This Week in Space (Audio)
Episodes
TWiS 212: Kabooms, Starship, and a Moon Base - What New Glenn's Explosion Means for NASA's Moon Base
29 May 2026
Contributed by Lukas
What a wild week in space news! We were all set to discuss Starship Test Flight 12 and NASA's recent press conference updating their lunar base plans...
TWiS 211: Oysters in Space - With Jacob Scoccimerra of Monolith Space
22 May 2026
Contributed by Lukas
When one ponders the diet of Mars-bound astonauts, oysters don't often come to mind... but they should. As it turns out, the plucky bivalves have muc...
TWiS 210: ESCAPADES at Mars - Dr. Robert Lillis of the Mars ESCAPADE Mission
15 May 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Poor Mars. After a warm, wet childhood, the planet dried out and became cold and arid. And why? Mostly because it lost most of its atmosphere, scrape...
TWiS 209: Astronauts for America - The Best of the Best Speak Out
08 May 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Many of us grew up idolizing astronauts as the best of the best that America—and other nations—have to offer. After leaving NASA, many of them go...
TWiS 208: Lander, Lander, Who's Got a Lander - Will SpaceX or Blue Origin Touch Down First?
01 May 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Lander, lander... who's got a lander? With NASA planning orbital tests of the Artemis landers in 2027 and a crewed landing in 2028, the pressure is o...
TWiS 207: What, This Again? - Attempted Cuts to the NASA Budget
24 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
As you have doubtless heard, the White House has once again proposed drastic budget cuts of about 24% for NASA's 2027 budget. It's deja vu all over a...
TWiS 206: I Want to Believe - When We Meet the Aliens
17 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
What happens next when science can confidently announce the discovery of an alien life form? Whether it's a fully functioning civilization or a lowly...
TWiS 205: All About Artemis - The Brilliance of Artemis 2
10 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
This week's episode is devoted to the flight of Artemis 2. From the spectacular, on-time launch to the lunar flyby to reentry preparation, we chart a...
TWiS 204: A New NASA - Artemis 2 Firsthand, and Isaacman Shakes up NASA!
03 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
We've seen NASA go through a lot of drama this year, and recently, some remarkable changes have been announced under the new administrator, Jared Isa...
TWiS 204: A New NASA - Artemis 2 Firsthand, and Isaacman Shakes up NASA!
03 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
We've seen NASA go through a lot of drama this year, and recently, some remarkable changes have been announced under the new administrator, Jared Isa...
TWiS 203: China Rising - With Dr. Namrata Goswami
27 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Many suggest there is a new space race afoot, this time between the US and China. We've also know that America seems to be at its best in innovation ...
TWiS 202: Artemis Imminent - Artemis II Back on the Pad!
20 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
We've waited, and we've waited, and it looks like Artemis 2 might be ready to go in early April! It's moved back to the launch pad, LC-39B, and will ...
TWiS 201: Born to Explore - With Jay Gallentine
13 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
When most people think about deep space exploration, management acumen is generally not the first thing they settle on—but without it, no robotic m...
TWiS 200: Our 200th Episode Listener Special! - We're Talking to You!
06 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
It's our 200th episode, our annual listener special! We took your comments, suggestions, advice, and insults and wove them into a rollicking, fun-fil...
TWiS 199: The Obsolete Astronaut? - And a New Report on Crewed Mars Missions
27 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
In this age of rapidly advancing AI and robotic technology, do we still need to send humans into space? The argument has long been that people can do...
TWiS 198: A Dragonfly on Titan - Inside the Dragonfly Mission
20 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
One of the most exciting missions to ever journey to the outer solar system has the be the Dragonfly multi-rotor helicopter that will head to Saturn'...
TWiS 197: Inside UNOOSA - The UN and Space
13 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Most people don't think of spaceflight when talking about the United Nations, but the UN, through its Office of Outer Space Affairs, or UNOOSA, has b...
TWiS 196: Becoming Martian! - How Will Human Beings Evolve on Mars?
06 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
It is widely accepted that over time, humanity will need to expand its presence into the solar system. What are the challenges? Well, space and our n...
TWiS 195: Remembering Apollo 1, Challenger, and Columbia - NASA's Week of Remembrance with Gerry Griffin
30 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
This month marks a bitter annual anniversary for NASA. On February 1, 1967, the crew of Apollo 1 was killed in a horrific fire on the pad in Florida....
TWiS 194: COPs in Space! - Is the Outer Space Treaty Ready for the New Space Race?
23 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
The Outer Space Treaty of 1967, which was intended to regulate activities in space, is hard to enforce and woefully out of date. New nations and priv...
TWiS 193: A History of Tomorrow - A Conversation with Former NASA Chief Historian, Dr. Roger Launius
17 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
NASA's history is a long and fascinating story, and we decided we'd invite former NASA Chief Historian Dr. Roger Launius onto the show to tell us abo...
TWiS 192: Space, 2026! - What's Coming in Spaceflight This Year
09 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
2026 promises to be the most exciting year in the new space age yet! Shining bright is the prospect of an Artemis II launch to send astronauts around...
TWiS 191: Mars Throwback - The Pioneering Work of Dr. Robert Zubrin
28 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
One of our favorite interviews of 2025 was with Dr. Robert Zubrin, founder of the Mars Society and the mind behind Mars Direct, a streamlined approac...
TWiS 190: Holiday Special 2025 - A Look Back at 2025 in Space!
19 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
It's our annual holiday special for 2025, in which we look back at the pst year in space—its ups, its downs, its all-arounds. What a year it's been...
TWiS 189: Privatizing Orbit - The Pioneering Work of Jeffrey Manber
12 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This week, we talk with our favorite Newspace Buccaneer, Jeffrey Manber. When so many people were touting their private spaceflight dreams in the 198...
TWiS 188: A New NASA Leader Rises? - Trump's NASA Chief Pick Jared Isaacman Meets Congress Again
05 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Jared Isaacman, the billionaire entrepreneur, philanthropist, and private astronaut, took on Capitol Hill this week in his second confirmation hearin...
TWiS 187: An Inspired Enterprise - A History of Star Trek with Glen Swanson
21 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Were you inspired by "Star Trek" (or one of its innumerable spinoffs) as a young person? We know we were, so it was a pleasure to invite Glen Swanson...
TWiS 186: Snow on the Moon? - With Dr. Jim Green, Former NASA Chief Scientist
14 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Snow on the moon? Yes, though not recently... but maybe billions of years ago. Recent discoveries indicate that the early moon, orbiting just 20,000 ...
TWiS 185: Gutting Goddard - Dismantling a NASA Center
07 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
As you may or may not know, NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center is in the administration's crosshairs. With cuts to their budget and staffing beginnin...
TWiS 184: Space is Scary! - Halloween Movies About Space
31 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This week we look at why space can be scary with a survey of some of the best (and some of the most laughable) movies about critters from outer space...
TWiS 183: Lunar Lander Wanted! Apply Within - Artemis III Contract Opening Up?
24 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Lander, lander, who's got the lander? Last week, acting NASA Administrator Sean Duffy announced that the agency would be re-opening the contract for ...
TWiS 182: The Dream is Alive - With NASA Astronaut Terry Hart
17 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
If you ever saw the IMAX spectacular, "The Dream is Alive," you've seen astronaut Terry Hart in action, capturing the Solar Max satellite with the sh...
TWiS 181: World Space Week - A UN-Established Global Celebration of Space
10 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
World Space Week is a global celebration of all things space, bringing together thousands of participants from all over the planet to celebrate our f...
TWiS 180: NASA is Closed for Business - And Other Top Space Stories
03 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This week we cover the headlines, from the shutdown of NASA, to the risky dismantling of the space shuttle Discovery (because Texas insists), to a ro...
TWiS 179: The New Crew of Artemis II - Who Will Fly to the Moon in 2026?
26 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
It's almost time for Artemis II to fly to the moon! We got together with Space.com writer Josh Dinner, who joined our own Tariq to attend the "astro ...
TWiS 178: Tell It to the Mountain - Astronaut and Senate Hopeful Terry Virts Says NASA Needs a Major Rethink
19 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
There's a very elite club in astronaut circles, one in which former astronauts go on to political careers. The most elite are senators, and so far, J...