All TWiT.tv Shows (Audio)

This Week in Space 164: Goodbye NASA?


Listen Later

What a wild week it's been for NASA. With drastic budget cuts looming—pending any action by Congress—then comes the sudden and unexpected pulling of Jared Isaacman for the role of NASA Administrator, with no replacement named. Then came the very public split between President Trump and Elon Musk, and a flurry of furious Twitter/X and Truth Social postings, aimed at each other with razor-sharp edges. And finally, the proposed and drastic cuts to NASA outreach and education budgets, slimming them to nearly nothing. These are strange and concerning times for America's space agency, a premier global brand and icon of peaceful American prowess. We turned to Casey Dreier, the Chief of Space Policy for The Planetary Society, who has been quite vocal in his concern, for context. These are critical times for spaceflight, so you won't want to miss this episode!

Headlines

  • Trump and Musk "Bromance" Ends: Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik discuss the public falling out between Donald Trump and Elon Musk, which included Trump's threats to cancel SpaceX contracts and Musk's counter-accusations regarding the Jeffrey Epstein files.
  • Commercial Crew Program and Boeing's Starliner: Tariq Malik highlights the critical role of SpaceX's Dragon in NASA's commercial crew program, especially given Boeing's Starliner delays, making NASA dependent on SpaceX for U.S. independent access to space.
  • Japanese ispace Lunar Lander Failure: Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik discuss the second failed attempt by the Japanese company ispace to land its Hakuto-R lunar lander on the moon, losing the European Space Agency's mini-rover, called Tenacious, in the process.
  • Speculation on SpaceX Nationalization: The hosts discuss online speculation, including from Steve Bannon, about the possibility of the U.S. government nationalizing SpaceX, and Elon Musk's subsequent de-escalation.
  • LAUNCH Act: Rod Pyle introduces the bipartisan LAUNCH Act, aimed at streamlining licensing for commercial space companies to encourage more rocket launches with faster approvals.
  • Senate Reconciliation Bill: Tariq Malik and Rod Pyle discuss Senator Ted Cruz's Senate reconciliation bill, which proposes to restore funding for the Space Launch System (SLS), increase NASA's budget by $10 billion, and fund Artemis 4 and 5, missions previously targeted for alternate architectures.
  • 60th Anniversary of First U.S. Spacewalk: The hosts commemorate Ed White's historic spacewalk during the Gemini 4 mission in 1965 and discuss anecdotes and lingering questions surrounding the event.
  • Definition of an Astronaut/Spacewalker Debate: Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik briefly touch on the ongoing debate about what defines an "astronaut" or "spacewalker," given varying definitions and commercial spaceflight.
  • Tribute to Marc Garneau: The hosts pay tribute to Marc Garneau, Canada's first astronaut, who passed away at 76, highlighting his career with the Canadian Space Agency and his later political career.
  • The Dark Age of NASA Science

    • The Planetary Society's Mission: Space policy expert Casey Dreier provides an overview of the Planetary Society, its founding by Carl Sagan, its independence from government and corporate funding, and its projects like the Lightsail 2.
    • Catastrophic NASA Budget Proposal: Casey Dreier
    • These show notes have been truncated due to length. For the full show notes, visit https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-space/episodes/164

      Hosts: Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik

      Guest: Casey Dreier

      ...more
      View all episodesView all episodes
      Download on the App Store

      All TWiT.tv Shows (Audio)By TWiT

      • 4.3
      • 4.3
      • 4.3
      • 4.3
      • 4.3

      4.3

      352 ratings


      More shows like All TWiT.tv Shows (Audio)

      View all
      Mac Geek Gab — Apple Tips, Tricks, and Troubleshooting by Dave Hamilton, Pilot Pete & Adam Christianson

      Mac Geek Gab — Apple Tips, Tricks, and Troubleshooting

      837 Listeners

      This Week in Tech (Audio) by TWiT

      This Week in Tech (Audio)

      3,063 Listeners

      Hands-On Tech (Audio) by TWiT

      Hands-On Tech (Audio)

      1,963 Listeners

      Security Now (Audio) by TWiT

      Security Now (Audio)

      2,006 Listeners

      MacBreak Weekly (Audio) by TWiT

      MacBreak Weekly (Audio)

      2,013 Listeners

      Windows Weekly (Audio) by TWiT

      Windows Weekly (Audio)

      887 Listeners

      Tech News Weekly (Audio) by TWiT

      Tech News Weekly (Audio)

      1,073 Listeners

      Intelligent Machines (Audio) by TWiT

      Intelligent Machines (Audio)

      780 Listeners

      Total Leo (Audio) by TWiT

      Total Leo (Audio)

      202 Listeners

      iOS Today (Audio) by TWiT

      iOS Today (Audio)

      553 Listeners

      Daily Tech News Show by Tom Merritt

      Daily Tech News Show

      1,395 Listeners

      TWiT News (Audio) by TWiT

      TWiT News (Audio)

      78 Listeners

      This Week in Tech (Video) by TWiT

      This Week in Tech (Video)

      274 Listeners

      MacBreak Weekly (Video) by TWiT

      MacBreak Weekly (Video)

      363 Listeners

      9to5Mac Happy Hour by 9to5Mac

      9to5Mac Happy Hour

      723 Listeners

      Rich On Tech by iHeartPodcasts

      Rich On Tech

      421 Listeners

      TWiT Throwback (Audio) by TWiT

      TWiT Throwback (Audio)

      4 Listeners

      TWiT Events (Audio) by TWiT

      TWiT Events (Audio)

      8 Listeners

      Total Mikah (Audio) by TWiT

      Total Mikah (Audio)

      3 Listeners

      The MacRumors Show by The MacRumors Show

      The MacRumors Show

      237 Listeners

      Untitled Linux Show (Audio) by TWiT

      Untitled Linux Show (Audio)

      1 Listeners

      Host-Read Ads (Audio) by TWiT

      Host-Read Ads (Audio)

      3 Listeners