July 19, 2024

This Week in Space 120: Remembering Apollo 11 & Looking Ahead

1 hour 16 minutes

In this episode of This Week in Space, Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik dive into the 55th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing, discussing the mission's highlights, challenges, and historical significance. They also cover recent space news, including Elon Musk's plans to move SpaceX's headquarters to Texas, the Falcon 9 upper stage failure, and the cancellation of NASA's VIPER rover mission. Looking ahead, the hosts speculate on the future of the Artemis program and the political landscape's influence on space exploration.

Headlines:

- Elon Musk announces plans to move SpaceX's headquarters from California to Texas, citing disagreements with a new state law and his political alignment with Texas.

- SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket experiences an upper stage failure during a recent launch, leading to the loss of payload and an investigation by the FAA and NASA.

- NASA cancels its VIPER rover mission, which aimed to search for water ice at the Moon's south pole, due to budget constraints and scheduling issues with the Astrobotic Griffin lander.

- Lou Dobbs, the co-founder of Space.com, passes away at the age of 78.

Apollo 11 55th Anniversary:

- Rod Pyle shares his memories of watching the Apollo 11 launch and moon landing as a teenager, highlighting the limited media coverage and resources available at the time.

- The hosts discuss the tense moments during the lunar module's descent, including computer alarms, low fuel warnings, and Neil Armstrong's quick thinking to avoid a boulder field.

- They recount the challenges faced by the astronauts, such as the difficulty in opening the lunar module's hatch and Buzz Aldrin's ingenious use of a felt-tip pen to reset a broken circuit breaker.

- The hosts emphasize the significance of the Apollo 11 mission and argue for July 20th to be recognized as a national holiday.

Artemis Program and the Future of Space Exploration:

- Rod and Tariq express frustration with the slow progress of the Artemis program compared to the rapid pace of the Apollo missions.

- They discuss the potential impact of the upcoming U.S. presidential election on NASA's funding and priorities, particularly in light of the growing competition with China in space.

- The hosts highlight the challenges facing SpaceX's Starship as the chosen vehicle for the Artemis program's human landing system, including the need for further testing and the development of a 120-foot elevator to transport astronauts to the lunar surface.

- Tariq makes a bold prediction that NASA astronauts will be walking on the Moon by July 20th, 2029, and offers to give Rod his "STar Trek" chair if the prediction doesn't come to pass.

Hosts: Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik

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