Are We There Yet?

Exploration is hardwired into our DNA. From early humans in sub-Saharan Africa to the Apollo moon walkers, humans have always had a thirst for knowledge and the need to understand the world around them. 

Andrew Rader is a SpaceX mission manager. He’s one of the many new-age explorers now reaching out to the stars. He’s also an historian and author of a new book Beyond the Known: How Exploration Created the Modern World and Will Take Us to the Stars. We’ll speak with Rader about humanity’s storied history exploring our world and the efforts to expand into our solar system.

Then, are we living in the only version of this universe? We explore the idea of a multiverse with our panel of expert scientists this week on our segment “I’d Like to Know.”

Exploration is hardwired into our DNA. From early humans in sub-Saharan Africa to the Apollo moon walkers, humans have always had a thirst for knowledge and the need to understand the world around them.

Are we alone in the universe? Probably not. Scientists are hard at work looking for signs of life here in our solar system and beyond. But what will we say to those extraterrestrials when we find them?

Author and journalist Daniel Oberhaus delves into the efforts to talk with alien civilizations in his new book “Extraterrestrial Languages.” We’ll talk with Oberhaus about the attempts to speak with other civilizations in the universe and why many scientists think it’s a bad idea to reach out to them first.

Then, as we continue to venture into our solar system, there’s a greater need to keep it clean. On this week’s “I’d Like to Know” segment, we’ll chat with planetary scientist from the University of Central Florida about keeping our dirty Earth-germs off other planets and moons — and why the search for life depends on it.

Scientists are hard at work looking for signs of life here in our solar system and beyond. But what will we say to those extraterrestrials when we find them?

Ken Chang: Science From Beyond Our Solar System.

Voyager 2 punched a hole through our heliosphere sending it into interstellar space.

The space probe launched more than 40 years ago along with its twin, Voyager 1, on a mission to visit the outer planets. Now the two have exited the boundary of our solar system and are beaming data back to scientists here on Earth.

We’ll speak to The New York Times reporter Ken Chang who wrote about the science coming back from Voyager 2, which was launched 42 years ago from Cape Canaveral on a mission to visit the outer planets of our solar system. 

The spacecraft, along with its twin Voyager 1, is now traveling in interstellar space at more than 35,000 mph.

At that speed, it could travel around the world in less than an hour but, even so, it has taken four decades to leave the solar system all while continuing to transmit data back to Earth.

Scientists are just now digging into that data and it’s painting a new picture of the boundary of our solar system.

I’d Like to Know: The Science of Space Junk.

SpaceX’s Starlink constellation is taking shape. The private company launched 60 satellites into orbit last week that will be part of a network of thousands of satellites to blanket the globe with global, high-speed internet. 

However, some people are concerned that the constellation, along with other planned space-based internet networks, could add to the growing number of space debris and interfere with astronomical observations. 

Josh Colwell, Jim Cooney and Addie Dove, planetary scientists at the University of Central Florida and hosts of the podcast “Walk About the Galaxy” talk about the science of these constellations and the risks so many satellites zooming around in space might pose.

**Got a question for “I’d Like to Know”? Send it in! Shoot us an email at [email protected].**

Space News Headlines

NASA OIG

A report released by NASA’s Inspector General says the agency’s commercial crew program is facing additional delays and questions some $157 million awarded to one of those contractors: Boeing.

According to the report, in 2016 Boeing was paid a so-called premium of $287 million to alleviate perceived delays to the program, but SpaceX wasn’t offered a similar opportunity.

The Inspector General criticized Commercial Crew managers for offering the additional money for Starliner missions, calling $157 million of that payment “unnecessary costs.”

In a statement, NASA disagrees with the inspector’s characterization. Boeing says the bidding process was quote fair and open and disagrees with the OIG’s findings.

The report outlines delays in developing the parachutes, propulsion and launch abort systems of the spacecraft. Because of those challenges, the space agency won’t send Commercial Crew astronauts to the station until at least Summer 2020.

Both companies are coming up on critical tests of their capsules that will help solidify human launch dates. Boeing is set to launch an uncrewed capsule to the station next month. And in just a few weeks, SpaceX will test the abort motors of the Crew Dragon Capsule mid flight after launching atop a Falcon 9 rocket.

Complicated Spacewalk

The latest spacewalks center around a co...

Voyager 2 punched a hole through our heliosphere sending it into interstellar space. The space probe launched more than 40 years ago along with its twin, Voyager 1, on a mission to visit the outer planets. Now the two have exited the boundary of our solar system and are beaming data back to scientists here on Earth.

Nicole Stott: Spacewalker, artists and advocate for all explorers.

Last month, Astronauts Jessica Meir and Christina Koch  made history by conducting the first all-female spacewalk. While women have been space walking since 1984, this marks the first time a team has been made up of an all female crew.

Koch and Meir penned a Washington Post op-ed from space applauding NASA’s efforts for equality and calling on leaders to continue to include all humans as exploration efforts move forward.

There have been 221 spacewalks at the ISS and 37 have included women. But overall, there have only been 15 female spacewalkers. Retired NASA astronaut Nicole Stott is one of them and we chat with her about the historic milestone and what that means for gender equality in the astronaut corps.

Stott is also an artist, one of the first to paint from space. We’ll talk about her efforts to inspire the next generation of space explorers through art and outreach.

I’d Like to Know: An interstellar comet is about to visit us.

An interstellar comet is zooming through space and it’s about to make a pass through our solar system. It is only the second identified space rock to visit us from interstellar space — so what can we expect? And why are scientists so excited about it?

Josh Colwell and Addie Dove — planetary scientists at the University of Central Florida and hosts of the podcast “Walk About the Galaxy” — help answer Brendan’s simple question: What the heck is this thing? \

**Got a question for “I’d Like to Know”? Send it in! Shoot us an email at [email protected].**

Space News Headlines

Commercial Crew Tests Ramp Up

Boeing completed a critical test of its Starliner capsule designed to take NASA astronauts to the International Space Station. It’s part of a partnership between NASA and private companies to launch astronauts to the International Space Station from Florida — a first since the end of the space shuttle program in 2011 — and paves the way for an uncrewed test flight to the ISS December 17.

SpaceX is also planning for a critical safety test of it’s abort system later this year.  SpaceX has already completed an uncrewed test mission to the ISS earlier this year and NASA said the company could send the first human astronauts early next year.

Starlink Ends Three Month Launch Draught

SpaceX launched 60 of its Starlink satellites from Cape Canaveral Monday on a Falcon 9 rocket. The company wants to blanket the globe with high-speed, broadband internet access. It’s the first round of thousands of satellites needed to complete the constellation.

SpaceX isn’t alone. Another company One Web plans to start launching 30 satellites a month starting next year — and that has some worried about orbiting traffic and the potential for collisions.

SpaceX said the network can operate safely. Each satellite is equipped with systems to steer it away from potential crashes. And if a satellite dies, it will fall out of orbit and burn up safely in the atmosphere.

Whether or not other companies will play nice and how satellite regulation might change is yet to be seen.

What’s Ahead?

Next week, we’ll explore NASA’s Voyager 2 mission. The probe launch 42 years ago. Last year, the spacecraft punched through the boundry of the solar system into interstellar space.

There have been 221 spacewalks at the International Space Station and 37 have included women. But overall, there have only been 15 female spacewalkers. Retired NASA astronaut Nicole Stott is one of them and we chat with her about the historic milestone and what that means for gender equality in the astronaut corps.

The International Astronautical Congress was last week in Washington D.C. It’s a global assembly of movers and shakers in the space industry — from government agencies to private partners. We’ll chat with the host of the We Martians podcast Jake Robins who attended the conference about the big news in space exploration.

Then, NASA has its sights set on the moon — the south pole of the moon specifically — because of the evidence of water. But just how much water is there? And how do we know? We’ll ask our panel of expert scientists.

The International Astronautical Congress was last week in Washington D.C. It’s a global assembly of movers and shakers in the space industry -- from government agencies to private partners.