February 21, 2025

TWiS 149: SpaceX, Moon Missions, and Killer Asteroids? - 2024 YR4, ISS Deorbiting, and NASA Budget Cuts

1 hour 10 minutes

In this episode of This Week in Space, hosts Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik discuss the latest space news, including a potentially hazardous asteroid, SpaceX's plans to launch and land in the Bahamas, and the ongoing debate surrounding the retirement of the International Space Station. They also touch on NASA's budget cuts, the search for extraterrestrial life, and the development of new radiation protection technology for deep space missions.

Asteroid 2024 YR4: While initially considered a potential threat, the chances of this asteroid impacting Earth have significantly decreased as more data has been collected. Rod and Tariq discuss the changing odds and the importance of tracking near-Earth objects.

NASA budget cuts: The hosts discuss the proposed 20% budget cut for the James Webb Space Telescope and its potential impact on the groundbreaking observatory's operations and scientific output.

Firefly Aerospace's Blue Ghost Moon lander: Launched weeks ago, the lander is now in lunar orbit and scheduled to land on or about March 2nd, carrying 10 experiments to Mare Crisium. With several other lunar missions on the horizon, including those from Intuitive Machines and Japan's iSpace, the hosts discuss the exciting developments in the new lunar exploration era.

SpaceX in the Bahamas: Elon Musk's company is in talks with the Bahamian government about launching and landing rights. The hosts speculate on the reasons behind this move and its potential implications for future missions.

The retirement of the ISS: Elon Musk suggests de-orbiting the station as soon as possible and to press on to Mars, while others argue for maintaining it until suitable replacements are ready.

"Stranded" astronauts controversy: The hosts address the recent claims that astronauts Sunny Williams and Butch Wilmore were "stranded" or "abandoned" on the ISS due to political motives. They clarify the situation and express their disappointment with the misleading narrative.

Radiation shielding technology: The development of 3D-printed hydrogels offers a promising solution for protecting astronauts from harmful radiation during deep space missions. The hosts explore the potential applications and benefits of this innovative technology.

Search for Extraterrestrial Life: The COSMIC project, working with the Very Large Array telescope, has been using advanced computer processing to seek out focused radio transmissions that might indicate the presence of alien civilizations. While no signals of interest have been found yet, the search continues, and the project serves as a valuable educational tool for aspiring radio astronomers.

NASA workforce reduction: While NASA has not yet implemented the anticipated workforce reduction, the hosts discuss the potential impact of such cuts on the agency's future and the importance of maintaining a skilled workforce in the face of increasing competition from China.

Hosts: Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik

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