This Week in Space (Video)

In our ongoing quest to develop a moon base, could we possibly utilize the area beneath the surface of the moon in order to make the moon habitable? In this episode of This Week in Space, Tariq Malik and guest host Mike Wall of Space.com talk with Than Putzig of the Planetary Science Institute about a NASA-backed payload bound for the Marius Hills Pit, a roughly 50-meter-wide opening that may lead into a lunar lava tube to gather more data about these formations on the Moon and the possibility of these lunar caves becoming the Moon's first living habitats for humans. Putzig explains how geophysical instruments on a rover could detect hidden voids beneath the surface and measure the size of these lava tubes. We also ask Than how these lava tubes form, what a follow-up robotic explorer could reveal, and how this research fits alongside NASA's Artemis plans for a south polar moon base. Join us! Headlines: Clear Images Emerge of China's Secretive Shenzhou Space Plane Virgin Galactic Unveils New Delta Class Spaceplane for Tourism Remembering Star Trek Legends Walter Koenig and Sir Patrick Stewart Main Topic: Exploring Lunar Caves and the Gimli Mission Introduction to Lunar Caves, Pits, and the Quest for Lava Tubes NASA's Gimli Mission and Selection to Explore Marius Hills Pit Science Goals: Detecting and Mapping Lunar Lava Tubes for Potential Habitats Details on Geophysical Instruments and Survey Techniques Potential Benefits of Lava Tubes for Lunar Habitat Planning Technical and Logistical Challenges for Accessing and Using Lunar Lava Tubes Parallels with Lava Tubes on Mars and Planetary Science Collaboration Building Teams and Proposals at the Planetary Science Institute Future Steps for the Gimli Mission and Outreach Efforts Host: Tariq Malik Co-Host: Mike Wall Guest: Than Putzig Download or subscribe to This Week in Space at https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-space. Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free audio and video feeds, a members-only Discord, and exclusive content. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit

Newspace is hiring! With the major powers heading to the moon, low-Earth orbit becoming busier than ever, and countless new companies entering the space marketplace, the hiring pipeline is more critical than ever. We spoke with Dr. Amanda Smith-Hackler, the Director of Education for the Universities Space Research Association and Principal Investigator for the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) Scholars and STEM Workforce Development Programs, about the new and exciting opportunities available to young people seeking to enter the space workforce. Host: Tariq Malik Co-Host: Fredrick (Rick) Jenet Guest: Dr. Amanda Smith-Hackler Download or subscribe to This Week in Space at https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-space. Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free audio and video feeds, a members-only Discord, and exclusive content. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit

In this week's episode we turned to Chelsea Gohd, former writer for NASA/JPL and now with Space.com, to talk about the recent large data dump from the Artemis II mission. What was included? Why is this new data important? What observations were made, and what discoveries might result from them? What kind of annotations and notes did the astronauts include that make these observations uniquely valuable? And finally, we talk about Artemis III - what is the mission profile and what are the stakes for SpaceX and Blue Origin? Headlines: SpaceX Seeks Approval for 450 Starship Launches Per Year Flying Tesla Roadster Demo Features SpaceX Thrusters and Suction Fan Astronomers Spot Possible First Green Star – the Cosmic Zombie Perseverance Rover Breaks Martian Distance Record Main Topic: Artemis II Mission Data Dump and Lunar Science NASA Releases 800GB of Artemis II Lunar Mission Data Science, Images, Audio, and Annotations Collected by Astronauts Crew's Training to Make Detailed Lunar Observations Importance of Human Eyes on the Moon Versus Remote Sensing Astronauts Witness Spectacular Impact Flashes on Lunar Surface Firsthand Descriptions of Moon's Subtle Colors and Terrain Insights Into Crew Experience and Data Collection Process Astronauts' Career Moves Following Artemis II Mission Artemis III Plans: Docking, Landers, and Science Objectives Challenges Facing SpaceX Starship and Blue Origin Blue Moon Lander The Role and Status of New Axiom-Prada EVA/Mobility Suits for Artemis III Reflections on Historical and Current Lunar Exploration Approaches Hosts: Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik Guest: Chelsea Gohd Download or subscribe to This Week in Space at https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-space. Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free audio and video feeds, a members-only Discord, and exclusive content. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsor: coveron.com/thisweekinspace and use code thisweekinspace

From the earliest works of Jules Verne and H.G. Wells to the best of contemporary space science fiction, Tariq and I dive deep into our favorite space si-fi across the ages! And our challenge to you for some of the most obscure titles we know. Headlines: Remembering Apollo Era Legends Margaret Hamilton and Milt Windler Soviet Meteor 27 Satellite Breaks Up, Raising Space Debris Concerns Elon Musk Receives National Science Award Amid NASA Science Cuts Main Topic: Space Science Fiction Books and Media Influential Childhood Sci-Fi Classics and Lesser-Known Gems H.G. Wells, Ray Bradbury, and the Enduring Power of Classic Novels Comic Books as Gateway to Space Narratives, from Star Trek to Modern Series Golden Age Science Fiction: Venus Sagas, Heinlein, and Asimov Modern Standouts: The Expanse, Jack McDevitt, Martha Wells, and Ann Leckie Women in Sci-Fi: Hidden Voices and Impactful Authors Sci-Fi Landmarks: War of the Worlds' Grover's Mill Monument and Other Cultural Footprints Hosts: Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik Download or subscribe to This Week in Space at https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-space. Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free audio and video feeds, a members-only Discord, and exclusive content. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: coveron.com/thisweekinspace and use code thisweekinspace threatlocker.com/twit

Think you're having a hot summer? Try living on 55 Cancri-e, a super-Earth with daytime temperatures above 4000 degrees Fahrenheit. Most of these super-Earths orbit frighteningly close to their host stars and have long since had their atmospheres scraped away, leaving them baked, parched rocks. But some, like 55 Cancri, still have dense envelopes of air. How is that possible, when the planet is 20 times closer to its star than our own planet Mercury? Dr. Laura Schaefer explains how molten lava worlds defy the odds. Plus: Starship update, the first orbital data centers, and a new year on Mars. Headlines: SpaceX's Starship Achieves First Full Orbital Flight With Satellite Deployments Google and Planet Labs Launch AI Data Center Satellite Multiple SpaceX Launches Within Hours Mark a New Operational Standard Cowboy Space Debuts Power-Beaming AI Data Center in Orbit Mars Celebrates a New Year on Its Extended Journey Around the Sun NASA Anniversary and Notable Space Birthdays Noted Main Topic: Living on Lava Worlds—Atmospheres, Extreme Planets, and the Search for Life Early Exoplanet Detection Methods and Evolution of Exoplanet Surveys Cosmic Shoreline Concept: How Gravity and Stellar Radiation Shape Planetary Atmospheres Airless Valleys, Sandbars, and Other New Categories for Rocky Exoplanets Permanent Magma Oceans: Why Some Lava-covered Worlds Retain Atmospheres Volatiles, Atmosphere Loss, and The Soda-Bottle Effect on Hot Exoplanets Sandbar Regime: Superheated Planets Keep Atmospheres Longer Than Expected Case Study: 55 Cancri e and the Myth of the Diamond Planet K2-18b: Possibilities of a Water World or Another Magma-Lava Hybrid Redefining Goldilocks Zones With Atmospheric Survival Factors Tidal Heating, Volcanism, and Dynamics Shaping Exoplanet Atmospheres Future Directions: Webb Telescope, Habitable Worlds Observatory, and Prospects for Imaging True "Earths" Hosts: Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik Guest: Dr. Laura Schaefer Download or subscribe to This Week in Space at https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-space. Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free audio and video feeds, a members-only Discord, and exclusive content. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: helixsleep.com/space coveron.com/thisweekinspace and use code thisweekinspace