This Week in Space (Audio)

In the 1980s, as the US space shuttle was just starting operations, the UK embarked on an ambitious project called HOTOL—short for Horizontal Take Off and Landing, a radical, air-breathing spaceplane design. Poilitical and funding shifts in the UK ultimately derailed the project, despite the promising technologies it pioneered. The idea was later restarted as Skylon, with key individuals and refined technologies at its core. This project, too, struggled, ultimately shuttering in 2024. Despite this, the promise of rapid, reusable spaceplanes that can launch and land at airports is still coveted by many cointries, and efforts continue. Join Rob Coppinger, author of the definitive book on the topic and editor of the UK's "Spaceflight" magazine, as he tells this fasincating story. Headlines: New Crater Discovered on the Moon Boeing Starliner Gains New Life with NASA Support Starship Flight 14 Gears Up for Launch Main Topic: British Spaceplanes – HOTOL and Skylon Rob Coppinger Shares Inspiration and Career Path Origins and Vision Behind HOTOL HOTOL vs. the Space Shuttle: Concepts and Challenges Funding Issues and UK Government Decisions Evolution from HOTOL to Skylon and Reaction Engines Technological Innovations: SABRE Engine and Reusability International Context: Other Spaceplane Projects Current Status and Future Prospects for UK Spaceplanes Lessons in Vision, Imagination, and Persisting with Big Ideas Hosts: Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik Guest: Rob Coppinger 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: trustedtech.team/twit

Hold onto your phasers, but it's been 60 years since Star Trek's debut, and the franchise is still going strong. For 40 of those years, Mike Okuda, working with a gifted team that included his wife Denise, has been central to the look, feel, and substance of the Star Trek universe. From the LCARS computer graphical system to alien languages to the designs and color schemes, and even the digital effects remastering of the original series, Mike has been the Cardinal of Canon when it comes to all things Trek. He has also been involved with many more space-related shows, books, and NASA projects. Join us for this very special episode. Headlines: China Announces 2028 Mars Sample Return Mission U.S. Space Command Conducts First Orbital Dogfighting Test Reflections on the 25th Anniversary of 9/11 from Space Main Topic: Star Trek at 60—Legacy, Design, and Influence with Mike Okuda Mike Okuda's Entry into Star Trek and Early Influences Defining Star Trek's Visual Identity Across Series Designing Control Panels and the Origin of LCARS Maintaining Continuity and Hidden Easter Eggs in Star Trek Sets Expanding the Design Language for Alien Cultures Collaboration on For All Mankind and Space/NASA Projects Challenges and Philosophy Behind Remastering The Original Series Favorite Episodes, Iconic Sets, and Preserving Star Trek Props The Enduring Core Message and Legacy of the Star Trek Franchise Hosts: Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik Guest: Michael Okuda 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

Capitalism—and a strong profit motivation—has driven enterprise for centuries. Two notable examples are the East India Company and the US transcontinental railroad, and the various tycoons who built it. In neither case, by today's standards, were the operations fair or ethical on a number of fronts. Can we do better in space? Dr. Rainer Zitelmann joins us to discuss capitalism and the importance of extraterrestrial land ownership as an enabler of human expansion off-Earth. He's got a lot to say, and not all of it is what you might expect. Join us for this fascinating and informative look at one business case for newspace. Headlines: • NASA's Roman Space Telescope Launches to Explore Cosmic Mysteries • SpaceX Falcon Heavy Returns to Action for Major NASA Mission • Blue Origin Selected to Build Mars Communications Relay for NASA • Japan and Europe's BepiColombo Mission Arrives at Mercury Main Topic: Who Owns the Moon? — Capitalism in Space With Dr. Rainer Zitelmann • Dr. Zitelmann Explains Market Forces Transforming the Space Industry • Historical Parallels Between Economic Reforms and the Privatization of Space • The Outer Space Treaty and Legal Uncertainty Around Private Ownership Off-Earth • Potential for Stock Markets and REITs for Off-World Real Estate and Resources • China's Rapid Advancement in Private Space and Market-Driven Innovation • Safety Zones, Artemis Accords, and the Limits of Current Legal Frameworks • First-Mover Advantage: How Initial Claims Might Play Out on the Moon and Mars • Equity, Envy, and Ethical Debates Over Colonization and Space Ownership • The Role of Commercial Incentive Versus Public Benefit in Expanding Humanity's Reach Get "New Space Capitalism" (Amazon Affiliate Link): https://amzn.to/4xEeGID Hosts: Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik Guest: Dr. Rainer Zitelmann 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: outsystems.com/twit helixsleep.com/space

The mitigation of orbital debris is an increasingly serious problem that has not gotten enough attention, but this is changing. Commercial companies are addressing orbital debris, and one of them, KMI Space, has flown its experiments aboard the International Space Station, performing over 170 individual rendezvous-and-grab operations. The results are very promising, and the company is moving ahead with ever more ambitious designs. Adam Kall of KMI joins us to discuss their work on the ISS, the goals of the company, and how nature—via the humble octopus and gecko lizards—may have provided the answers for this vexing problem. Headlines: SpaceX to Build Major Starbase Louisiana with Ambitious Launch Plans Falcon 9 Retirement Looms as Starship Prepares to Take Over Recovery and Future of Starship Flight 13 Discussed Roman Space Telescope Launch Previewed Lunar Eclipse Recap and Next Major Eclipse Forecast Trump Announces New US Space Academy Main Topic: KMI Space's REACH Technology and In-Orbit Relocation KMI Space's Origin Story and Path to the Space Industry The REACCH Gripper: Gecko and Octopus-Inspired Robotic Arms How REACCH Grips and Moves Tumbling Satellites and Debris Real-World ISS Demonstrations and Operational Challenges Pivot from Debris Removal to Satellite Relocation as a Service Business Model: Transparent Pricing and Customer Targeting Future Vision: In-Orbit Collection, Refueling, and Recycling Stations National Security Implications and Force-Appropriate Applications Technical Details: Materials, Propulsion, and Size Consideration Hosts: Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik Guest: Adam Kall 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

It has been said that the Moon is a harsh mistress, and nowhere is this more apparent than at the lunar south pole. That is, however, where the Artemis program is headed, and we need to figure out how to best explore the region. Dr. David Kring of the Universities Space Research Association's Lunar and Planetary Institute joins us to explore the where, whys, and hows of the Artemis Program's lunar exploration plans, and the answers--and risks--that await us. Headlines: Starship Flight 12 Survives Indian Ocean Landing nd Long Sea Journey China's Chang'e 7 Lunar Hopper Mission Targets Permanently Shadowed Terrain US National Space Transportation Policy Aims for 1,000 Launches Per Year by 2030 Main Topic: The Science and Planning of the Artemis Lunar Program Criteria and Studies for Selecting Artemis Landing Sites South Pole Resource Advantages: Continuous Solar Power and Potential Volatiles Scientific Promise of the Schrödinger Impact Basin vs. South Pole Mandate The Value of Lunar Sample Return for Transformational Science Unique Terrain and Operational Challenges of the Lunar South Polar Region Training, Mobility, and the Role of Human Exploration versus Robotics Impact Cratering's Role in Life's Origins and Earth's Early History Considerations for Lunar Base Location and Hazards Training Programs for Scientists and Astronauts Preparing for Artemis Host: Rod Pyle Co-Host: Fredrick (Rick) Jenet Guest: Dr. David Kring 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