STARBASE AND THE MECHAZILLA CATCH Colleague Eric Berger. The final segment centers on Starbase in Boca Chica, Texas, where SpaceX built a modern rocket factory on swampland to construct the massive Starship. Berger details the "Chopstick" system, a tower designed to catch returning Super Heavy boosters to eliminate landing legs and enable rapid reuse. This fully reusable system, larger than the Saturn V, is the "endgame" for Musk's vision. Berger describes the operational concept: fleets of Starships refueling in orbit via tankers, then departing for Mars in waves every two years to establish a permanent human presence. NUMBER 8
1920 THE WARLORD OF MARS

THE CHUTE SHOW AND HUMAN SPACEFLIGHT Colleague Eric Berger. Berger discusses the Commercial Crew Program, noting that while Boeing's participation legitimized the effort for Congress, SpaceX ultimately led the way. The development of the Crew Dragon involved the "Chute Show," a team camping in the desert to iteratively test parachutes. Despite the "smooth" public image of NASA missions, Berger points out the inherent risks, such as launching near tornadoes during the first crewed attempt. The segment culminates in the success of the "Block 5" Falcon 9, an optimized rocket designed for rapid turnaround, with individual boosters now capable of flying up to 20 times. NUMBER 7
1920 THUVIA MAID OF MARS

STARLINK: FUNDING THE FUTURE Colleague Eric Berger. To finance the immense cost of Mars colonization, SpaceX developed Starlink, a constellation intended to comprise 12,000 satellites for global internet coverage. Bergerexplains that while the concept of low Earth orbit internet existed, SpaceX was the first to make it practical by mass-producing satellites at an unprecedented rate. This revenue stream is vital for the Starship program. Berger highlights how SpaceX has outpaced sovereign nations and corporate rivals like Amazon's Kuiper, which are years behind. The segment emphasizes the relentless work culture required to maintain this lead, often at the expense of employees' personal lives. NUMBER 6
1917 MASTER MIND OF MARS

LANDING ZONES AND EXPLODING SATELLITES Colleague Eric Berger. Focusing on the historic December 2015 return-to-flight, Berger describes the first successful land landing of a Falcon 9 at Cape Canaveral. This feat required overcoming the National Reconnaissance Office's fears that sonic booms would damage spy satellites. However, this success was marred months later by the baffling explosion of the Amos-6 satellite during a routine static fire test. Berger notes that the failure was so sudden—occurring in microseconds—that Musk initially entertained the theory of a sniper attack from a competitor before investigators traced the cause to solid oxygen forming in the upper stage. NUMBER 5
1917 "...THRONG OF DEPARTING CHARIOTS."

DENSIFICATION AND THE CRUSHED SODA CAN Colleague Eric Berger. Berger explains the technical leaps required for the "Falcon 9 Full Thrust," specifically the use of densified propellants. By super-chilling liquid oxygen to nearly -300°F, SpaceX increased propellant density by 10-12%, drastically improving payload capacity. This innovation accompanied the challenge of landing boosters on ocean barges. Berger compares the fragility of an unpressurized rocket stage to a soda can, noting how easily they were crushed or exploded during early attempts to land on moving drone ships. These upgrades, including the "Octaweb" engine arrangement, were essential for creating a reusable fleet capable of frequent flight. NUMBER 4
1917 "SHE SAT AND DREW ON THE FLOOR THE FIRST MAP PF BARSOOMIAN I HAD EVER SEEN."

RISKY BUSINESS: DRAGON, NASA, AND REUSABILITY Colleague Eric Berger. To fund its Mars ambitions, SpaceX relied on NASA cargo contracts, which required the development of the Dragon spacecraft. Berger highlights a pivotal moment in 2012 when SpaceX combined two test missions (C2 and C3) to save time, a risky move that required rewriting flight software while the vehicle was near the International Space Station to fix a sensor glitch. Simultaneously, the company faced an "existential" crisis following the 2015 CRS-7 launch failure. Berger details the difficult evolution of reusability, moving from failed parachute concepts to the complex engineering required to land a booster vertically. NUMBER 3
1917 "THE OLD MAN SAT AND TALKED WITH ME FOR HOURS."

THE ROAD TRIP FROM HADES AND THE FALCON 9 Colleague Eric Berger. Berger chronicles the grueling transition from the single-engine Falcon 1 to the nine-engine Falcon 9 in 2009, describing it as a "long hot summer" of intense engineering. The process involved a chaotic transport of the oversized rocket, which physically crashed into a building in Louisiana due to its length. During the 2010 launch campaign, a thunderstorm damaged the upper stage antennas, forcing engineers to dry them with a "glorified hair dryer" overnight. Musk chose to launch despite telemetry issues, achieving a successful orbit that proved a private company could deliver a medium-lift vehicle, crucial for securing NASA contracts. NUMBER 2
1917 PRINCESS OF MARS

THE AUDACIOUS VISION: A MILLION TONS TO MARS Colleague Eric Berger. In his discussion of the 2016 Guadalajara speech, Eric Berger details Elon Musk's "grandioso architecture" for Mars colonization, proposed during a time of deep skepticism following rocket failures. Musk envisioned not just a visit, but a self-sustaining civilization requiring the transport of a million tons of supplies and thousands of people. Berger explains that Musk's ultimate goal is not economic profit, as there is no "pot of gold" on Mars, but rather ensuring humanity's survival against potential extinction events. Consequently, SpaceX is aggressively redirecting resources from the successful Crew Dragon to the massive, fully reusable Starship to realize this multi-planetary future. NUMBER 1
1913

MISUNDERSTANDING RUSSIA AND THE PERSISTENCE OF THE THREAT Colleague Professor Eugene Finkel. Finkel argues that debates over Ukraine joining the EU or NATO miss the core issue: Russia's ideological refusal to accept Ukraine's existence. He criticizes Western leaders for treating Russia as a transactional, rational actor rather than a revanchist imperial power, noting that Eastern European warnings were ignored. Finkel asserts that transactional deals, like those proposed by Trump, will fail because the conflict is existential for Russia. He concludes with an anecdote about his grandfather refusing a KGB job, highlighting the long history of resistance against Russianco-optation. NUMBER 8
1925 SOVIET KYIV SEMINARY

THE BRUTALITY OF INVASION AND THE FAILURE OF INTELLIGENCE Colleague Professor Eugene Finkel. Batchelor and Finkel discuss the historical roots of Russian cruelty in Ukraine, citing a 1932 letter from Stalinfearing the loss of Ukraine. Finkel argues that Russian leadership, from the Tsars to Putin, views human life as cheap and uses violence to maintain control over the land, regardless of casualties. Regarding the 2022 full-scale invasion, Finkel suggests Putin was isolated in an echo chamber of yes-men and myths, expecting a quick policing operation rather than a war. The invasion was driven by the refusal to accept Ukrainian statehood, not legitimate fears of NATO. NUMBER 7
1920 SOVIET UKRAINE