On The Space Show for Wednesday, 27 March 2024:

Vale Thomas P. Stafford

Marking the death at age 93 of former Gemini, Apollo and Apollo-Soyuz astronaut Tom Stafford, with an explanation of how he came to be called, "The Mayor of Pad 19." (Inserts courtesy VoA)

Australian Space Industry 2024 — Part 3 & Planet Earth — Episode 60

A dual topic feature:

* Australian Space Agency funding grants boost

* “The Democratisation of Space" (Maria Xygkaki, Senior Business Developer, Saber Astronautics, Adelaide)

* Spiral Blue and the Optimus satellite (Mei He, Business Development Intern, Spiral Blue)

* CyanoSat on Skykraft.

On this bonus episode of The Space Show:

The Australian Space Industry 2024 —

A detailed examination of the LiDAV technology to be supplied by the Sydney-based company Advanced Navigation to the Houston company Intuitive Machines for its Nova-C lunar lander. Includes an explanation of lasers and laser ranging. (Based on information provided by Advanced Navigation)

On The Space Show for Wednesday, 20 March 2024:

Australian Space Industry 2024:

On The Space Show for Wednesday, 13 March 2024:

Space Show News —

* Juno flies by Europa and Io and measures oxygen production on Europa according to a recent paper in the scientific journal Nature Astronomy (Szalay, J.R., Allegrini, F., Ebert, R.W. et al. Oxygen production from dissociation of Europa’s water-ice surface. Nat Astron (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41550-024-02206-x)

* Installation of the first 2 metre antenna of the Square Kilometre Array Low Radio Telescope in Western Australia

Professor Peter Quinn, Director, International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research in Perth, Western Australia, talks about the scale of the Universe; the Square Kilometre Array and its location; components in Western Australia and South Africa; and funding. (Recorded at a meeting of the Space Association of Australia)

China: Ambitions Towards the Moon —

China's intention to establish a Lunar Research Station on the Moon, and the concerns this has engendered in Australia and the United States. Comments by Bill Nelson (Administrator, NASA), Angelo Di Grazia (Committee member, Space Association of Australia), Mike Griffin (former NASA Administrator), Malcolm Davis (Senior Policy Analyst, Australian Strategic Policy Institute), Destination Moon character 'General Thayer’, and Vladimir Putin (President, Russian Federation).

Also, a report that Chinese aerospace agencies have outlined a plan to install Skynet-type surveillance cameras at the Moonbase, and reports on the new commercial launch vehicles and the now established Long March 7 rocket. (Inserts courtesy SAA, NASA, TCN and CGTN)

On The Space Show for Wednesday, 6 March 2024:

Optimus takes flight:

The Australian company Space Machine's satellite Optimus was launched yesterday on the SpaceX Transporter 10 mission from Vandenberg Space Force Base. (Inserts courtesy SpaceX)

Odysseus — End of Mission:

Details of Intuitive Machine's Odysseus's semi-hard landing on the higher-than-planned site near Malapert A; the rush to rewrite and upload control software; the role of CSIRO's Parkes Radio Astronomy Telescope in receiving data from Odysseus; the problem of multi-path radio signals from the lunar south polar region; the NASA experiments - plan and achievement; mission 'firsts'; SLIM revived after lunar night; and the end of the IM-1 mission. (Inserts courtesy NASA JSC)

Vale Richard Truly:

Noting the death of former astronaut and NASA Administrator Richard Truly featuring the "Pigs In Space" skit played for him aboard STS-2.

On The Space Show for Wednesday, 28 February 2024:

Odysseus on the Moon

The story of Intuitive Machine's Nova-C “Odysseus” IM-1 mission to a landing at Malapert A near the lunar South Pole; the frantic efforts to replace Intuitive's laser landing system with NASA's Navigation Doppler Lidar; the landing accident; incorrect reports; EagleCam; fuel tank gauge; and future prospects. (Inserts courtesy IM, NASA)

On The Space Show for Wednesday, 21 February 2024:

Odysseus on its way to the Moon

The plan for Intuitive Machine's Nova-C “Odysseus” IM-1 mission to Malapert A near the lunar South Pole; the launch and commissioning of the lunar lander; and a reminder that the lunar South Pole is at the TOP of the Moon, as seen from the southern hemisphere. (Inserts courtesy IM, NASA)

Planet Earth: Season 5 — Episode 59

Season Five of our Planet Earth series begins with a detailed explanation of the just launched PACE (Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud Ocean Ecosystem) satellite; the PACE Fanfare; how the 2019-20 Australian bushfires caused a bloom of plankton in the Pacific Ocean; and the possible effect of mega-constellations of Internet satellites on the Earth's magnetic field. (Inserts courtesy NASA, GSFC)

On The Space Show for Wednesday, 14 February 2024:

Dr Joe Kerwin, Skylab 2 Physician-Astronaut

The conclusion of our conversation with Joe Kerwin to mark the 50th anniversary of the end of the Skylab 4 mission. (Interview by Peter Aylward)

Apollo 7 astronaut Walter Cunningham reflects on the legacy of the Skylab program. (Audio insert courtesy NASA)

Modern day in-space duration records set to tumble.

On The Space Show for Wednesday, 7 February 2024:

XPoSat:

India's X-ray Polarimeter Satellite was launched on New Year's day 2024. (Audio inserts courtesy ISRO)

Peregrine 1 Mission summary:

John Thornton (CEO, Astrobotic, Pittsburgh) explains what happened to the Peregrine 1 spacecraft. (Courtesy Astrobotic)

Celestis Memorial — Tranquility Flight:

Human remains were aboard the Centaur stage of the Vulcan rocket and the ill-fated Peregrine 1 lunar lander.

Dr Joe Kerwin, Skylab 2 Physician-Astronaut:

The Space Association of Australia in conversation with Joe Kerwin to mark the 50th anniversary of the splashdown of the 84 day Skylab 4 mission. (Interview by Peter Aylward)

On The Space Show for Wednesday, 31 January 2024:

The demise of Ingenuity:

Marking the end of the Ingenuity Mars helicopter, comments by Bill Nelson (NASA Administrator); media teleconference briefing and Q&A. (Inserts courtesy NASA)

SLIM awake again:

After taking a tumble, SLIM is awake again. A full report from JAXA on what happened to SLIM.

Celestis Memorial Flights:

Human remains were aboard the Centaur stage of the Vulcan rocket that launched the ill-fated Peregrine 1 mission towards the Moon.