only your giant, extremely costly and large conventional satellite.This path, it was hoped, would provide them the benefits of economies of scale, allowing them to build and launch more rockets, which in turn would bring the costs of such rockets and launches down, over time.And the general concept was sound—that's basically what SpaceX has managed to do, with mammoth success, over the past decade completely rewiring how the space launch industry works; their many, reusable rockets and rocket components, and abundant launches, many of which are used to lob their own StarLink in-orbit satellites into space, while also usually carrying smaller satellites provided by clients who pay to go along for the ride, bringing all of these costs down dramatically.So that model is basically what Firefly was aiming for, as well—but the Firefly team, which was made up of folks from Virgin Galactic, SpaceX, and other industry entities was sued by Virgin Galactic, which alleged that a former employee who left them to work for Firefly provided Firefly with intellectual property and committed what amounts to espionage, destroying data and hardware before they left.These allegations were confirmed in 2016, and some of Firefly's most vital customers and investors backed out, leaving the company without enough money to move forward. A second lawsuit from Virgin Orbit against Firefly and some of its people hit that same year, and that left the company insolvent, its assets put up for auction in 2017.Those assets were bought by an investment company called Noosphere Ventures, which relaunched Firefly Space Systems as Firefly Aerospace. They then reworked the designs of their rockets a bit and relocated some of the company's research assets to Ukraine, where the head of Noosphere Ventures is from.They picked up a few customers in the following years, and they leased a private launch pad in Florida and another in California. In 2021, they were awarded more than $90 million to develop exploration tech for the Artemis Moon program, which was scheduled for 2023 and was meant to help develop the US's private space industry; NASA was trying out a model that would see them hire private companies to deliver assets for a future moon-based mission, establishing long-term human presence on the moon, over the course of several years, and doing so on a budget by basically not having to build every single aspect of the mission themselves.That same year, the head of Noosphere Ventures was asked by the US Committee on Foreign Investment to sell nearly 50% of his stake in Firefly for national security reasons; he was born in Ukraine, and the Committee was apparently concerned about so much of the company's infrastructure being located in a country that, even before Russia invaded the following year, was considered to be a precarious spot for security-vital US research and development assets.This is considered to be something of a scandal, as it was implied that this Ukrainian owner was himself under suspicion of maybe being a Russian asset—something that seems to have been all implication and no substance, as he's since moved back to Ukraine and has gone on to be something of a war hero, providing all sorts of tech and other resources to the anti-invasion effort.But back then, he complied with this request, though not at all happily—and it sounds like that unhappiness was probably justified, though there are still some classified documents on the matter that maybe say otherwise; we don't know for sure publicly right now.In any event, he and Noosphere sold most of their stake in Firefly to a US company called AE Industrial Partners, and the following year, in 2022 it successfully launched, for the first time, its Alpha rocket, intended to be its core launch option for small satellite, rideshare-style customers.The satellites placed in orbit by that first launch didn't reach their intended height, so while the rocket made it into orbit, another launch, where the satellites were placed where they were supposed to go, actually happened in 2023, is generally considered to be the first, true successful launch of the Alpha rocket.All of which is interesting because this component of the larger space industry has been heating up; SpaceX has dominated, soaking up most of the oxygen in the room and claiming the lion's share of available contracts. But there are quite a few private space companies from around the world profitably launching rockets at a rapid cadence, these days. And many of them are using the same general model of inexpensive rideshare rockets carrying smaller satellites into orbit, and the money from those launches then funds their other explorations, ranging from government mission components like rovers, to plans for futuristic space stations that might someday replace the aging International Space Station, to larger rockets and launch craft that might further reduce the cost of launching stuff into space, while also potentially serving as in-orbit or off-planet habitations—as is the case with SpaceX's massive Starship craft.This is also notable, though, because Firefly launched a lander as part of its Blue Ghost mission, to the Moon on January 15 of 2025. That craft reached the moon, and successfully soft-landed there, on March 2 the same year.This lander was partly funded by that aforementioned 2021 Artemis award by NASA—it ultimately received just over $100 million from the agency to conduct this mission—and it was launched atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, as the company's own Alpha rockets don't yet have the right specs to launch their lander, the Blue Ghost M1; which interestingly shared space in this rocket with another lander produced by a Japanese company called ispace, whose name you might recognize, as ispace managed to get a previous lunar lander, the Hakuto-R 1, to the moon in 2023, but communication was lost with the craft a few seconds before it was scheduled to land. It was confirmed later that year that the lander crashed; though again, even just getting something to the moon is a pretty impressive feat.So this SpaceX rocket, launched in mid-January of 2025, had two competing lunar landers on it, one made by Firefly and one made by ispace. That latter lander is scheduled to arrive on the surface sometime in early May of this year, though that might change, based on all sorts of variables. But the former, Firefly's Blue Ghost, successfully touched-down, soft-landing on the lunar surface on March 2.There's another lander from Intuitive Machines—the American company that can claim to be the first to successfully soft-land on the lunar surface, but whose first effort tipped over. Their new lander could arrive as soon as March 6, just days after Blue Ghost, and it'll be aiming for an area just 100 miles from the moon's south pole; an area that's of particular interest because of water ice contained in permanently shadowed areas thereabouts, which could be vital for long-term human occupation of the moon.So things are heating up on the lunar surface these days, but soft-landing something on the moon is still an accomplishment that few nations, much less private companies, have managed.In the past decade alone, India, Russia, and a nonprofit based in Israel have attempted and failed to achieve soft-landings, and those aforementioned Japanese and US companies managed to soft-land on the moon, but their landers tipped over, limiting the amount of research they could conduct once there. China is the only nation to have successfully achieved this feat on their first attempt, and they benefitted from decades of preexisting research and engineering know-how.And it's not surprising that this is such a rare feat: in addition to the incredible distances involved, the Blue Ghost lander was traveling at around 3,800 mph, which is more than 6,100 kpm just 11 minutes before it landed. It then had to slow itself down, while also adjusting its orientation in order to safely land on an uneven, crater-paved moonscape; it slowed to the pace of a slow walk just before it touched down.Science-wise, this lander is carrying tools that will help it measure the stickiness of regolith on different materials, that will allow for more precise measurements of the distance between earth and the moon, and that will help researchers study solar winds, radiation-tolerant technologies, and the moon's mantle. It has equipment that allowed it to detect GPS and Galileo signals from earth, which suggests these satellites might be used by craft and rovers on the moon, for navigation, at some point, and it has a drill that will allow it to penetrate the lunar regolith up to nine feet deep, among several other project assets.This has also served as a sort of proof of concept for this lander and mission type, as another Blue Ghost lander is scheduled to launch in 2026, that one aiming for the far side of the moon, with a third currently meant to head out in 2028, destined for a currently under-explored volcanic region.The aggregate goal of these US missions, alongside the research tools they deliver, is to eventually start building-out and supplying the necessary infrastructure for long-term human occupation of the moon, culminating with the construction of a permanently crewed base there.These sorts of ambitions aren't new, but this approach—funding companies to handle a lot of the legwork, rather than keeping those sorts of efforts in-house, within NASA—is novel, and it arguably recognizes the nature of the moment, which is increasingly defined by cheaper and cheaper, and in most ways better and better offerings by private space companies, while those deployed by NASA are still really solid and impressive, but incredibly slow and expensive to develop and deploy, in comparison.This is also happening at a moment of heightened geopolitical competition in space, and one in which private entities are equipping the nation states that would have traditionally dominates this industry.China's space agency has enjoyed a flurry of moon-related successes in recent years, and many of these missions have relied at least in part on efforts by private, or pseudo-private, as tends to be the case in China, companies.Business entities from all over the world are also regularly making the satellites and probes and components of landers that make these things work, so solar system exploration and space travel are no longer the exclusive wheelhouses of government agencies—the private sector is becoming a lot more influential in this area, and that's led to some novel security issues, alongside massive swings in influence and power for the folks running these companies: perhaps most notably SpaceX CEO Elon Musk's increasing sway over governments and even inter-governmental conflict, due in part to his company's space launch capabilities, and their capacity to beam internet down to conflict zones, earthside, via their StarLink satellite array.So this is an area that's heating up, both for earthbound and space-faring reasons, and the incentives and peculiarities of the private market are increasingly shaping the type of research and missions being conducted, while also changing the math of what's possible, how quickly, and maybe even what level of risk is acceptable within a given mission or program.Show Noteshttps://www.cnn.com/science/live-news/moon-landing-blue-ghost-03-02-25/index.htmlhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hakuto-R_Mission_1https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hakuto-R_Mission_2https://spacenews.com/ae-industrial-partners-to-acquire-stake-in-firefly-from-noosphere/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artemis_programhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Firefly_Alphahttps://www.nasa.gov/news-release/nasa-selects-firefly-aerospace-for-artemis-commercial-moon-delivery-in-2023/https://www.theverge.com/2019/2/22/18234604/firefly-aerospace-cape-canaveral-florida-launch-site-slc-20https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn25861-next-generation-of-space-cowboys-get-ready-to-fly/https://apnews.com/article/moon-landings-failures-successes-545ea2f3ffa5a15893054b6f43bdbb98https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/01/science/blue-ghost-firefly-mission-1-moon-landing.htmlhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Firefly_Aerospacehttps://www.space.com/the-universe/moon/were-on-the-moon-private-blue-ghost-moon-lander-aces-historic-lunar-landing-for-nasahttps://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cd9208qv1kzohttps://www.reuters.com/technology/space/us-firm-fireflys-blue-ghost-moon-lander-locks-lunar-touchdown-2025-03-02/https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/26/science/intuitive-machines-second-moon-landing-launch-how-to-watch.htmlhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lunar_south_polehttps://www.livescience.com/space/the-moon/how-far-away-is-the-moonhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luna_2https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moon_landinghttps://www.space.com/12841-moon-exploration-lunar-mission-timeline.htmlhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luna_24 This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit letsknowthings.substack.com/subscribe

Firefly Aerospace Successfully lands on the Moon! Two Weeks on Mare Crisium - Science BEGINS!

Today In Space

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 4, 2025 11:31 Transcription Available

Firefly Aerospace successfully landed its Blue Ghost 1 mission on the moon on March 2, 2025, as part of NASA's CLIPS program. They became the 1st Commercial Company to touchdown safely and land on the moon! The mission, which cost 1/10th of a NASA-led mission, carried 10 NASA instruments onboard (among some other payloads as well). The mission's instruments will study lunar dust, solar wind interactions, and other scientific phenomena. Future missions, including Intuitive Machines' IAM-2, are expected to build on the Lunar Momentum, with significant scientific data expected in the coming weeks before the bitter cold of lunar darkness. Buckle up, and let's dive in! Thanks for joining us for another episode of Today In Space Keywords: Firefly Aerospace, Blue Ghost One, moon landing, NASA, CLIPS program, lunar payloads, SpaceX Falcon 9, Mare Crisium, autonomous descent, lunar dust, scientific instruments, NFT digital art, Artemis mission, lunar night, space exploration. Sources: https://fireflyspace.com/missions/blue-ghost-mission-1/ https://fireflyspace.com/news/ https://www.intuitivemachines.com/im-2 https://lifeship.com/blogs/lifeship-mission-control/successful-launch-we-are-on-our-way-to-the-moon Timestamps: 00:00 Firefly Aerospace's Historic Moon Landing 01:17 Firefly Space Lander Cost & NASA CLPS 02:28 Firefly Mission & Landing Breakdown 06:50 What's onboard for Science & Payloads? 09:19 What to expect in Week 1 on the Moon? 10:41 Final Thoughts Here's to building a fantastic future - and continued progress in Space (and humanity)! Spread Love, Spread Science Alex G. Orphanos We'd like to thank our sponsors: AG3D Printing (ag3d-printing.com to learn more & start 3D printing today!) Follow us: @todayinspacepod on Instagram/Twitter @todayinspace on TikTok /TodayInSpacePodcast on Facebook Support the podcast: • Buy a 3D printed gift from our shop - ag3dprinting.etsy.com • Get a free quote on your next 3D printing project at ag3d-printing.com • Donate at todayinspace.net #spacecraft #technology #aerospace #spacetechnology #engineer #stem #artemis #astronaut #fireflyaerospace #fireflyspace #tothemoon #moonlanding #moonlander #lunarlanding #lunarlander #todayinspace #blueghost1 #BGM1 #ghostridersinthesky

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Blue Ghost lunar landing highlights NASA’s partnership with the private sector

PBS NewsHour - Segments

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 3, 2025 4:53

NASA’s partnership with the private sector took a key step forward with a successful moon landing. The Blue Ghost lunar lander, built by the company, Firefly Aerospace, stuck the landing safely early Sunday, making it the first commercial spacecraft to do so. It's carrying a number of experiments for NASA as part of a larger effort to have private companies make deliveries. Miles O'Brien reports. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

Success for Firefly's Blue Ghost.

ghosts nasa partnership private sector lunar landing firefly aerospace pbs news

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 3, 2025 25:05

Firefly Aerospace's Blue Ghost successfully lands on the Moon. Investigations are underway to determine who was behind a cyberattack on Poland's Space Agency (POLSA). Spire Global successfully established a two-way optical link between two satellites in orbit, and more. Remember to leave us a 5-star rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Be sure to follow T-Minus on LinkedIn and Instagram. T-Minus Guest Bailey Reichelt and Jack Shelton bring us the ‘Ask Aegis Space Law” monthly segment. Feel free to email space@n2k.com with your questions for Aegis Space Law. Selected Reading Blue Ghost Mission 1: Live Updates Space stocks climb after successful private landing on the Moon - MarketWatch Spire Achieves Two-Way Laser Communication Between Satellites in Space- Business Wire Cyberattack detected at Polish space agency, minister says- Reuters Firings sap NOAA office responsible for licensing remote sensing satellite firms - Breaking Defense Road to Space - Arianespace SpaceX NASA, SpaceX Update Launch Date for SPHEREx, PUNCH Mission Aalyria and Keysight Collaborate to Advance 5G Non-Terrestrial Networks- Business Wire X-Bow Opens New Office in Indian Head, MD to Support National Defense Priorities Touchdown! Carrying NASA Science, Firefly's Blue Ghost Lands on Moon T-Minus Crew Survey We want to hear from you! Please complete our 4 question survey. It'll help us get better and deliver you the most mission-critical space intel every day. Want to hear your company in the show? You too can reach the most influential leaders and operators in the industry. Here's our media kit. Contact us at space@n2k.com to request more info. Want to join us for an interview? Please send your pitch to space-editor@n2k.com and include your name, affiliation, and topic proposal. T-Minus is a production of N2K Networks, your source for strategic workforce intelligence. © N2K Networks, Inc. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

success ghosts moon md poland polish investigations firefly noaa t minus firefly aerospace indian head spherex spire global

Blue Ghost lunar landing highlights NASA’s partnership with the private sector

PBS NewsHour - Science

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 3, 2025 4:53

NASA’s partnership with the private sector took a key step forward with a successful moon landing. The Blue Ghost lunar lander, built by the company, Firefly Aerospace, stuck the landing safely early Sunday, making it the first commercial spacecraft to do so. It's carrying a number of experiments for NASA as part of a larger effort to have private companies make deliveries. Miles O'Brien reports. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

La Ventana a las 16h | La familia de republicanos que desapareció, historias de la DANA, la privatización de la Luna y Los Revolucionarios

La Ventana

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 3, 2025 48:08

Edición de La Ventana a las 16h del lunes 3 de marzo.En 1932, Ángel Matarán, un maestro de Alhendín, Granada, retiró el crucifijo de su aula siguiendo una circular republicana que ordenaba la eliminación de símbolos religiosos en las escuelas. Este acto, aparentemente sencillo, desencadenó una serie de eventos trágicos que culminaron con su asesinato y el de su hijo Alfonso, de 19 años, durante los primeros días del golpe de Estado de 1936. Casi 90 años después, sus restos han sido identificados en una fosa común, gracias al trabajo del historiador Alfredo Ortega y la Asociación de Memoria Democrática de Granada. Hablamos con su nieto Alfonso Matarán y Nieves Concostrina. Nos acordamos de los afectados por la DANA y nos preguntamos cómo se recupera uno de suceso de esa magnitud. Hablamos con José Forés de Radio Valencia, que nos contará ejemplos de afectación de la salud mental a raíz de la DANA. Hablamos con Tony Aguilar sobre el proyecto 'Guitarras Solidarias', en el que más 60 artistas y grupos españoles entregaron sus guitarras para subastarlas y conseguir fondos. La Fundación Músicos por la Salud y Toni Aguilar que lideran esta acción benéfica han entregado el dinero recaudado, algo más de 80.000 euros, a los beneficiarios de estas ayudas.La nave privada Blue Ghost, de Firefly Aerospace, alunizó ayer después de un viaje de 46 días. Es la primera empresa privada en poner una nave espacial en la Luna sin estrellarse ni caerse. Además, hay otras dos sondas de otras compañías que esperan que alunicen a finales de esta semana. Hablamos de ello con Javier Gregori. En Los Revolucionarios, Pipo Serrano y Jon Sistiaga traen a David Villalón, CEO y cofundador de Maisa, una empresa que, mediante un sistema de razonamiento muy avanzado son capaces de analizar, rastrear y auditar, cómo las distintas Inteligencias Artificiales toman decisiones, para posteriormente ejecutar trabajos autónomos, pero analizables por quienes lo usen, con el fin de hacer los procesos más eficientes y fiables.

This Week in Space 150: Our Listener Special

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Play Episode Listen Later Feb 28, 2025 65:28

On episode 150 of This Week in Space, it's our Listener Special edition! Not only do we answer your questions and respond to your comments, but we lined up a number of your most tummy-tickling space jokes in the humor shooting gallery. This one is more fun than wearing new shoes! Join us as we talk about asteroid 2024YR4, the Space Launch System's prospects, Katy Perry in space, the newest lunar missions, the X-37B "secret shuttle," Apollo-era flight director Gene Kranz and astronaut Buzz Aldrin, solar sails, the cage match between Elon and astronaut Andreas Morgenson, and the best meteor shower of the year! Headlines Asteroid 2024 YR4 no longer a threat - The Earth-shattering asteroid that briefly had a record high 3.2% chance of impact has been downgraded to a 1 in 20,000 risk after pre-discovery data was analyzed, sparing Barstow and the rest of Earth. SLS faces uncertain future - Even long-time supporters like Scott Pace (former National Space Council secretary) are suggesting an "off-ramp" from the SLS rocket to commercial providers, signaling a potential shift in NASA's approach to lunar missions. Lunar Trailblazer mission communication issues - The recently launched lunar orbiter briefly lost contact after launch on a Falcon 9 but has since established a heartbeat. Blue Origin announces all-female crew for NS-31 - The upcoming mission will feature singer Katy Perry, Lauren Sanchez, and four other accomplished women, marking the first all-female crew since Valentina Tereshkova's solo flight in the 1960s. Blue Ghost lunar landing imminent - Firefly Aerospace's first moon lander is scheduled to touch down on March 2nd, joining two other private landers (from Intuitive Machines and ispace) headed to the moon in the coming weeks. Listener Questions X-37B space plane purpose - The hosts discussed the secretive Space Force vehicle that's been in orbit for 908 days, likely testing technologies like hall thrusters and conducting reconnaissance. Elon Musk vs. astronauts controversy - The hosts addressed the Twitter/X confrontation between Elon Musk and astronauts (including Andreas Morgensen) regarding claims that astronauts were "stranded" on the ISS for political reasons. Gene Kranz's impact during Apollo - Rod shared his experience interviewing the legendary flight director, highlighting Kranz's "dictum" speech after the Apollo 1 fire and his transition to a more reflective persona later in life. Meeting Buzz Aldrin - The hosts described Aldrin as passionate, technically brilliant, and candid about his personal struggles, with Tariq sharing how Aldrin was the subject of his first professional space article in 1999. Solar sail technology potential - They discussed the success of Planetary Society's LightSail 2 and other solar sail missions, lamenting that the technology hasn't been utilized more extensively for deep space missions. Best meteor showers to observe - The hosts recommended the Perseids (August), Geminids (December), and Leonids (November) as the most impressive annual meteor showers, emphasizing the importance of dark skies for optimal viewing. Convincing moon landing deniers - They discussed the challenge of persuading conspiracy theorists, citing evidence including Soviet tracking confirmation and modern lunar reconnaissance photos showing Apollo landing sites. 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 shows, a members-only Discord, and behind-the-scenes access. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit

This Week in Space 150: Our Listener Special

All TWiT.tv Shows (Video LO)

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 28, 2025 65:28 Transcription Available

On episode 150 of This Week in Space, it's our Listener Special edition! Not only do we answer your questions and respond to your comments, but we lined up a number of your most tummy-tickling space jokes in the humor shooting gallery. This one is more fun than wearing new shoes! Join us as we talk about asteroid 2024YR4, the Space Launch System's prospects, Katy Perry in space, the newest lunar missions, the X-37B "secret shuttle," Apollo-era flight director Gene Kranz and astronaut Buzz Aldrin, solar sails, the cage match between Elon and astronaut Andreas Morgenson, and the best meteor shower of the year! Headlines Asteroid 2024 YR4 no longer a threat - The Earth-shattering asteroid that briefly had a record high 3.2% chance of impact has been downgraded to a 1 in 20,000 risk after pre-discovery data was analyzed, sparing Barstow and the rest of Earth. SLS faces uncertain future - Even long-time supporters like Scott Pace (former National Space Council secretary) are suggesting an "off-ramp" from the SLS rocket to commercial providers, signaling a potential shift in NASA's approach to lunar missions. Lunar Trailblazer mission communication issues - The recently launched lunar orbiter briefly lost contact after launch on a Falcon 9 but has since established a heartbeat. Blue Origin announces all-female crew for NS-31 - The upcoming mission will feature singer Katy Perry, Lauren Sanchez, and four other accomplished women, marking the first all-female crew since Valentina Tereshkova's solo flight in the 1960s. Blue Ghost lunar landing imminent - Firefly Aerospace's first moon lander is scheduled to touch down on March 2nd, joining two other private landers (from Intuitive Machines and ispace) headed to the moon in the coming weeks. Listener Questions X-37B space plane purpose - The hosts discussed the secretive Space Force vehicle that's been in orbit for 908 days, likely testing technologies like hall thrusters and conducting reconnaissance. Elon Musk vs. astronauts controversy - The hosts addressed the Twitter/X confrontation between Elon Musk and astronauts (including Andreas Morgensen) regarding claims that astronauts were "stranded" on the ISS for political reasons. Gene Kranz's impact during Apollo - Rod shared his experience interviewing the legendary flight director, highlighting Kranz's "dictum" speech after the Apollo 1 fire and his transition to a more reflective persona later in life. Meeting Buzz Aldrin - The hosts described Aldrin as passionate, technically brilliant, and candid about his personal struggles, with Tariq sharing how Aldrin was the subject of his first professional space article in 1999. Solar sail technology potential - They discussed the success of Planetary Society's LightSail 2 and other solar sail missions, lamenting that the technology hasn't been utilized more extensively for deep space missions. Best meteor showers to observe - The hosts recommended the Perseids (August), Geminids (December), and Leonids (November) as the most impressive annual meteor showers, emphasizing the importance of dark skies for optimal viewing. Convincing moon landing deniers - They discussed the challenge of persuading conspiracy theorists, citing evidence including Soviet tracking confirmation and modern lunar reconnaissance photos showing Apollo landing sites. 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 shows, a members-only Discord, and behind-the-scenes access. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit

TWiS 149: SpaceX, Moon Missions, and Killer Asteroids? - 2024 YR4, ISS Deorbiting, and NASA Budget Cuts

This Week in Space (Audio)

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 22, 2025 70:00

In this episode of This Week in Space, hosts Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik discuss the latest space news, including a potentially hazardous asteroid, SpaceX's plans to launch and land in the Bahamas, and the ongoing debate surrounding the retirement of the International Space Station. They also touch on NASA's budget cuts, the search for extraterrestrial life, and the development of new radiation protection technology for deep space missions. - Asteroid 2024 YR4: While initially considered a potential threat, the chances of this asteroid impacting Earth have significantly decreased as more data has been collected. Rod and Tariq discuss the changing odds and the importance of tracking near-Earth objects. - NASA budget cuts: The hosts discuss the proposed 20% budget cut for the James Webb Space Telescope and its potential impact on the groundbreaking observatory's operations and scientific output. - Firefly Aerospace's Blue Ghost Moon lander: Launched weeks ago, the lander is now in lunar orbit and scheduled to land on or about March 2nd, carrying 10 experiments to Mare Crisium. With several other lunar missions on the horizon, including those from Intuitive Machines and Japan's iSpace, the hosts discuss the exciting developments in the new lunar exploration era. - SpaceX in the Bahamas: Elon Musk's company is in talks with the Bahamian government about launching and landing rights. The hosts speculate on the reasons behind this move and its potential implications for future missions. - The retirement of the ISS: Elon Musk suggests de-orbiting the station as soon as possible and to press on to Mars, while others argue for maintaining it until suitable replacements are ready. - "Stranded" astronauts controversy: The hosts address the recent claims that astronauts Sunny Williams and Butch Wilmore were "stranded" or "abandoned" on the ISS due to political motives. They clarify the situation and express their disappointment with the misleading narrative. - Radiation shielding technology: The development of 3D-printed hydrogels offers a promising solution for protecting astronauts from harmful radiation during deep space missions. The hosts explore the potential applications and benefits of this innovative technology. - Search for Extraterrestrial Life: The COSMIC project, working with the Very Large Array telescope, has been using advanced computer processing to seek out focused radio transmissions that might indicate the presence of alien civilizations. While no signals of interest have been found yet, the search continues, and the project serves as a valuable educational tool for aspiring radio astronomers. - NASA workforce reduction: While NASA has not yet implemented the anticipated workforce reduction, the hosts discuss the potential impact of such cuts on the agency's future and the importance of maintaining a skilled workforce in the face of increasing competition from China. 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 shows, a members-only Discord, and behind-the-scenes access. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit

This Week in Space 149: SpaceX, Moon Missions, and Killer Asteroids?

All TWiT.tv Shows (MP3)

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 21, 2025 70:00

In this episode of This Week in Space, hosts Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik discuss the latest space news, including a potentially hazardous asteroid, SpaceX's plans to launch and land in the Bahamas, and the ongoing debate surrounding the retirement of the International Space Station. They also touch on NASA's budget cuts, the search for extraterrestrial life, and the development of new radiation protection technology for deep space missions. - Asteroid 2024 YR4: While initially considered a potential threat, the chances of this asteroid impacting Earth have significantly decreased as more data has been collected. Rod and Tariq discuss the changing odds and the importance of tracking near-Earth objects. - NASA budget cuts: The hosts discuss the proposed 20% budget cut for the James Webb Space Telescope and its potential impact on the groundbreaking observatory's operations and scientific output. - Firefly Aerospace's Blue Ghost Moon lander: Launched weeks ago, the lander is now in lunar orbit and scheduled to land on or about March 2nd, carrying 10 experiments to Mare Crisium. With several other lunar missions on the horizon, including those from Intuitive Machines and Japan's iSpace, the hosts discuss the exciting developments in the new lunar exploration era. - SpaceX in the Bahamas: Elon Musk's company is in talks with the Bahamian government about launching and landing rights. The hosts speculate on the reasons behind this move and its potential implications for future missions. - The retirement of the ISS: Elon Musk suggests de-orbiting the station as soon as possible and to press on to Mars, while others argue for maintaining it until suitable replacements are ready. - "Stranded" astronauts controversy: The hosts address the recent claims that astronauts Sunny Williams and Butch Wilmore were "stranded" or "abandoned" on the ISS due to political motives. They clarify the situation and express their disappointment with the misleading narrative. - Radiation shielding technology: The development of 3D-printed hydrogels offers a promising solution for protecting astronauts from harmful radiation during deep space missions. The hosts explore the potential applications and benefits of this innovative technology. - Search for Extraterrestrial Life: The COSMIC project, working with the Very Large Array telescope, has been using advanced computer processing to seek out focused radio transmissions that might indicate the presence of alien civilizations. While no signals of interest have been found yet, the search continues, and the project serves as a valuable educational tool for aspiring radio astronomers. - NASA workforce reduction: While NASA has not yet implemented the anticipated workforce reduction, the hosts discuss the potential impact of such cuts on the agency's future and the importance of maintaining a skilled workforce in the face of increasing competition from China. 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 shows, a members-only Discord, and behind-the-scenes access. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit

For the love of launch and conquering the sun.