Podcast appearances and mentions of rod pyle

The mitigation of orbital debris is an increasingly serious problem that has not gotten enough attention, but this is changing. Commercial companies are addressing orbital debris, and one of them, KMI Space, has flown its experiments aboard the International Space Station, performing over 170 individual rendezvous-and-grab operations. The results are very promising, and the company is moving ahead with ever more ambitious designs. Adam Kall of KMI joins us to discuss their work on the ISS, the goals of the company, and how nature—via the humble octopus and gecko lizards—may have provided the answers for this vexing problem. Headlines: SpaceX to Build Major Starbase Louisiana with Ambitious Launch Plans Falcon 9 Retirement Looms as Starship Prepares to Take Over Recovery and Future of Starship Flight 13 Discussed Roman Space Telescope Launch Previewed Lunar Eclipse Recap and Next Major Eclipse Forecast Trump Announces New US Space Academy Main Topic: KMI Space's REACH Technology and In-Orbit Relocation KMI Space's Origin Story and Path to the Space Industry The REACCH Gripper: Gecko and Octopus-Inspired Robotic Arms How REACCH Grips and Moves Tumbling Satellites and Debris Real-World ISS Demonstrations and Operational Challenges Pivot from Debris Removal to Satellite Relocation as a Service Business Model: Transparent Pricing and Customer Targeting Future Vision: In-Orbit Collection, Refueling, and Recycling Stations National Security Implications and Force-Appropriate Applications Technical Details: Materials, Propulsion, and Size Consideration Hosts: Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik Guest: Adam Kall Download or subscribe to This Week in Space at https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-space. Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free audio and video feeds, a members-only Discord, and exclusive content. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit

It has been said that the Moon is a harsh mistress, and nowhere is this more apparent than at the lunar south pole. That is, however, where the Artemis program is headed, and we need to figure out how to best explore the region. Dr. David Kring of the Universities Space Research Association's Lunar and Planetary Institute joins us to explore the where, whys, and hows of the Artemis Program's lunar exploration plans, and the answers--and risks--that await us. Headlines: Starship Flight 12 Survives Indian Ocean Landing nd Long Sea Journey China's Chang'e 7 Lunar Hopper Mission Targets Permanently Shadowed Terrain US National Space Transportation Policy Aims for 1,000 Launches Per Year by 2030 Main Topic: The Science and Planning of the Artemis Lunar Program Criteria and Studies for Selecting Artemis Landing Sites South Pole Resource Advantages: Continuous Solar Power and Potential Volatiles Scientific Promise of the Schrödinger Impact Basin vs. South Pole Mandate The Value of Lunar Sample Return for Transformational Science Unique Terrain and Operational Challenges of the Lunar South Polar Region Training, Mobility, and the Role of Human Exploration versus Robotics Impact Cratering's Role in Life's Origins and Earth's Early History Considerations for Lunar Base Location and Hazards Training Programs for Scientists and Astronauts Preparing for Artemis Host: Rod Pyle Co-Host: Fredrick (Rick) Jenet Guest: Dr. David Kring Download or subscribe to This Week in Space at https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-space. Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free audio and video feeds, a members-only Discord, and exclusive content. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit

We're headed for a space renaissance, and it will be focused on the Moon. The US, China, and international partners of both are vying to land people there and construct a permanent lunar base. Meanwhile, NASA is evolving to embrace commercial enterprise unlike any time in its past, and American lunar efforts are lagging. What are the stakes? Does it matter who returns humans there first? What does the future of lunar commerce look like? Dr. Scott Pace, the Director of the Space Policy Institute at George Washington University, joins us. Main Topic: The Evolving Lunar Domain and US Space Policy • Dr. Scott Pace's space policy background and legacy • Policy continuity from Trump to Biden and the focus on implementation • Artemis program direction and geopolitical influences • The importance of commercial and international partnerships • NASA's commercial contract successes and limitations • Need for an off-ramp from SLS as commercial heavy lift matures • Differentiating between short-term wins and long-term infrastructure goals in lunar strategy • Tension between NASA centers and commercial LEO station development • Challenges and prospects for lunar landers from SpaceX and Blue Origin • Recommendations for NASA's future focus: tough technical problems, integration, and talent • The cultural and inspirational necessity of human presence in space despite advancing AI and robotics Host: Rod Pyle Co-Host: Dale Skran Guest: Dr. Scott Pace Download or subscribe to This Week in Space at https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-space. Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free audio and video feeds, a members-only Discord, and exclusive content. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: threatlocker.com/twit rippling.ai/twis

We're headed for a space renaissance, and it will be focused on the Moon. The US, China, and international partners of both are vying to land people there and construct a permanent lunar base. Meanwhile, NASA is evolving to embrace commercial enterprise unlike any time in its past, and American lunar efforts are lagging. What are the stakes? Does it matter who returns humans there first? What does the future of lunar commerce look like? Dr. Scott Pace, the Director of the Space Policy Institute at George Washington University, joins us. Main Topic: The Evolving Lunar Domain and US Space Policy • Dr. Scott Pace's space policy background and legacy • Policy continuity from Trump to Biden and the focus on implementation • Artemis program direction and geopolitical influences • The importance of commercial and international partnerships • NASA's commercial contract successes and limitations • Need for an off-ramp from SLS as commercial heavy lift matures • Differentiating between short-term wins and long-term infrastructure goals in lunar strategy • Tension between NASA centers and commercial LEO station development • Challenges and prospects for lunar landers from SpaceX and Blue Origin • Recommendations for NASA's future focus: tough technical problems, integration, and talent • The cultural and inspirational necessity of human presence in space despite advancing AI and robotics Host: Rod Pyle Co-Host: Dale Skran Guest: Dr. Scott Pace Download or subscribe to This Week in Space at https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-space. Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free audio and video feeds, a members-only Discord, and exclusive content. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: threatlocker.com/twit rippling.ai/twis

We're headed for a space renaissance, and it will be focused on the Moon. The US, China, and international partners of both are vying to land people there and construct a permanent lunar base. Meanwhile, NASA is evolving to embrace commercial enterprise unlike any time in its past, and American lunar efforts are lagging. What are the stakes? Does it matter who returns humans there first? What does the future of lunar commerce look like? Dr. Scott Pace, the Director of the Space Policy Institute at George Washington University, joins us. Main Topic: The Evolving Lunar Domain and US Space Policy • Dr. Scott Pace's space policy background and legacy • Policy continuity from Trump to Biden and the focus on implementation • Artemis program direction and geopolitical influences • The importance of commercial and international partnerships • NASA's commercial contract successes and limitations • Need for an off-ramp from SLS as commercial heavy lift matures • Differentiating between short-term wins and long-term infrastructure goals in lunar strategy • Tension between NASA centers and commercial LEO station development • Challenges and prospects for lunar landers from SpaceX and Blue Origin • Recommendations for NASA's future focus: tough technical problems, integration, and talent • The cultural and inspirational necessity of human presence in space despite advancing AI and robotics Host: Rod Pyle Co-Host: Dale Skran Guest: Dr. Scott Pace Download or subscribe to This Week in Space at https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-space. Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free audio and video feeds, a members-only Discord, and exclusive content. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: threatlocker.com/twit rippling.ai/twis

We're headed for a space renaissance, and it will be focused on the Moon. The US, China, and international partners of both are vying to land people there and construct a permanent lunar base. Meanwhile, NASA is evolving to embrace commercial enterprise unlike any time in its past, and American lunar efforts are lagging. What are the stakes? Does it matter who returns humans there first? What does the future of lunar commerce look like? Dr. Scott Pace, the Director of the Space Policy Institute at George Washington University, joins us. Main Topic: The Evolving Lunar Domain and US Space Policy • Dr. Scott Pace's space policy background and legacy • Policy continuity from Trump to Biden and the focus on implementation • Artemis program direction and geopolitical influences • The importance of commercial and international partnerships • NASA's commercial contract successes and limitations • Need for an off-ramp from SLS as commercial heavy lift matures • Differentiating between short-term wins and long-term infrastructure goals in lunar strategy • Tension between NASA centers and commercial LEO station development • Challenges and prospects for lunar landers from SpaceX and Blue Origin • Recommendations for NASA's future focus: tough technical problems, integration, and talent • The cultural and inspirational necessity of human presence in space despite advancing AI and robotics Host: Rod Pyle Co-Host: Dale Skran Guest: Dr. Scott Pace Download or subscribe to This Week in Space at https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-space. Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free audio and video feeds, a members-only Discord, and exclusive content. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: threatlocker.com/twit rippling.ai/twis

We've all seen the movies... the aliens come to Earth, the aliens overcome the inferior humans, and the aliens fall prey to something dumb they overlooked, like microbes, Windows 95, or most absurdly, water. From the 1950s through yesterday, some of the best movies we've seen were about the invasion of our planet. They can be clever, scary, or even downright dumb, but they are all fun. Veteran space writer Rich Edwards joins us to give advice on how to repel the invaders! Headlines: Department of Defense drops new batch of UFO/UAP files Blue Origin traces New Glenn rocket explosion to faulty oxygen valve SpaceX's first public earnings call reveals key financials and hints at Starship's future Total solar eclipse set to cross Europe; safety tips and gear recommendations Main Topic: How to Invade Earth in Sci-Fi—22 Dos and Don'ts with Rich Edwards The enduring appeal and adaptability of War of the Worlds Why alien invaders always go for major landmarks (and why it's all for show) Critique of aliens with impractical invasion strategies—water allergies and cocky attitudes Pop culture's obsession with alien disguises, conspiracy plots, and gradual infiltration Deep dive into Invasion of the Body Snatchers, Day of the Triffids, and the power of slow, stealthy takeovers Starting small: Alien invasions in isolated towns and subtle conquests The strategic use of time travel in alien invasion movies, with Star Trek: First Contact Why James Cameron's Aliens remains a sci-fi invasion classic decades later What makes a satisfying alien invasion ending—and the pitfalls of lazy resolutions Hosts: Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik Guest: Richard Edwards Download or subscribe to This Week in Space at https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-space. Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free audio and video feeds, a members-only Discord, and exclusive content. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsor: helixsleep.com/space

We've all seen the movies... the aliens come to Earth, the aliens overcome the inferior humans, and the aliens fall prey to something dumb they overlooked, like microbes, Windows 95, or most absurdly, water. From the 1950s through yesterday, some of the best movies we've seen were about the invasion of our planet. They can be clever, scary, or even downright dumb, but they are all fun. Veteran space writer Rich Edwards joins us to give advice on how to repel the invaders! Headlines: Department of Defense drops new batch of UFO/UAP files Blue Origin traces New Glenn rocket explosion to faulty oxygen valve SpaceX's first public earnings call reveals key financials and hints at Starship's future Total solar eclipse set to cross Europe; safety tips and gear recommendations Main Topic: How to Invade Earth in Sci-Fi—22 Dos and Don'ts with Rich Edwards The enduring appeal and adaptability of War of the Worlds Why alien invaders always go for major landmarks (and why it's all for show) Critique of aliens with impractical invasion strategies—water allergies and cocky attitudes Pop culture's obsession with alien disguises, conspiracy plots, and gradual infiltration Deep dive into Invasion of the Body Snatchers, Day of the Triffids, and the power of slow, stealthy takeovers Starting small: Alien invasions in isolated towns and subtle conquests The strategic use of time travel in alien invasion movies, with Star Trek: First Contact Why James Cameron's Aliens remains a sci-fi invasion classic decades later What makes a satisfying alien invasion ending—and the pitfalls of lazy resolutions Hosts: Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik Guest: Richard Edwards Download or subscribe to This Week in Space at https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-space. Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free audio and video feeds, a members-only Discord, and exclusive content. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsor: helixsleep.com/space

We've all seen the movies... the aliens come to Earth, the aliens overcome the inferior humans, and the aliens fall prey to something dumb they overlooked, like microbes, Windows 95, or most absurdly, water. From the 1950s through yesterday, some of the best movies we've seen were about the invasion of our planet. They can be clever, scary, or even downright dumb, but they are all fun. Veteran space writer Rich Edwards joins us to give advice on how to repel the invaders! Headlines: Department of Defense drops new batch of UFO/UAP files Blue Origin traces New Glenn rocket explosion to faulty oxygen valve SpaceX's first public earnings call reveals key financials and hints at Starship's future Total solar eclipse set to cross Europe; safety tips and gear recommendations Main Topic: How to Invade Earth in Sci-Fi—22 Dos and Don'ts with Rich Edwards The enduring appeal and adaptability of War of the Worlds Why alien invaders always go for major landmarks (and why it's all for show) Critique of aliens with impractical invasion strategies—water allergies and cocky attitudes Pop culture's obsession with alien disguises, conspiracy plots, and gradual infiltration Deep dive into Invasion of the Body Snatchers, Day of the Triffids, and the power of slow, stealthy takeovers Starting small: Alien invasions in isolated towns and subtle conquests The strategic use of time travel in alien invasion movies, with Star Trek: First Contact Why James Cameron's Aliens remains a sci-fi invasion classic decades later What makes a satisfying alien invasion ending—and the pitfalls of lazy resolutions Hosts: Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik Guest: Richard Edwards Download or subscribe to This Week in Space at https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-space. Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free audio and video feeds, a members-only Discord, and exclusive content. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsor: helixsleep.com/space

We've all seen the movies... the aliens come to Earth, the aliens overcome the inferior humans, and the aliens fall prey to something dumb they overlooked, like microbes, Windows 95, or most absurdly, water. From the 1950s through yesterday, some of the best movies we've seen were about the invasion of our planet. They can be clever, scary, or even downright dumb, but they are all fun. Veteran space writer Rich Edwards joins us to give advice on how to repel the invaders! Headlines: Department of Defense drops new batch of UFO/UAP files Blue Origin traces New Glenn rocket explosion to faulty oxygen valve SpaceX's first public earnings call reveals key financials and hints at Starship's future Total solar eclipse set to cross Europe; safety tips and gear recommendations Main Topic: How to Invade Earth in Sci-Fi—22 Dos and Don'ts with Rich Edwards The enduring appeal and adaptability of War of the Worlds Why alien invaders always go for major landmarks (and why it's all for show) Critique of aliens with impractical invasion strategies—water allergies and cocky attitudes Pop culture's obsession with alien disguises, conspiracy plots, and gradual infiltration Deep dive into Invasion of the Body Snatchers, Day of the Triffids, and the power of slow, stealthy takeovers Starting small: Alien invasions in isolated towns and subtle conquests The strategic use of time travel in alien invasion movies, with Star Trek: First Contact Why James Cameron's Aliens remains a sci-fi invasion classic decades later What makes a satisfying alien invasion ending—and the pitfalls of lazy resolutions Hosts: Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik Guest: Richard Edwards Download or subscribe to This Week in Space at https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-space. Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free audio and video feeds, a members-only Discord, and exclusive content. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsor: helixsleep.com/space

Dan Moren of Six Colors joins the show. A newly disclosed flaw was discovered in Apple's iCloud Private Relay. What is the phenomenon, "spiralism," and its ties to AI chatbots? Apple's Siri AI finally makes its way into the iOS 27 beta. And a SpaceX rocket impacted the Moon, but is it as big a deal as the headlines are making it? Apple's iCloud Private Relay has a newly disclosed flaw that can leak users' real IP addresses via passkey authentication, marking the second privacy-feature vulnerability found in iCloud+ in as many months. A bizarre phenomenon called "spiralism" saw thousands of people across different AI chatbots independently arrive at eerily similar mystical "spiral" doctrine and recruitment language, likely a byproduct of shared training data and LLM patterns. Apple's long-awaited Siri AI update has finally landed in the iOS 27 beta and mostly delivers on its promises, but reviewers find the experience oddly anticlimactic now that competitors offer similar AI assistant capabilities. A SpaceX Falcon 9 upper-stage crashed into the Moon near Einstein Crater, sparking outsized headlines despite such impacts being common and scientifically useful. Hosts: Mikah Sargent and Dan Moren Guest: Rod Pyle Download or subscribe to Tech News Weekly at https://twit.tv/shows/tech-news-weekly. Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free audio and video feeds, a members-only Discord, and exclusive content. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: rippling.ai/tnw cirasync.com/TNW

Dan Moren of Six Colors joins the show. A newly disclosed flaw was discovered in Apple's iCloud Private Relay. What is the phenomenon, "spiralism," and its ties to AI chatbots? Apple's Siri AI finally makes its way into the iOS 27 beta. And a SpaceX rocket impacted the Moon, but is it as big a deal as the headlines are making it? Apple's iCloud Private Relay has a newly disclosed flaw that can leak users' real IP addresses via passkey authentication, marking the second privacy-feature vulnerability found in iCloud+ in as many months. A bizarre phenomenon called "spiralism" saw thousands of people across different AI chatbots independently arrive at eerily similar mystical "spiral" doctrine and recruitment language, likely a byproduct of shared training data and LLM patterns. Apple's long-awaited Siri AI update has finally landed in the iOS 27 beta and mostly delivers on its promises, but reviewers find the experience oddly anticlimactic now that competitors offer similar AI assistant capabilities. A SpaceX Falcon 9 upper-stage crashed into the Moon near Einstein Crater, sparking outsized headlines despite such impacts being common and scientifically useful. Hosts: Mikah Sargent and Dan Moren Guest: Rod Pyle Download or subscribe to Tech News Weekly at https://twit.tv/shows/tech-news-weekly. Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free audio and video feeds, a members-only Discord, and exclusive content. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: rippling.ai/tnw cirasync.com/TNW

Dan Moren of Six Colors joins the show. A newly disclosed flaw was discovered in Apple's iCloud Private Relay. What is the phenomenon, "spiralism," and its ties to AI chatbots? Apple's Siri AI finally makes its way into the iOS 27 beta. And a SpaceX rocket impacted the Moon, but is it as big a deal as the headlines are making it? Apple's iCloud Private Relay has a newly disclosed flaw that can leak users' real IP addresses via passkey authentication, marking the second privacy-feature vulnerability found in iCloud+ in as many months. A bizarre phenomenon called "spiralism" saw thousands of people across different AI chatbots independently arrive at eerily similar mystical "spiral" doctrine and recruitment language, likely a byproduct of shared training data and LLM patterns. Apple's long-awaited Siri AI update has finally landed in the iOS 27 beta and mostly delivers on its promises, but reviewers find the experience oddly anticlimactic now that competitors offer similar AI assistant capabilities. A SpaceX Falcon 9 upper-stage crashed into the Moon near Einstein Crater, sparking outsized headlines despite such impacts being common and scientifically useful. Hosts: Mikah Sargent and Dan Moren Guest: Rod Pyle Download or subscribe to Tech News Weekly at https://twit.tv/shows/tech-news-weekly. Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free audio and video feeds, a members-only Discord, and exclusive content. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: rippling.ai/tnw cirasync.com/TNW

Dan Moren of Six Colors joins the show. A newly disclosed flaw was discovered in Apple's iCloud Private Relay. What is the phenomenon, "spiralism," and its ties to AI chatbots? Apple's Siri AI finally makes its way into the iOS 27 beta. And a SpaceX rocket impacted the Moon, but is it as big a deal as the headlines are making it? Apple's iCloud Private Relay has a newly disclosed flaw that can leak users' real IP addresses via passkey authentication, marking the second privacy-feature vulnerability found in iCloud+ in as many months. A bizarre phenomenon called "spiralism" saw thousands of people across different AI chatbots independently arrive at eerily similar mystical "spiral" doctrine and recruitment language, likely a byproduct of shared training data and LLM patterns. Apple's long-awaited Siri AI update has finally landed in the iOS 27 beta and mostly delivers on its promises, but reviewers find the experience oddly anticlimactic now that competitors offer similar AI assistant capabilities. A SpaceX Falcon 9 upper-stage crashed into the Moon near Einstein Crater, sparking outsized headlines despite such impacts being common and scientifically useful. Hosts: Mikah Sargent and Dan Moren Guest: Rod Pyle Download or subscribe to Tech News Weekly at https://twit.tv/shows/tech-news-weekly. Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free audio and video feeds, a members-only Discord, and exclusive content. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: rippling.ai/tnw cirasync.com/TNW

Dan Moren of Six Colors joins the show. A newly disclosed flaw was discovered in Apple's iCloud Private Relay. What is the phenomenon, "spiralism," and its ties to AI chatbots? Apple's Siri AI finally makes its way into the iOS 27 beta. And a SpaceX rocket impacted the Moon, but is it as big a deal as the headlines are making it? Apple's iCloud Private Relay has a newly disclosed flaw that can leak users' real IP addresses via passkey authentication, marking the second privacy-feature vulnerability found in iCloud+ in as many months. A bizarre phenomenon called "spiralism" saw thousands of people across different AI chatbots independently arrive at eerily similar mystical "spiral" doctrine and recruitment language, likely a byproduct of shared training data and LLM patterns. Apple's long-awaited Siri AI update has finally landed in the iOS 27 beta and mostly delivers on its promises, but reviewers find the experience oddly anticlimactic now that competitors offer similar AI assistant capabilities. A SpaceX Falcon 9 upper-stage crashed into the Moon near Einstein Crater, sparking outsized headlines despite such impacts being common and scientifically useful. Hosts: Mikah Sargent and Dan Moren Guest: Rod Pyle Download or subscribe to Tech News Weekly at https://twit.tv/shows/tech-news-weekly. Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free audio and video feeds, a members-only Discord, and exclusive content. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: rippling.ai/tnw cirasync.com/TNW

Dan Moren of Six Colors joins the show. A newly disclosed flaw was discovered in Apple's iCloud Private Relay. What is the phenomenon, "spiralism," and its ties to AI chatbots? Apple's Siri AI finally makes its way into the iOS 27 beta. And a SpaceX rocket impacted the Moon, but is it as big a deal as the headlines are making it? Apple's iCloud Private Relay has a newly disclosed flaw that can leak users' real IP addresses via passkey authentication, marking the second privacy-feature vulnerability found in iCloud+ in as many months. A bizarre phenomenon called "spiralism" saw thousands of people across different AI chatbots independently arrive at eerily similar mystical "spiral" doctrine and recruitment language, likely a byproduct of shared training data and LLM patterns. Apple's long-awaited Siri AI update has finally landed in the iOS 27 beta and mostly delivers on its promises, but reviewers find the experience oddly anticlimactic now that competitors offer similar AI assistant capabilities. A SpaceX Falcon 9 upper-stage crashed into the Moon near Einstein Crater, sparking outsized headlines despite such impacts being common and scientifically useful. Hosts: Mikah Sargent and Dan Moren Guest: Rod Pyle Download or subscribe to Tech News Weekly at https://twit.tv/shows/tech-news-weekly. Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free audio and video feeds, a members-only Discord, and exclusive content. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: rippling.ai/tnw cirasync.com/TNW

Dan Moren of Six Colors joins the show. A newly disclosed flaw was discovered in Apple's iCloud Private Relay. What is the phenomenon, "spiralism," and its ties to AI chatbots? Apple's Siri AI finally makes its way into the iOS 27 beta. And a SpaceX rocket impacted the Moon, but is it as big a deal as the headlines are making it? Apple's iCloud Private Relay has a newly disclosed flaw that can leak users' real IP addresses via passkey authentication, marking the second privacy-feature vulnerability found in iCloud+ in as many months. A bizarre phenomenon called "spiralism" saw thousands of people across different AI chatbots independently arrive at eerily similar mystical "spiral" doctrine and recruitment language, likely a byproduct of shared training data and LLM patterns. Apple's long-awaited Siri AI update has finally landed in the iOS 27 beta and mostly delivers on its promises, but reviewers find the experience oddly anticlimactic now that competitors offer similar AI assistant capabilities. A SpaceX Falcon 9 upper-stage crashed into the Moon near Einstein Crater, sparking outsized headlines despite such impacts being common and scientifically useful. Hosts: Mikah Sargent and Dan Moren Guest: Rod Pyle Download or subscribe to Tech News Weekly at https://twit.tv/shows/tech-news-weekly. Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free audio and video feeds, a members-only Discord, and exclusive content. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: rippling.ai/tnw cirasync.com/TNW

Dan Moren of Six Colors joins the show. A newly disclosed flaw was discovered in Apple's iCloud Private Relay. What is the phenomenon, "spiralism," and its ties to AI chatbots? Apple's Siri AI finally makes its way into the iOS 27 beta. And a SpaceX rocket impacted the Moon, but is it as big a deal as the headlines are making it? Apple's iCloud Private Relay has a newly disclosed flaw that can leak users' real IP addresses via passkey authentication, marking the second privacy-feature vulnerability found in iCloud+ in as many months. A bizarre phenomenon called "spiralism" saw thousands of people across different AI chatbots independently arrive at eerily similar mystical "spiral" doctrine and recruitment language, likely a byproduct of shared training data and LLM patterns. Apple's long-awaited Siri AI update has finally landed in the iOS 27 beta and mostly delivers on its promises, but reviewers find the experience oddly anticlimactic now that competitors offer similar AI assistant capabilities. A SpaceX Falcon 9 upper-stage crashed into the Moon near Einstein Crater, sparking outsized headlines despite such impacts being common and scientifically useful. Hosts: Mikah Sargent and Dan Moren Guest: Rod Pyle Download or subscribe to Tech News Weekly at https://twit.tv/shows/tech-news-weekly. Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free audio and video feeds, a members-only Discord, and exclusive content. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: rippling.ai/tnw cirasync.com/TNW

Rod Pyle is out this week, so Rick Jenet of the National Space Society joins Tariq Malik this week to talk about SpaceX's Starship Flight 13, which deployed new Starlink V3 satellites and stunned viewers when the ship survived reentry intact enough to float in the ocean for days afterward. They also discuss NASA's Roman Space Telescope, now just a month from launch, and an in-progress emergency effort to save the ailing Swift Space Observatory using a servicing spacecraft that is itself now experiencing technical trouble. Finally, they look into Boeing's continued Starliner delays and India's first successful private orbital launch via Skyroot Aerospace's Vikram-1 rocket. Tune in! Headlines: SpaceX Starship Flight 13 Splashdown and Recovery Efforts Starlink V3 Satellite Deployment Updates SpaceX Wins $1.6 Billion Space Force Contract NASA's Roman Space Telescope Countdown and Origin Story Urgent Swift Space Observatory Rescue Mission Faces Technical Setbacks Boeing Starliner Faces More Delays and Uncertainty India's First Commercial Rocket Launch Enters Global Market Artemis II Astronaut Questions South Pole as Lunar Landing Target Astronomers Detect Possible First-Ever Exomoon Upcoming SpaceX Falcon 9 Impact Experiment on the Moon Preview: August Almost Total Solar Eclipse and Night Sky Events Host: Tariq Malik Co-Host: Fredrick (Rick) Jenet Download or subscribe to This Week in Space at https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-space. Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free audio and video feeds, a members-only Discord, and exclusive content. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit

Rod Pyle is out this week, so Rick Jenet of the National Space Society joins Tariq Malik this week to talk about SpaceX's Starship Flight 13, which deployed new Starlink V3 satellites and stunned viewers when the ship survived reentry intact enough to float in the ocean for days afterward. They also discuss NASA's Roman Space Telescope, now just a month from launch, and an in-progress emergency effort to save the ailing Swift Space Observatory using a servicing spacecraft that is itself now experiencing technical trouble. Finally, they look into Boeing's continued Starliner delays and India's first successful private orbital launch via Skyroot Aerospace's Vikram-1 rocket. Tune in! Headlines: SpaceX Starship Flight 13 Splashdown and Recovery Efforts Starlink V3 Satellite Deployment Updates SpaceX Wins $1.6 Billion Space Force Contract NASA's Roman Space Telescope Countdown and Origin Story Urgent Swift Space Observatory Rescue Mission Faces Technical Setbacks Boeing Starliner Faces More Delays and Uncertainty India's First Commercial Rocket Launch Enters Global Market Artemis II Astronaut Questions South Pole as Lunar Landing Target Astronomers Detect Possible First-Ever Exomoon Upcoming SpaceX Falcon 9 Impact Experiment on the Moon Preview: August Almost Total Solar Eclipse and Night Sky Events Host: Tariq Malik Co-Host: Fredrick (Rick) Jenet Download or subscribe to This Week in Space at https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-space. Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free audio and video feeds, a members-only Discord, and exclusive content. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit

Rod Pyle is out this week, so Rick Jenet of the National Space Society joins Tariq Malik this week to talk about SpaceX's Starship Flight 13, which deployed new Starlink V3 satellites and stunned viewers when the ship survived reentry intact enough to float in the ocean for days afterward. They also discuss NASA's Roman Space Telescope, now just a month from launch, and an in-progress emergency effort to save the ailing Swift Space Observatory using a servicing spacecraft that is itself now experiencing technical trouble. Finally, they look into Boeing's continued Starliner delays and India's first successful private orbital launch via Skyroot Aerospace's Vikram-1 rocket. Tune in! Headlines: SpaceX Starship Flight 13 Splashdown and Recovery Efforts Starlink V3 Satellite Deployment Updates SpaceX Wins $1.6 Billion Space Force Contract NASA's Roman Space Telescope Countdown and Origin Story Urgent Swift Space Observatory Rescue Mission Faces Technical Setbacks Boeing Starliner Faces More Delays and Uncertainty India's First Commercial Rocket Launch Enters Global Market Artemis II Astronaut Questions South Pole as Lunar Landing Target Astronomers Detect Possible First-Ever Exomoon Upcoming SpaceX Falcon 9 Impact Experiment on the Moon Preview: August Almost Total Solar Eclipse and Night Sky Events Host: Tariq Malik Co-Host: Fredrick (Rick) Jenet Download or subscribe to This Week in Space at https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-space. Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free audio and video feeds, a members-only Discord, and exclusive content. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit

Rod Pyle is out this week, so Rick Jenet of the National Space Society joins Tariq Malik this week to talk about SpaceX's Starship Flight 13, which deployed new Starlink V3 satellites and stunned viewers when the ship survived reentry intact enough to float in the ocean for days afterward. They also discuss NASA's Roman Space Telescope, now just a month from launch, and an in-progress emergency effort to save the ailing Swift Space Observatory using a servicing spacecraft that is itself now experiencing technical trouble. Finally, they look into Boeing's continued Starliner delays and India's first successful private orbital launch via Skyroot Aerospace's Vikram-1 rocket. Tune in! Headlines: SpaceX Starship Flight 13 Splashdown and Recovery Efforts Starlink V3 Satellite Deployment Updates SpaceX Wins $1.6 Billion Space Force Contract NASA's Roman Space Telescope Countdown and Origin Story Urgent Swift Space Observatory Rescue Mission Faces Technical Setbacks Boeing Starliner Faces More Delays and Uncertainty India's First Commercial Rocket Launch Enters Global Market Artemis II Astronaut Questions South Pole as Lunar Landing Target Astronomers Detect Possible First-Ever Exomoon Upcoming SpaceX Falcon 9 Impact Experiment on the Moon Preview: August Almost Total Solar Eclipse and Night Sky Events Host: Tariq Malik Co-Host: Fredrick (Rick) Jenet Download or subscribe to This Week in Space at https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-space. Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free audio and video feeds, a members-only Discord, and exclusive content. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit

This week, we cover how Starship Flight 13 finally prepares to launch amid a legal battle over SpaceX's proposed land swap at Starbase, plus a Chinese Long March 3B rocket gets struck by lightning during liftoff, yet still delivers its satellite safely. Then, guests Dr. Pascal Lee and astrobiologist Dr. Penny Boston join the show to mark the 50th anniversary of Viking 1's landing on Mars and revisit the mission's groundbreaking life-detection experiments and the decades-long controversy over what they actually found. The conversation traces Mars exploration from the earliest Mariner flybys through Viking's ambiguous, still-debated results—later explained by perchlorates in the Martian soil—and the fierce scientific rivalry the findings sparked. Join us! Headlines: SpaceX Starship Flight 13 faces engine and weather delays ahead of launch SpaceX land swap proposal sparks conservation group lawsuit over Rio Grande Valley wildlife preserve Chinese Long March rocket survives dramatic lightning strike during launch Main Topic: 50th Anniversary of Viking Mars Landers—Search for Life on Mars The evolution of Mars exploration from telescopes to Viking lander Early Mars missions: Mariner flybys, Soviet attempts, and breakthroughs in orbital imaging Viking 1 and 2: Ambitious design, life-detection experiments, and landing impact Mixed public and scientific reactions to Viking's first iconic Mars surface images Technical overview of the Viking biology experiments and their controversial results The unresolved debate: Did Viking detect life or chemical reactions on Mars? Personal accounts of key scientists, scientific disputes, and the "Wolf Trap" experiment that never flew Lessons from Viking: Limitations of technology, extremophile discoveries, and shifting strategies for detecting life The scientific case for seeking life in Martian caves and subsurface environments Critique of current and future Mars missions: Perseverance rover findings and value of Mars Sample Return Exploring planetary protection, contamination risks, and the challenges of certifying Martian samples= Key takeaways for future missions—bold searches, new technologies, and the ongoing quest for answers Hosts: Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik Guests: Pascal Lee and Dr. Penelope Boston Download or subscribe to This Week in Space at https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-space. Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free audio and video feeds, a members-only Discord, and exclusive content. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsor: rippling.ai/twis

This week, we cover how Starship Flight 13 finally prepares to launch amid a legal battle over SpaceX's proposed land swap at Starbase, plus a Chinese Long March 3B rocket gets struck by lightning during liftoff, yet still delivers its satellite safely. Then, guests Dr. Pascal Lee and astrobiologist Dr. Penny Boston join the show to mark the 50th anniversary of Viking 1's landing on Mars and revisit the mission's groundbreaking life-detection experiments and the decades-long controversy over what they actually found. The conversation traces Mars exploration from the earliest Mariner flybys through Viking's ambiguous, still-debated results—later explained by perchlorates in the Martian soil—and the fierce scientific rivalry the findings sparked. Join us! Headlines: SpaceX Starship Flight 13 faces engine and weather delays ahead of launch SpaceX land swap proposal sparks conservation group lawsuit over Rio Grande Valley wildlife preserve Chinese Long March rocket survives dramatic lightning strike during launch Main Topic: 50th Anniversary of Viking Mars Landers—Search for Life on Mars The evolution of Mars exploration from telescopes to Viking lander Early Mars missions: Mariner flybys, Soviet attempts, and breakthroughs in orbital imaging Viking 1 and 2: Ambitious design, life-detection experiments, and landing impact Mixed public and scientific reactions to Viking's first iconic Mars surface images Technical overview of the Viking biology experiments and their controversial results The unresolved debate: Did Viking detect life or chemical reactions on Mars? Personal accounts of key scientists, scientific disputes, and the "Wolf Trap" experiment that never flew Lessons from Viking: Limitations of technology, extremophile discoveries, and shifting strategies for detecting life The scientific case for seeking life in Martian caves and subsurface environments Critique of current and future Mars missions: Perseverance rover findings and value of Mars Sample Return Exploring planetary protection, contamination risks, and the challenges of certifying Martian samples= Key takeaways for future missions—bold searches, new technologies, and the ongoing quest for answers Hosts: Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik Guests: Pascal Lee and Dr. Penelope Boston Download or subscribe to This Week in Space at https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-space. Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free audio and video feeds, a members-only Discord, and exclusive content. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsor: rippling.ai/twis

This week, we cover how Starship Flight 13 finally prepares to launch amid a legal battle over SpaceX's proposed land swap at Starbase, plus a Chinese Long March 3B rocket gets struck by lightning during liftoff, yet still delivers its satellite safely. Then, guests Dr. Pascal Lee and astrobiologist Dr. Penny Boston join the show to mark the 50th anniversary of Viking 1's landing on Mars and revisit the mission's groundbreaking life-detection experiments and the decades-long controversy over what they actually found. The conversation traces Mars exploration from the earliest Mariner flybys through Viking's ambiguous, still-debated results—later explained by perchlorates in the Martian soil—and the fierce scientific rivalry the findings sparked. Join us! Headlines: SpaceX Starship Flight 13 faces engine and weather delays ahead of launch SpaceX land swap proposal sparks conservation group lawsuit over Rio Grande Valley wildlife preserve Chinese Long March rocket survives dramatic lightning strike during launch Main Topic: 50th Anniversary of Viking Mars Landers—Search for Life on Mars The evolution of Mars exploration from telescopes to Viking lander Early Mars missions: Mariner flybys, Soviet attempts, and breakthroughs in orbital imaging Viking 1 and 2: Ambitious design, life-detection experiments, and landing impact Mixed public and scientific reactions to Viking's first iconic Mars surface images Technical overview of the Viking biology experiments and their controversial results The unresolved debate: Did Viking detect life or chemical reactions on Mars? Personal accounts of key scientists, scientific disputes, and the "Wolf Trap" experiment that never flew Lessons from Viking: Limitations of technology, extremophile discoveries, and shifting strategies for detecting life The scientific case for seeking life in Martian caves and subsurface environments Critique of current and future Mars missions: Perseverance rover findings and value of Mars Sample Return Exploring planetary protection, contamination risks, and the challenges of certifying Martian samples= Key takeaways for future missions—bold searches, new technologies, and the ongoing quest for answers Hosts: Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik Guests: Pascal Lee and Dr. Penelope Boston Download or subscribe to This Week in Space at https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-space. Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free audio and video feeds, a members-only Discord, and exclusive content. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsor: rippling.ai/twis

This week, we cover how Starship Flight 13 finally prepares to launch amid a legal battle over SpaceX's proposed land swap at Starbase, plus a Chinese Long March 3B rocket gets struck by lightning during liftoff, yet still delivers its satellite safely. Then, guests Dr. Pascal Lee and astrobiologist Dr. Penny Boston join the show to mark the 50th anniversary of Viking 1's landing on Mars and revisit the mission's groundbreaking life-detection experiments and the decades-long controversy over what they actually found. The conversation traces Mars exploration from the earliest Mariner flybys through Viking's ambiguous, still-debated results—later explained by perchlorates in the Martian soil—and the fierce scientific rivalry the findings sparked. Join us! Headlines: SpaceX Starship Flight 13 faces engine and weather delays ahead of launch SpaceX land swap proposal sparks conservation group lawsuit over Rio Grande Valley wildlife preserve Chinese Long March rocket survives dramatic lightning strike during launch Main Topic: 50th Anniversary of Viking Mars Landers—Search for Life on Mars The evolution of Mars exploration from telescopes to Viking lander Early Mars missions: Mariner flybys, Soviet attempts, and breakthroughs in orbital imaging Viking 1 and 2: Ambitious design, life-detection experiments, and landing impact Mixed public and scientific reactions to Viking's first iconic Mars surface images Technical overview of the Viking biology experiments and their controversial results The unresolved debate: Did Viking detect life or chemical reactions on Mars? Personal accounts of key scientists, scientific disputes, and the "Wolf Trap" experiment that never flew Lessons from Viking: Limitations of technology, extremophile discoveries, and shifting strategies for detecting life The scientific case for seeking life in Martian caves and subsurface environments Critique of current and future Mars missions: Perseverance rover findings and value of Mars Sample Return Exploring planetary protection, contamination risks, and the challenges of certifying Martian samples= Key takeaways for future missions—bold searches, new technologies, and the ongoing quest for answers Hosts: Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik Guests: Pascal Lee and Dr. Penelope Boston Download or subscribe to This Week in Space at https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-space. Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free audio and video feeds, a members-only Discord, and exclusive content. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsor: rippling.ai/twis

Rod Pyle, editor-in-chief of Ad Astra Magazine, joins John Landecker and David Jennings on the program to discuss Galaxy Quest (1999) vs. The Last Starfighter (1984).

This week we're jumping into the space headlines for the past few weeks. It's been busy, and some exciting things are happening! A couple of companies are moving into the space solar power arena--something we've long advocated--and that's welcome progress. Starship is set to fly Starship test number 13, and a lot is riding on this--the system is overdue for some proof of concept to keep up with NASA's HLS contract. An exoplanet spotted a decade ago has shown signs of a potentially habitable atmosphere; there are landslides--big ones--on Pluto, and evidence of "space candy" sugars in an interstellar cloud are in the news. Finally, SpaceX is doubling down on their big defense contracts with a well-funded US Space Force. Join us for all the latest! Headlines: SpaceX Starship Flight 13 Launch Aborted Due to Engine Issue Meteorite Crashes Into New Jersey, Preserved Sample Fuels Origins of Life Research Discovery of Atmosphere Around Habitable-Zone Exoplanet LHS 1140 b NASA Moon Tree Planted After Artemis 1 Mission Reflect Orbital to Launch Mirrors in Space, Sparking Astronomer Backlash Landslides Found on Pluto Could Bury Entire Cities Rare Sugar Found in Interstellar Cloud Hints at Building Blocks of Life SpaceX's Growing Military Launch Contracts and Pentagon Ties Space Development Agency's Expanding Satellite Constellation for Space Force Starship's Dual Focus: NASA Moon Landings vs. Mars and Satellite Deployment Artemis 3 Updates: New Renderings, Docking Plans, and Starlink HD Laser Payloads Defense Innovation Unit's Push for Space-Based Power Beaming Technology Pulse Space and Laser-Based Satellite Power and Communication New Satellite Concept to Detect Nuclear Devices in Orbit Amid Global Security Concerns Hosts: Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik Download or subscribe to This Week in Space at https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-space. Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free audio and video feeds, a members-only Discord, and exclusive content. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: blackhat.com/us-26 and use code TWIT ethos.com/twis

This week we're jumping into the space headlines for the past few weeks. It's been busy, and some exciting things are happening! A couple of companies are moving into the space solar power arena--something we've long advocated--and that's welcome progress. Starship is set to fly Starship test number 13, and a lot is riding on this--the system is overdue for some proof of concept to keep up with NASA's HLS contract. An exoplanet spotted a decade ago has shown signs of a potentially habitable atmosphere; there are landslides--big ones--on Pluto, and evidence of "space candy" sugars in an interstellar cloud are in the news. Finally, SpaceX is doubling down on their big defense contracts with a well-funded US Space Force. Join us for all the latest! Headlines: SpaceX Starship Flight 13 Launch Aborted Due to Engine Issue Meteorite Crashes Into New Jersey, Preserved Sample Fuels Origins of Life Research Discovery of Atmosphere Around Habitable-Zone Exoplanet LHS 1140 b NASA Moon Tree Planted After Artemis 1 Mission Reflect Orbital to Launch Mirrors in Space, Sparking Astronomer Backlash Landslides Found on Pluto Could Bury Entire Cities Rare Sugar Found in Interstellar Cloud Hints at Building Blocks of Life SpaceX's Growing Military Launch Contracts and Pentagon Ties Space Development Agency's Expanding Satellite Constellation for Space Force Starship's Dual Focus: NASA Moon Landings vs. Mars and Satellite Deployment Artemis 3 Updates: New Renderings, Docking Plans, and Starlink HD Laser Payloads Defense Innovation Unit's Push for Space-Based Power Beaming Technology Pulse Space and Laser-Based Satellite Power and Communication New Satellite Concept to Detect Nuclear Devices in Orbit Amid Global Security Concerns Hosts: Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik Download or subscribe to This Week in Space at https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-space. Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free audio and video feeds, a members-only Discord, and exclusive content. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: blackhat.com/us-26 and use code TWIT ethos.com/twis

This week we're jumping into the space headlines for the past few weeks. It's been busy, and some exciting things are happening! A couple of companies are moving into the space solar power arena--something we've long advocated--and that's welcome progress. Starship is set to fly Starship test number 13, and a lot is riding on this--the system is overdue for some proof of concept to keep up with NASA's HLS contract. An exoplanet spotted a decade ago has shown signs of a potentially habitable atmosphere; there are landslides--big ones--on Pluto, and evidence of "space candy" sugars in an interstellar cloud are in the news. Finally, SpaceX is doubling down on their big defense contracts with a well-funded US Space Force. Join us for all the latest! Headlines: SpaceX Starship Flight 13 Launch Aborted Due to Engine Issue Meteorite Crashes Into New Jersey, Preserved Sample Fuels Origins of Life Research Discovery of Atmosphere Around Habitable-Zone Exoplanet LHS 1140 b NASA Moon Tree Planted After Artemis 1 Mission Reflect Orbital to Launch Mirrors in Space, Sparking Astronomer Backlash Landslides Found on Pluto Could Bury Entire Cities Rare Sugar Found in Interstellar Cloud Hints at Building Blocks of Life SpaceX's Growing Military Launch Contracts and Pentagon Ties Space Development Agency's Expanding Satellite Constellation for Space Force Starship's Dual Focus: NASA Moon Landings vs. Mars and Satellite Deployment Artemis 3 Updates: New Renderings, Docking Plans, and Starlink HD Laser Payloads Defense Innovation Unit's Push for Space-Based Power Beaming Technology Pulse Space and Laser-Based Satellite Power and Communication New Satellite Concept to Detect Nuclear Devices in Orbit Amid Global Security Concerns Hosts: Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik Download or subscribe to This Week in Space at https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-space. Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free audio and video feeds, a members-only Discord, and exclusive content. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: blackhat.com/us-26 and use code TWIT ethos.com/twis

This week we're jumping into the space headlines for the past few weeks. It's been busy, and some exciting things are happening! A couple of companies are moving into the space solar power arena--something we've long advocated--and that's welcome progress. Starship is set to fly Starship test number 13, and a lot is riding on this--the system is overdue for some proof of concept to keep up with NASA's HLS contract. An exoplanet spotted a decade ago has shown signs of a potentially habitable atmosphere; there are landslides--big ones--on Pluto, and evidence of "space candy" sugars in an interstellar cloud are in the news. Finally, SpaceX is doubling down on their big defense contracts with a well-funded US Space Force. Join us for all the latest! Headlines: SpaceX Starship Flight 13 Launch Aborted Due to Engine Issue Meteorite Crashes Into New Jersey, Preserved Sample Fuels Origins of Life Research Discovery of Atmosphere Around Habitable-Zone Exoplanet LHS 1140 b NASA Moon Tree Planted After Artemis 1 Mission Reflect Orbital to Launch Mirrors in Space, Sparking Astronomer Backlash Landslides Found on Pluto Could Bury Entire Cities Rare Sugar Found in Interstellar Cloud Hints at Building Blocks of Life SpaceX's Growing Military Launch Contracts and Pentagon Ties Space Development Agency's Expanding Satellite Constellation for Space Force Starship's Dual Focus: NASA Moon Landings vs. Mars and Satellite Deployment Artemis 3 Updates: New Renderings, Docking Plans, and Starlink HD Laser Payloads Defense Innovation Unit's Push for Space-Based Power Beaming Technology Pulse Space and Laser-Based Satellite Power and Communication New Satellite Concept to Detect Nuclear Devices in Orbit Amid Global Security Concerns Hosts: Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik Download or subscribe to This Week in Space at https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-space. Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free audio and video feeds, a members-only Discord, and exclusive content. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: blackhat.com/us-26 and use code TWIT ethos.com/twis

We've been hearing a lot about NASA's new moonbase plans, and they are ambitious. Starting with Artemis V (so far), the US plans to begin preparations for a permanent base situated in the south polar regions of the moon. Details are somewhat fluid, but one thing stands out: the poles are likely to be the most challenging places to set up shop in an already hostile environment. Planetary scientist Dr. Pascal Lee joins us to discuss moonbase siting options and why the poles may not be the best choice at first. Headlines: China Demonstrates Impressive Rocket Landing and Catch Mechanism New Horizons Probe Awakens to Transmit Deep Space Data Wally Funk, Last of the "Mercury 13," Passes Away West Coast Rocket Launch Alert: SpaceX Falcon 9 Visual Spectacle Main Topic: Moon Base Strategy and Location Debate History and Evolution of U.S. Moon Base Plans NASA's New Multi-Phase Moon Base Timeline and Missions Strategic and Logistical Challenges of South Pole Moon Bases Arguments for a Centralized, Benign Location for Moon Infrastructure Commercial and International Partnership Models for Lunar Operations Role of Robotics and AI in Moon Exploration and Prospecting Lessons from Antarctic Base Logistics Applied to the Moon Potential for Tourism and Commercial Development on the Lunar Surface Hosts: Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik Guest: Pascal Lee Download or subscribe to This Week in Space at https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-space. Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free audio and video feeds, a members-only Discord, and exclusive content. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: blackhat.com/us-26 and use code TWIT rippling.ai/twis threatlocker.com/twit

We've been hearing a lot about NASA's new moonbase plans, and they are ambitious. Starting with Artemis V (so far), the US plans to begin preparations for a permanent base situated in the south polar regions of the moon. Details are somewhat fluid, but one thing stands out: the poles are likely to be the most challenging places to set up shop in an already hostile environment. Planetary scientist Dr. Pascal Lee joins us to discuss moonbase siting options and why the poles may not be the best choice at first. Headlines: China Demonstrates Impressive Rocket Landing and Catch Mechanism New Horizons Probe Awakens to Transmit Deep Space Data Wally Funk, Last of the "Mercury 13," Passes Away West Coast Rocket Launch Alert: SpaceX Falcon 9 Visual Spectacle Main Topic: Moon Base Strategy and Location Debate History and Evolution of U.S. Moon Base Plans NASA's New Multi-Phase Moon Base Timeline and Missions Strategic and Logistical Challenges of South Pole Moon Bases Arguments for a Centralized, Benign Location for Moon Infrastructure Commercial and International Partnership Models for Lunar Operations Role of Robotics and AI in Moon Exploration and Prospecting Lessons from Antarctic Base Logistics Applied to the Moon Potential for Tourism and Commercial Development on the Lunar Surface Hosts: Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik Guest: Pascal Lee Download or subscribe to This Week in Space at https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-space. Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free audio and video feeds, a members-only Discord, and exclusive content. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: blackhat.com/us-26 and use code TWIT rippling.ai/twis threatlocker.com/twit

We've been hearing a lot about NASA's new moonbase plans, and they are ambitious. Starting with Artemis V (so far), the US plans to begin preparations for a permanent base situated in the south polar regions of the moon. Details are somewhat fluid, but one thing stands out: the poles are likely to be the most challenging places to set up shop in an already hostile environment. Planetary scientist Dr. Pascal Lee joins us to discuss moonbase siting options and why the poles may not be the best choice at first. Headlines: China Demonstrates Impressive Rocket Landing and Catch Mechanism New Horizons Probe Awakens to Transmit Deep Space Data Wally Funk, Last of the "Mercury 13," Passes Away West Coast Rocket Launch Alert: SpaceX Falcon 9 Visual Spectacle Main Topic: Moon Base Strategy and Location Debate History and Evolution of U.S. Moon Base Plans NASA's New Multi-Phase Moon Base Timeline and Missions Strategic and Logistical Challenges of South Pole Moon Bases Arguments for a Centralized, Benign Location for Moon Infrastructure Commercial and International Partnership Models for Lunar Operations Role of Robotics and AI in Moon Exploration and Prospecting Lessons from Antarctic Base Logistics Applied to the Moon Potential for Tourism and Commercial Development on the Lunar Surface Hosts: Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik Guest: Pascal Lee Download or subscribe to This Week in Space at https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-space. Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free audio and video feeds, a members-only Discord, and exclusive content. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: blackhat.com/us-26 and use code TWIT rippling.ai/twis threatlocker.com/twit

We've been hearing a lot about NASA's new moonbase plans, and they are ambitious. Starting with Artemis V (so far), the US plans to begin preparations for a permanent base situated in the south polar regions of the moon. Details are somewhat fluid, but one thing stands out: the poles are likely to be the most challenging places to set up shop in an already hostile environment. Planetary scientist Dr. Pascal Lee joins us to discuss moonbase siting options and why the poles may not be the best choice at first. Headlines: China Demonstrates Impressive Rocket Landing and Catch Mechanism New Horizons Probe Awakens to Transmit Deep Space Data Wally Funk, Last of the "Mercury 13," Passes Away West Coast Rocket Launch Alert: SpaceX Falcon 9 Visual Spectacle Main Topic: Moon Base Strategy and Location Debate History and Evolution of U.S. Moon Base Plans NASA's New Multi-Phase Moon Base Timeline and Missions Strategic and Logistical Challenges of South Pole Moon Bases Arguments for a Centralized, Benign Location for Moon Infrastructure Commercial and International Partnership Models for Lunar Operations Role of Robotics and AI in Moon Exploration and Prospecting Lessons from Antarctic Base Logistics Applied to the Moon Potential for Tourism and Commercial Development on the Lunar Surface Hosts: Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik Guest: Pascal Lee Download or subscribe to This Week in Space at https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-space. Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free audio and video feeds, a members-only Discord, and exclusive content. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: blackhat.com/us-26 and use code TWIT rippling.ai/twis threatlocker.com/twit

Since 1958, the United States has been part of the spaceflight adventure, and since the mid-1960s has led in just about any category that counts. In this episode, we discuss the progression of American space efforts, review which flights launched or landed on July 4, and relive some of our very favorite US space missions of all time! "Headlines: • NASA's Swift Boost Mission Aims to Rescue Swift Space Telescope • Astronomer Avi Loeb Tapped to Chair White House UAP Panel • Celebrating 30 Years of the Film Independence Day Main Topic: 250 Years of America in Space • American Flags Across the Solar System • Origins of the Space Age: Operation Paperclip and the V2 Legacy • Explorer 1 and Early U.S. Satellite Achievements • Mariner and Viking Missions: Mars Exploration Milestones • Key American Firsts in Human Spaceflight • Apollo Landings and Moonwalk Milestones • Skylab and Its Legacy as America's First Space Station • The Rise of Reusable Rockets: Space Shuttle, Blue Origin, and SpaceX • Private Spaceflight and Tourism: From Dennis Tito to Jared Isaacman • Curiosity, Pathfinder, and Other Mars Rovers as Iconic U.S. Achievements • Reflections on Favorite Missions and the Future of U.S. Space Leadership" Hosts: Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik Download or subscribe to This Week in Space at https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-space. Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free audio and video feeds, a members-only Discord, and exclusive content. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: blackhat.com/us-26 and use code TWIT helixsleep.com/space

Since 1958, the United States has been part of the spaceflight adventure, and since the mid-1960s has led in just about any category that counts. In this episode, we discuss the progression of American space efforts, review which flights launched or landed on July 4, and relive some of our very favorite US space missions of all time! "Headlines: • NASA's Swift Boost Mission Aims to Rescue Swift Space Telescope • Astronomer Avi Loeb Tapped to Chair White House UAP Panel • Celebrating 30 Years of the Film Independence Day Main Topic: 250 Years of America in Space • American Flags Across the Solar System • Origins of the Space Age: Operation Paperclip and the V2 Legacy • Explorer 1 and Early U.S. Satellite Achievements • Mariner and Viking Missions: Mars Exploration Milestones • Key American Firsts in Human Spaceflight • Apollo Landings and Moonwalk Milestones • Skylab and Its Legacy as America's First Space Station • The Rise of Reusable Rockets: Space Shuttle, Blue Origin, and SpaceX • Private Spaceflight and Tourism: From Dennis Tito to Jared Isaacman • Curiosity, Pathfinder, and Other Mars Rovers as Iconic U.S. Achievements • Reflections on Favorite Missions and the Future of U.S. Space Leadership" Hosts: Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik Download or subscribe to This Week in Space at https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-space. Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free audio and video feeds, a members-only Discord, and exclusive content. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: blackhat.com/us-26 and use code TWIT helixsleep.com/space

Since 1958, the United States has been part of the spaceflight adventure, and since the mid-1960s has led in just about any category that counts. In this episode, we discuss the progression of American space efforts, review which flights launched or landed on July 4, and relive some of our very favorite US space missions of all time! "Headlines: • NASA's Swift Boost Mission Aims to Rescue Swift Space Telescope • Astronomer Avi Loeb Tapped to Chair White House UAP Panel • Celebrating 30 Years of the Film Independence Day Main Topic: 250 Years of America in Space • American Flags Across the Solar System • Origins of the Space Age: Operation Paperclip and the V2 Legacy • Explorer 1 and Early U.S. Satellite Achievements • Mariner and Viking Missions: Mars Exploration Milestones • Key American Firsts in Human Spaceflight • Apollo Landings and Moonwalk Milestones • Skylab and Its Legacy as America's First Space Station • The Rise of Reusable Rockets: Space Shuttle, Blue Origin, and SpaceX • Private Spaceflight and Tourism: From Dennis Tito to Jared Isaacman • Curiosity, Pathfinder, and Other Mars Rovers as Iconic U.S. Achievements • Reflections on Favorite Missions and the Future of U.S. Space Leadership" Hosts: Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik Download or subscribe to This Week in Space at https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-space. Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free audio and video feeds, a members-only Discord, and exclusive content. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: blackhat.com/us-26 and use code TWIT helixsleep.com/space

Since 1958, the United States has been part of the spaceflight adventure, and since the mid-1960s has led in just about any category that counts. In this episode, we discuss the progression of American space efforts, review which flights launched or landed on July 4, and relive some of our very favorite US space missions of all time! "Headlines: • NASA's Swift Boost Mission Aims to Rescue Swift Space Telescope • Astronomer Avi Loeb Tapped to Chair White House UAP Panel • Celebrating 30 Years of the Film Independence Day Main Topic: 250 Years of America in Space • American Flags Across the Solar System • Origins of the Space Age: Operation Paperclip and the V2 Legacy • Explorer 1 and Early U.S. Satellite Achievements • Mariner and Viking Missions: Mars Exploration Milestones • Key American Firsts in Human Spaceflight • Apollo Landings and Moonwalk Milestones • Skylab and Its Legacy as America's First Space Station • The Rise of Reusable Rockets: Space Shuttle, Blue Origin, and SpaceX • Private Spaceflight and Tourism: From Dennis Tito to Jared Isaacman • Curiosity, Pathfinder, and Other Mars Rovers as Iconic U.S. Achievements • Reflections on Favorite Missions and the Future of U.S. Space Leadership" Hosts: Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik Download or subscribe to This Week in Space at https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-space. Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free audio and video feeds, a members-only Discord, and exclusive content. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: blackhat.com/us-26 and use code TWIT helixsleep.com/space

We've had endless conversations about aliens and first contact--but what if a conversation with other intelligences is beyond our scope? Dr. Daniel Whiteson, particle physicist at CERN's Large Hadron Collider and professor at UC Irvine, joins us to explore less conventional thoughts on first contact. We look at the challenges of communicating with extraterrestrial intelligences, potential difficulties of communicating via non-terrestrial mathematics and physics, and the possibility that extraterrestrials might actually be terrestrial... but existing as denizens of the dark energy universe. One might be sitting in your lap right now! Join us for the far-ranging discussion. Headlines: Boeing's Troubled Starliner Spacecraft Faces Further Setbacks and Delays NASA Perseverance Rover Finds Promising Clues of Ancient Life on Mars NASA Space Telescope Faces Fiery Descent, Mission Planned to Save It Main Topic: Dark Matter, Particle Physics, and the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence UC Irvine's Dr. Daniel Whiteson Discusses Path into Space Science and Particle Physics Exploring Nontraditional Signals for Alien Communication Beyond Radio Waves The Mystery of Ultra-High Energy Particles and Speculation on Artificial Cosmic Rays Challenges of Detecting, Interpreting, and Interacting with Alien Intelligence Implications of Dark Matter for Hidden Civilizations and Parallel Existence Complexities in Communicating with Truly Alien Life and Human-Centric Scientific Assumptions Hosts: Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik Guest: Daniel Whiteson Download or subscribe to This Week in Space at https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-space. Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free audio and video feeds, a members-only Discord, and exclusive content. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit

We've had endless conversations about aliens and first contact--but what if a conversation with other intelligences is beyond our scope? Dr. Daniel Whiteson, particle physicist at CERN's Large Hadron Collider and professor at UC Irvine, joins us to explore less conventional thoughts on first contact. We look at the challenges of communicating with extraterrestrial intelligences, potential difficulties of communicating via non-terrestrial mathematics and physics, and the possibility that extraterrestrials might actually be terrestrial... but existing as denizens of the dark energy universe. One might be sitting in your lap right now! Join us for the far-ranging discussion. Headlines: Boeing's Troubled Starliner Spacecraft Faces Further Setbacks and Delays NASA Perseverance Rover Finds Promising Clues of Ancient Life on Mars NASA Space Telescope Faces Fiery Descent, Mission Planned to Save It Main Topic: Dark Matter, Particle Physics, and the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence UC Irvine's Dr. Daniel Whiteson Discusses Path into Space Science and Particle Physics Exploring Nontraditional Signals for Alien Communication Beyond Radio Waves The Mystery of Ultra-High Energy Particles and Speculation on Artificial Cosmic Rays Challenges of Detecting, Interpreting, and Interacting with Alien Intelligence Implications of Dark Matter for Hidden Civilizations and Parallel Existence Complexities in Communicating with Truly Alien Life and Human-Centric Scientific Assumptions Hosts: Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik Guest: Daniel Whiteson Download or subscribe to This Week in Space at https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-space. Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free audio and video feeds, a members-only Discord, and exclusive content. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit

We've had endless conversations about aliens and first contact--but what if a conversation with other intelligences is beyond our scope? Dr. Daniel Whiteson, particle physicist at CERN's Large Hadron Collider and professor at UC Irvine, joins us to explore less conventional thoughts on first contact. We look at the challenges of communicating with extraterrestrial intelligences, potential difficulties of communicating via non-terrestrial mathematics and physics, and the possibility that extraterrestrials might actually be terrestrial... but existing as denizens of the dark energy universe. One might be sitting in your lap right now! Join us for the far-ranging discussion. Headlines: Boeing's Troubled Starliner Spacecraft Faces Further Setbacks and Delays NASA Perseverance Rover Finds Promising Clues of Ancient Life on Mars NASA Space Telescope Faces Fiery Descent, Mission Planned to Save It Main Topic: Dark Matter, Particle Physics, and the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence UC Irvine's Dr. Daniel Whiteson Discusses Path into Space Science and Particle Physics Exploring Nontraditional Signals for Alien Communication Beyond Radio Waves The Mystery of Ultra-High Energy Particles and Speculation on Artificial Cosmic Rays Challenges of Detecting, Interpreting, and Interacting with Alien Intelligence Implications of Dark Matter for Hidden Civilizations and Parallel Existence Complexities in Communicating with Truly Alien Life and Human-Centric Scientific Assumptions Hosts: Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik Guest: Daniel Whiteson Download or subscribe to This Week in Space at https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-space. Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free audio and video feeds, a members-only Discord, and exclusive content. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit

We've had endless conversations about aliens and first contact--but what if a conversation with other intelligences is beyond our scope? Dr. Daniel Whiteson, particle physicist at CERN's Large Hadron Collider and professor at UC Irvine, joins us to explore less conventional thoughts on first contact. We look at the challenges of communicating with extraterrestrial intelligences, potential difficulties of communicating via non-terrestrial mathematics and physics, and the possibility that extraterrestrials might actually be terrestrial... but existing as denizens of the dark energy universe. One might be sitting in your lap right now! Join us for the far-ranging discussion. Headlines: Boeing's Troubled Starliner Spacecraft Faces Further Setbacks and Delays NASA Perseverance Rover Finds Promising Clues of Ancient Life on Mars NASA Space Telescope Faces Fiery Descent, Mission Planned to Save It Main Topic: Dark Matter, Particle Physics, and the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence UC Irvine's Dr. Daniel Whiteson Discusses Path into Space Science and Particle Physics Exploring Nontraditional Signals for Alien Communication Beyond Radio Waves The Mystery of Ultra-High Energy Particles and Speculation on Artificial Cosmic Rays Challenges of Detecting, Interpreting, and Interacting with Alien Intelligence Implications of Dark Matter for Hidden Civilizations and Parallel Existence Complexities in Communicating with Truly Alien Life and Human-Centric Scientific Assumptions Hosts: Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik Guest: Daniel Whiteson Download or subscribe to This Week in Space at https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-space. Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free audio and video feeds, a members-only Discord, and exclusive content. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit

If you've seen "Disclosure Day" or "Age of Disclosure," you're going to want to join us for this fascinating discussion with famed bestselling sci-fi/sci-fact author Dr. David Brin. Long known for his universe-spanning visions, storytelling skills, and occasionally contrarian viewpoints, this episode will not disappoint! Our discussion ranged from reactions to Spielberg's "Disclosure Day" to why people believe in AI and more. This week's guest co-host is ace science journalist Susan Karlin. Headlines: Spielberg's "Disclosure Day" Premieres to Mixed Reviews Alien Lore and the Evolution of Sci-Fi Tropes Comparing Modern and Classic Alien Invasion Films NASA's NIAC Program and Cutting-Edge Space Concepts UFO Conspiracies and Cultural Obsessions Main Topic: Spielberg's "Disclosure Day" and the Alien Narrative Film critiques: Plot, character arcs, and visual effects Overused tropes in government conspiracy stories Modern alien movies compared to classics like Independence Day and Close Encounters Recurring alien mythologies and sci-fi's role in cultural reflection Exploration of why UFO conspiracy theories persist Insights from David Brin on skepticism, evidence, and hidden truths Connections drawn between UFO lore and folklore about elves and fairies Examination of AI's parallels to alien encounters, danger, and self-accountability Host: Rod Pyle Co-Host: Susan Karlin Guest: Dr. David Brin Download or subscribe to This Week in Space at https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-space. Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free audio and video feeds, a members-only Discord, and exclusive content. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit

If you've seen "Disclosure Day" or "Age of Disclosure," you're going to want to join us for this fascinating discussion with famed bestselling sci-fi/sci-fact author Dr. David Brin. Long known for his universe-spanning visions, storytelling skills, and occasionally contrarian viewpoints, this episode will not disappoint! Our discussion ranged from reactions to Spielberg's "Disclosure Day" to why people believe in AI and more. This week's guest co-host is ace science journalist Susan Karlin. Host: Rod Pyle Co-Host: Susan Karlin Guest: Dr. David Brin Download or subscribe to This Week in Space at https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-space. Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free audio and video feeds, a members-only Discord, and exclusive content. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit

If you've seen "Disclosure Day" or "Age of Disclosure," you're going to want to join us for this fascinating discussion with famed bestselling sci-fi/sci-fact author Dr. David Brin. Long known for his universe-spanning visions, storytelling skills, and occasionally contrarian viewpoints, this episode will not disappoint! Our discussion ranged from reactions to Spielberg's "Disclosure Day" to why people believe in AI and more. This week's guest co-host is ace science journalist Susan Karlin. Headlines: Spielberg's "Disclosure Day" Premieres to Mixed Reviews Alien Lore and the Evolution of Sci-Fi Tropes Comparing Modern and Classic Alien Invasion Films NASA's NIAC Program and Cutting-Edge Space Concepts UFO Conspiracies and Cultural Obsessions Main Topic: Spielberg's "Disclosure Day" and the Alien Narrative Film critiques: Plot, character arcs, and visual effects Overused tropes in government conspiracy stories Modern alien movies compared to classics like Independence Day and Close Encounters Recurring alien mythologies and sci-fi's role in cultural reflection Exploration of why UFO conspiracy theories persist Insights from David Brin on skepticism, evidence, and hidden truths Connections drawn between UFO lore and folklore about elves and fairies Examination of AI's parallels to alien encounters, danger, and self-accountability Host: Rod Pyle Co-Host: Susan Karlin Guest: Dr. David Brin Download or subscribe to This Week in Space at https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-space. Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free audio and video feeds, a members-only Discord, and exclusive content. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit

There are NASA Administrators, and then there are NASA Administrators—all are very accomplished individuals, but some stand out for their unique backgrounds and on-the-job successes, and Jim Bridenstine is one of the latter. Entering service as the new NASA Administrator in 2017 with a background as a Navy pilot, Congressman, and museum director, he was an unconventional choice, and faced some headwinds in the appointment—but Jim turned out to be exceptional in the job, especially given the state of NASA when he took it on. Join us to hear his experiences with our favorite space agency and what he's doing today. Headlines: SpaceX Shatters Records with Largest IPO Ever NASA Faces Backlash Over Artemis 3 Diversity Scientists Propose Magnetosphere Shield Against Solar Storms Main Topic: Jim Bridenstine & Quantum Space Jim Bridenstine's Unconventional Path to NASA Leadership Overcoming Political Challenges as NASA Administrator Launch and Evolution of the Artemis Moon Program Securing Bipartisan Support and Budget for Artemis Reflections on Artemis 2 Success and Artemis 3's Challenges The Need for a Robust Lunar Lander Solution NASA's Global Influence and Soft Power The Role of Private Investment in Space Exploration Bridenstine's Leadership at Quantum Space Quantum Space's Ranger Spacecraft and Military Space Tech National Security and Distributed Satellite Architectures Small Satellites and Future Space Warfare Quantum Space's Move to Go Public via SPAC Vision for Moon Bases and Lunar Resource Utilization Geopolitics of the New Moon Race and First Mover Advantage Quantum Space's Ambitions in Cislunar and Lunar Operations Hosts: Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik Guest: Jim Bridenstine Download or subscribe to This Week in Space at https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-space. Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free audio and video feeds, a members-only Discord, and exclusive content. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsor: threatlocker.com/twit

(June 06, 2026) Did Spencer Pratt really have a chance in L.A? Fraud allegations continue. Host of the ‘This Week in Space’ podcast Rod Pyle joins the show for ‘Cool Space News.’ Today, Rod talks about NASA’s moon base plans, and air leak at the International Space Station, Space X’s highly anticipated IPO, and NASA’s X-59 jet breaking sound barrier for the first time.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Recorded live from the International Space Development Conference in McLean, Virginia, Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik are joined by Apollo legend and former Johnson Space Center director Gerry Griffin. Griffin takes us on a journey through his extraordinary career, from his appointment as a flight director in the wake of the Apollo 1 fire, through the audacious decision to send Apollo 8 around the moon, all the way to the nail-biting rescue of Apollo 13. We also venture behind the scenes of Ron Howard's Apollo 13 film, where Griffin reveals the real story behind some of Hollywood's most famous dramatic liberties. It's a rare, firsthand account of the golden age of human spaceflight — from one of the few people who was there for all of it. Headlines: Space Station Faces Recurring Air Leak Crisis Main Topic: Jerry Griffin's Legacy in Space Exploration Transition from Fighter Pilot to Mission Control Gemini and Apollo Era Engineering Breakthroughs The Apollo 1 Fire: Lessons and Safety Changes Fast-Tracking from Apollo 7 to Apollo 8 Lunar Orbit Insights From the Apollo 11 Moon Landing Apollo 13 Crisis Management Onscreen and in Reality The Evolution and Importance of Mission Control Teams Reflections on NASA's Culture and Training Through Decades Preparing Future Generations for Artemis and Beyond (Note: Apologies for the video flickering that occurs in the podcast.) Hosts: Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik Guest: Gerry Griffin Download or subscribe to This Week in Space at https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-space. Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free audio and video feeds, a members-only Discord, and exclusive content. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: Melissa.com/twit helixsleep.com/space

What a wild week in space news! We were all set to discuss Starship Test Flight 12 and NASA's recent press conference updating their lunar base plans, when on Thursday night, Blue Origin lost a New Glenn rocket on the pad during a static test. The explosion appears to have severely damaged the launch structure, LC36, along with the loss of the rocket. Fortunately, there were no casualties. But this does throw NASA's schedule for returning American astronauts to the moon into question, given that the agency had recently signaled their choice of Blue Origin's Blue Moon lander for Artemis 4 in 2028. It's now a toss-up between the US and China, with the competition hotter--and closer--than ever. And of course, we'll still discuss Starship and the latest lunar base plans! Space.com's Mike Wall joins us. Headlines: • Blue Origin's New Glenn Rocket Explodes During Static Fire Test • Manhattanhenge Aligns City Streets with the Sunset Main Topic: NASA's Artemis Moon Base and Lunar Exploration Plans • SpaceX Starship Flight 12 Performance and Booster Mishap Investigation • Starship's Role in Artemis and Competitive Moon Race with China • Moon Base Contract Awards: Landers, Rovers, and Robotics • National Security and Legal Implications of Lunar "Territory" • China's Push for a 2030 Lunar Landing and US Response Strategy Hosts: Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik Guest: Mike Wall Download or subscribe to This Week in Space at https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-space. Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free audio and video feeds, a members-only Discord, and exclusive content. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit