For decades, all the planets of the solar system had been reconnoitered—except Pluto. That last planetary body had been seen, at best, as just a faint smudge by the Hubble Space Telescope. Then, in 2015, the New Horizons spacecraft sped by Pluto, sending back a swath of exciting images and science data, transforming our view of the planet. It subsequently visited the Kuiper Belt object Arrakoth and may rendezvous with another, more distant body—or not. NASA's new budget seems to spell the end of active science for New Horizons, something that does not sit well with the program's Principal Investigator, Dr. Alan Stern. Join Alan as he speaks with us about this very exciting project and what it may take to keep it alive.

Hosts: Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik

Guest: Alan Stern

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Not all asteroids are created equal, and 16 Psyche, one of the largest, is extremely dense in metals, making it unique. Is the 140-mile giant the leftover core of a failed planet, or a more recent gravitational accretion of metal-rich bodies? Will it help us to understand how metallic cores—like Earth's—form and function? NASA's sending a spacecraft, also called Pysche, to find out. The mission is led by Dr. Lindy Elkins-Tanton, who joins Rod and bestselling author Daniel Suarez to explain what makes Psyche—both the asteroid and the mission—so fascinating.

Host: Rod Pyle

Guests: Daniel Suarez and Lindy Elkins-Tanton

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Some communities in the US are poised for exponential expansion into the newspace economy, and Brownsville, Texas, is one of the key spots. Rick Jenet's nonprofit, Expanding Frontiers, is working to see that Brownsville becomes a key hub for space development. As the southernmost spot in the continental U.S., it is ideally situated for commercial space activity, launch, and control. Expanding Frontiers' many programs service students, veterans, aspiring space entrepreneurs, and women. It's a fantastic model for cultivating the newspace economy!

Host: Rod Pyle

Co-Host: Geoffrey Notkin

Guest: Fredrick (Rick) Jenet

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Space is just packed with scary stuff, including huge Earth-impacting asteroids and a swarming cloud of dangerous debris orbiting our planet. Meet Jonathan Dagle, USAF veteran, policy expert, chief politico for the National Space Society, and all-around policy wonk. He's got the scoop on planetary defense and the threat presented by orbital debris, so stick around to learn about the latest on what is--and what isn't--being done to address these dangers.

Host: Rod Pyle

Co-Host: Geoffrey Notkin

Guest: Jonathan Dagle

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We all long to belong to something bigger than ourselves... for some, it's a large family; for others, a workplace. But for us, the "Space Enlightened," it's our space tribe! The tribe might embrace Star Wars or Star Trek lore, or might be interested in ETs... but for many of us—perhaps the more technically or scientifically minded — it's one of the pro-space citizen's organizations out there that allow us to be intimately involved in the Big Adventure. Join us as we talk to Dale Skran of the National Space Society about the organization and their amazing yearly gathering, the International Space Development Conference.

Hosts: Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik

Guest: Dale Skran

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Geoffrey Notkin of Meteorite Men joins Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik on This Week in Space to discuss the latest space headlines including Asteroid Day, Ariane 5, and of course, Notkin's meteorite collection.

Hosts: Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik

Guest: Geoffrey Notkin

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The solar system is a dangerous place, with asteroids barreling between the planets and frequently skimming past Earth. Just one 50-foot rock, like the one that exploded over Chelyabinsk, Russia in 2013, could kill up to a million people! Dr. Ed Lu, former NASA astronaut, co-founder of the B612 Foundation, and head of the Asteroid Institute joins us to talk about finding the millions of potentially dangerous asteroids that are still uncharted and how we might avoid catastrophic encounters.

Hosts: Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik

Guest: Dr. Ed Lu

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We do love us some space conspiracies! This week, Tariq Malik and Rod Pyle discuss their favorites – from the classic "we never landed on the Moon" to the less-discussed hexagon on Saturn's north pole (we all know it's an alien greeting card, right?), they'll look at, discuss, and debunk the wackiest conspiracies ever... because, "the truth is out there!"

Hosts: Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik

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Space Ace Leonard David joins the conversation on This Week in Space. NASA has released preliminary results of their Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena report, and they are nearly the opposite of the DoD's previous report. NASA found very few incidents to be truly "unidentified," though this report was notably based solely on unclassified material and was in essence, a study-of-how-to-study UFO data... so we are left continuing to look to the skies.

Hosts: Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik

Guest: Leonard David

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Many of us would love an opportunity to fly into space, even if for just a few minutes. Dylan Taylor recognized this, and also the power of the Overview Effect to change people's perceptions about spaceflight and our world. He created the nonprofit Space For Humanity to select deserving people from around the world to fly aboard Blue Origin's New Shepard rocket, on which he has flown. The results have been impressive, and as these people return to their home states and countries, they become ambassadors for the final frontier. Join us as we speak to Rachel Lyons, Executive Director of Space For Humanity.

Hosts: Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik

Guest: Rachel Lyons

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