Leonard David, the Godfather of space reporting, discusses how NASA has finally been charged with lending their considerable expertise in the quest to understand what exactly UFOs (now called UAPs) might be all about. Are they extraterrestrial visitors? Earthly foreign agents? Swamp gas (no, we don't buy that one either)? Join us as we dive deep into the possibility of extraterrestrial emissaries.

Image source: Department of Defense

Hosts: Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik

Guest: Leonard David

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In 1994, author Andy Chaikin published a groundbreaking book about the Apollo program called A Man on the Moon. It became an instant bestseller and continues to move briskly. What was so special? It was the first comprehensive look at the Apollo program as told by the astronauts to a writer who could weave a dynamic, compelling narrative. We talk to Andy about this amazing book, his other works, and what the future holds for space books.

Hosts: Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik

Guest: Andy Chaikin

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23 years ago, Mars scientist Pascal Lee started building his Haughton-Mars Project outpost on Devon Island in the high Arctic to research Mars exploration and mobility systems. Working with NASA and the SETI Intsitute, he's been at it ever since, and in August, was joined by Rod on his first visit to the base since 2019. It was a dry, cold, and dusty time... and as much fun as a team of scientists should be allowed to have.

Image credit: NASA/Mars Institute/Haughton-Mars Project

Hosts: Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik

Guest: Pascal Lee

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The Coordination Lead for the DART mission, Nancy Chabot, joins us from the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Lab. With the DART asteroid impactor's recent success, we decided it was time to get the lowdown on what happened to Dimoprhos, whether it's a heap of rubble or a solid rock, and what's up next in the defense of Earth... with nary a space cowboy in sight.

Image credit: NASA/Johns Hopkins APL

Hosts: Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik

Guest: Nancy Chabot

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In the spirit of Chesley Bonestell and Robert McCall, James Vaughan went from being an A-list fashion photographer and advertising art director in Chicago to establishing himself as one of the premiere space and aerospace illustrators of our time. How do you make that kind of transition? How do you break into commercial space art? What special benefits does an advertising and marketing background bring to this kind of work? Join Rod and Tariq as they explore the history and practice of aerospace artwork on this episode of This Week in Space.

Image credit: James Vaughan

Hosts: Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik

Guest: James Vaughan

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If ever there was a captain of newspace, it's Steve Jurvetson. From rescuing SpaceX in their darkest hour, to investing in many of the most successful space startups, Steve has been there—and seemingly, everywhere—since the beginning of the new space age. Graduating Stanford with a degree in electrical engineering in just over two years, he's perenially one of the smartest guys in the room, and is a true space visionary. Join us for this wide-ranging discussion on the state of newspace, how the new space age will be built on private enterprise and private investment, public-private partnerships in spaceflight, and the magnificent future of spaceflight.

Hosts: Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik

Guest: Steve Jurvetson

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Engineer and visionary Jeff Greason joins us to discuss why humanity must continue to explore and develop space. We then segue to what kinds of outposts we may choose to build on other worlds, how we will get there, and how entrepreneurs and nations might benefit and even make a profit. Finally, we look at our future as an interplanetary species, expanding to other star systems. Join us for this very special conversation!

Hosts: Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik

Guest: Jeff Greason

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This week, Ralph Lorenz, the Mission Architect for the Dragonfly mission to explore Saturn's moon Titan, joins us to discuss this amazing mission to explore another world... from the air! To date, only one small probe has landed on Titan and only worked for a couple of hours. The Dragonfly quadcopter will explore the moon from the air, exploring its endless dunes and vast seas. Join us!

Hosts: Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik

Guest: Ralph Lorenz

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Mike Hecht is the main man behind the MOXIE oxygen-making experiment on the Perseverance rover. Mars won't be much fun to explore if we can't find a way to breathe there, and we'll need fuel to come home. MOXIE was designed to make oxygen from Martian air... and it works! We'll learn how on this episode of This Week in Space.

Image credit: NASA

Hosts: Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik

Guest: Michael Hecht

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The future is here! Regular citizens are starting to fly into space, and we caught up with Dylan Taylor, serial entrepreneur, president and CEO of space exploration firm Voyager Space, and most recently, private astronaut. Shortly after his flight on Blue Origin's New Shepard, he dove to the Titanic and the bottom of the Challenger Deep. Oh, and his company is building their own space station! Join us for the amazing armchair adventure with one of the newspace doers, Dylan Taylor.

Host: Rod Pyle

Co-Host: Geoffrey Notkin

Guest: Dylan Taylor

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