Are We There Yet?

At the center of our galaxy lies a supermassive black hole. It’s a region of space where gravity is so strong nothing can escape it, not even light.

While the name supermassive might make it seem like these things are easy to spot -- they’re really not. In 2019, a group of telescopes and scientists managed to image the first ever black hole, one at the center of the galaxy M87.

That same group of scientists say they’ve got a major announcement related to our galaxy later this week. To talk more about the Event Horizon Telescope and what it may have spotted, we’ll speak with Josh Colwell, Addie Dove and Jim Cooney -- physicists at the University of Central Florida and hosts of the podcast Walkabout the Galaxy.

Then, when will humans step foot on Mars? It’s a topic of discussion at this year’s Human to Mars summit, taking place later this month. We’ll talk with Explore Mars CEO Chris Carberry about the challenges that lie ahead and what government agencies and private industry are doing to get people to the red planet.

At the center of our galaxy lies a supermassive black hole. It’s a region of space where gravity is so strong nothing can escape it, not even light. While the name supermassive might make it seem like these things are easy to spot -- they’re really not.

At the center of our galaxy lies a supermassive black hole. It’s a region of space where gravity is so strong nothing can escape it, not even light. While the name supermassive might make it seem like these things are easy to spot -- they’re really not.

Commercial space company Axiom says it is learning from its first all-private mission to the International Space Station last month and planning more commercial missions to low-Earth orbit.The company launched 4 people to the station last month from Kennedy Space Center on SpaceX’s Crew Dragon capsule. Axiom is planning to build its own space station, first starting with elements attached to the ISS.

Rex Walheim is a former NASA astronaut who flew on the final space shuttle mission. He now works at Axiom and joins us to talk about the company's plans for the future and what it's learning from this first commercial space flight.

Then, SpaceX founder Elon Musk is buying the social media platform Twitter. What could this mean for Musk’s space company? We’ll speak with Quartz senior reporter Tim Fernholz about the implications of the buy.

With the first all-private space mission in the books, what's ahead for the commercial space economy? Plus, a look at the impacts to SpaceX after found Elon Musk announced plans to buy Twitter.

With the first all-private space mission in the books, what's ahead for the commercial space economy? Plus, a look at the impacts to SpaceX after found Elon Musk announced plans to buy Twitter.

Every 10 years, the National Academies submits a report, outlining what it thinks NASA should focus on when it comes to planetary science efforts. Uranus came out the big winner.

Every 10 years, the National Academies submits a report, outlining what it thinks NASA should focus on when it comes to planetary science efforts. Uranus came out the big winner.

It’s a busy week for space news. The first all-private crew is set to depart the International Space Station after spending more than a week on board, a new crew of NASA astronauts is set to launch to the station this weekend, and the agency’s next mega moon rocket experienced some troubles during a test at its launch pad, prompting more delays.

We’ll speak with NASA administrator Bill Nelson about these stories. Plus, we’ll discuss this week’s astronaut launch to the station, which will send the first Black female astronaut -- Jessica Watkins -- on a long-duration mission to the ISS. Last week, NASA announced its first Equity Action Plan. We’ll talk about the agency's efforts to make space more equitable for all.

Then, Awais Ahmed wants to measure the health of the planet. His company Pixxel is launching a fleet of satellites with the capabilities to monitor global health, including detecting gas leaks or spotting insect infestations before they can destroy crops.

This innovation is made possible in part by affordable access to space. We’ll talk with Ahmed about his company and how commercial space is helping him see the world through a different lens.

It’s a busy week for space news. The first all-private crew is set to depart the space station after spending more than a week on board, a new crew of NASA astronauts is set to launch to the station this weekend, and the agency’s next mega moon rocket experienced some troubles during a test at its launch pad, prompting more delays. We’ll speak with NASA administrator Bill Nelson about these stories