As part of the lead up to the Apollo11 moon landing 50th anniversary, I want to start by sharing a part of one of JFK's most famous space speeches and moments. In Orbital News, we review the night launch of the third Falcon Heavy mission (STP-2) and give some reusability stats. We also discuss one of the payloads on board from the Planetary Society, as well as a follow-up of the MakeItRain mission from Rocket Lab.

I wish you a happy Independence Day! Enjoy the week. As this is one of my favorite holidays, I share my thoughts on what independence means to me this year. I can't believe I've done it for each year of the podcast. It's wild! (links are below)

Don’t forget you can get a free audiobook and trial by going to audibletrial.com/todayinspace.

Get a free quote on your next 3D printing project with us at AG3D Printing, my idea workshop where we can bring your ideas into reality leveraging 3D printing and Design services. Check us out on instagram to see what cool stuff we are making right now @ag3dprinting.

Follow the podcast @todayinspacepod on twitter and instagram, @todayinspacepodcast on facebook and don’t forget to subscribe to us if you haven’t already on Apple podcasts, Youtube and now Spotify! FINALLY! And finally, make sure to contact us and let us know what you want us to cover on this podcast of all things space science. Reach out to us on social media, email [email protected], or in the comments below.

Until next week - be good, spread love, and spread science! Here’s to a fantastic future!

Happy Independence Day!

https://www.rocketlabusa.com/missions/completed-missions/make-it-rain/

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.teslarati.com/spacex-flight-proven-falcon-heavy-block-5-launch-photos/amp/

https://er.jsc.nasa.gov/seh/ricetalk.htm

Chasing the Moon - by Robert Stone and Alan Andres

https://amzn.to/2XjOqGE. You can get the audiobook for free on audible with a free trial by going to audibletrial.com/todayinspace

Apollo’s Legacy - by Roger D. Launius

https://amzn.to/2LxmJ5U

President JFK’s “We Choose to Go to the Moon” speech at Rice University (Youtube)

https://youtu.be/ouRbkBAOGEw

Today In Space episodes related to Light Sail http://www.todayinspace.net/search?q=lightsail

Today In Space episodes related to Independence

http://www.todayinspace.net/search?q=independence

Images from SpaceX STP-2 mission (SpaceX Official Flickr) https://www.flickr.com/search/?user_id=130608600%40N05&view_all=1&text=STP-2