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PODCAST

This Week in Space (Video)

The new space age is upon us, and This Week in Space leaves no topic untouched. Every Friday, join Editor-in-Chief of Ad Astra magazine, Rod Pyle and Managing Editor of Space.com, Tariq Malik as they explore everything related to the cosmos.You can join Club TWiT for $10 per month and get ad-free audio and video feeds for all our shows plus everything else the club offers...or get just this podcast ad-free for $5 per month. New episodes posted every Friday.

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All Episodes

1:00:25

TWiS 225: Get a Grip! - New Technologies for Orbital...

This Week in Space (Video) ·

2026/08/28

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

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1:05:04

TWiS 223: The Lunar Domain - Our Future on the Moon...

This Week in Space (Video) ·

2026/08/14

We're headed for a space renaissance, and it will be focused on the Moon. The US, China, and international partners of both are vying to land people there and construct a permanent lunar base. Meanwhile, NASA is evolving to embrace commercial enterprise unlike any time in its past, and American lunar efforts are lagging. What are the stakes? Does it matter who returns humans there first? What does the future of lunar commerce look like? Dr. Scott Pace, the Director of the Space Policy Institute at

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1:13:22

TWiS 219: SpaceX Goes to War! - And Other Space...

This Week in Space (Video) ·

2026/07/18

This week we're jumping into the space headlines for the past few weeks. It's been busy, and some exciting things are happening! A couple of companies are moving into the space solar power arena--something we've long advocated--and that's welcome progress. Starship is set to fly Starship test number 13, and a lot is riding on this--the system is overdue for some proof of concept to keep up with NASA's HLS contract. An exoplanet spotted a decade ago has shown signs of a potentially habitable

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1:10:52

TWiS 218: Which Way to the Moonbase? - With Dr....

This Week in Space (Video) ·

2026/07/10

We've been hearing a lot about NASA's new moonbase plans, and they are ambitious. Starting with Artemis V (so far), the US plans to begin preparations for a permanent base situated in the south polar regions of the moon. Details are somewhat fluid, but one thing stands out: the poles are likely to be the most challenging places to set up shop in an already hostile environment. Planetary scientist Dr. Pascal Lee joins us to discuss moonbase siting options and why the poles may not be the best choice

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1:18:05

TWiS 217: America in Space - 250 Years of Bold Firsts...

This Week in Space (Video) ·

2026/07/03

Since 1958, the United States has been part of the spaceflight adventure, and since the mid-1960s has led in just about any category that counts. In this episode, we discuss the progression of American space efforts, review which flights launched or landed on July 4, and relive some of our very favorite US space missions of all time! "Headlines: • NASA's Swift Boost Mission Aims to Rescue Swift Space Telescope • Astronomer Avi Loeb Tapped to Chair White House UAP Panel • Celebrating 30 Years of

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1:10:55

TWiS 216: Dark Matter Intelligence - With Physicist...

This Week in Space (Video) ·

2026/06/26

We've had endless conversations about aliens and first contact--but what if a conversation with other intelligences is beyond our scope? Dr. Daniel Whiteson, particle physicist at CERN's Large Hadron Collider and professor at UC Irvine, joins us to explore less conventional thoughts on first contact. We look at the challenges of communicating with extraterrestrial intelligences, potential difficulties of communicating via non-terrestrial mathematics and physics, and the possibility that

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1:09:08

TWiS 214: Moon Man - With Former NASA Administrator...

This Week in Space (Video) ·

2026/06/12

There are NASA Administrators, and then there are NASA Administrators—all are very accomplished individuals, but some stand out for their unique backgrounds and on-the-job successes, and Jim Bridenstine is one of the latter. Entering service as the new NASA Administrator in 2017 with a background as a Navy pilot, Congressman, and museum director, he was an unconventional choice, and faced some headwinds in the appointment—but Jim turned out to be exceptional in the job, especially given the state

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1:02:33

TWiS 212: Kabooms, Starship, and a Moon Base - What...

This Week in Space (Video) ·

2026/05/29

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, when on Thursday night, Blue Origin lost a New Glenn rocket on the pad during a static test. The explosion appears to have severely damaged the launch structure, LC36, along with the loss of the rocket. Fortunately, there were no casualties. But this does throw NASA's schedule for returning American astronauts to the moon into question, given that

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1:02:30

TWiS 206: I Want to Believe - When We Meet the Aliens

This Week in Space (Video) ·

2026/04/17

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 Martian microbe, the implications are vast. Dr. Brianne Suldovsky of Portland State University has studied this mostly ignored question and come up with some interesting conclusions--and, like the best science, more questions. How this can best be communicated in an age of mistrust in large institutions and science is a vexing one, and the

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1:02:23

TWiS 204: A New NASA - Artemis 2 Firsthand, and...

This Week in Space (Video) ·

2026/04/03

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 Isaacman. We're taking a deep dive into what's changed, what's the same, and what to expect. But first: Tariq and Rod are in Houston monitoring the Artemis 2 mission, which launched flawlessly on Wednesday. It's been a thrill since launch day, which Tariq saw in Florida, and shows no sign of slowing. We're bringing it to you from the field, so strap on in

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1:03:07

TWiS 202: Artemis Imminent - Artemis II Back on the Pad!

This Week in Space (Video) ·

2026/03/20

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 begin preparations for a launch as early as April 1. There will be no wet-dress rehearsal this time — associate administrator Lori Glaze said in a recent press conference that once they fuel successfully, she just wants to go to launch. The crew of Artemis 2 will soon arrive at KSC for pre-launch quarantine, as will Tariq, who will be covering the

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1:01:11

TWiS 199: The Obsolete Astronaut? - And a New Report...

This Week in Space (Video) ·

2026/02/27

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 things better and faster off-Earth, but the changing face of robotic tech has some feeling otherwise. This week's guest is a returning friend of the show, Dr. Pascal Lee, who has thoughts on how and when robots may perform better--and more safely--than humans in space, and then, of course, Tariq and I worry about how our mechanical masters might take

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57:23

TWiS 198: A Dragonfly on Titan - Inside the Dragonfly...

This Week in Space (Video) ·

2026/02/20

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's moon Titan in 2028. The car-sized probe will arrive at that strange, frozen world in 2034, descending into the soupy, smoggy atmosphere and then taking flight before it even touches the ground! We spoke with the mission's Principal Investigator, Dr. Elizabeth "Zibi" Turtle, about the mission's origins, current progress, and what to expect in the

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1:03:41

TWiS 196: Becoming Martian! - How Will Human Beings...

This Week in Space (Video) ·

2026/02/06

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 nearby worlds have proved to be a much greater challenge than we had long thought. While the rigors of zero-g have been well researched on the International Space Station, the challenges of living in lower gravity, such as that found on the moon and Mars, has not yet been explored. And human reproduction in space, along with genetic challenges, is a

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1:14:37

TWiS 195: Remembering Apollo 1, Challenger, and...

This Week in Space (Video) ·

2026/01/30

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. Years later, as the space shuttle Challenger ascended on February 28, 1986, it was destroyed mid-flight with a loss of seven crewmembers. Finally, on February 1, 2003, the shuttle Columbia was lost during reentry, again with a crew of seven. This episode is a remembrance of these tragic events with Gerry Griffin, former Apollo Flight Director and

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57:09

TWiS 193: A History of Tomorrow - A Conversation with...

This Week in Space (Video) ·

2026/01/17

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 about how NASA tracks its history, the public's perceptions of spaceflight, and how our understanding of the past might inform our future in space. Also the Crew 11 return, Artemis II rollout, and MAVEN, phone home! Join us for this engaging conversation! Headlines: NASA Completes First-Ever Medical Evacuation From the ISS Artemis 2 Megarocket Rolls

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59:11

TWiS 192: Space, 2026! - What's Coming in Spaceflight...

This Week in Space (Video) ·

2026/01/09

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 the moon for the first time since 1972, as early as February. We've already seen news about a medical incident on the International Space Station that will force a crew to return to Earth early, but NASA says this won't affect the Artemis launch. On other news, NASA's budget seems on track to be passed at near 2025 levels, China is preparing to send a

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53:36

TWiS 191: Mars Throwback - The Pioneering Work of Dr....

This Week in Space (Video) ·

2025/12/28

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 approach to reaching the Red Planet with human beings that was later largely adopted by NASA in their mission designs. It's a fascinating story about a man who continually swam upstream against strong currents of the aerospace establishment. His seminal book, "The Case for Mars," has enjoyed multiple reprints and influenced millions. Join us for this encore

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0:00

TWiS 190: Holiday Special 2025 - A Look Back at 2025...

This Week in Space (Video) ·

2025/12/19

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, and after all the challenges and hullabaloo, we're grateful in a post-Thanksgiving fashion to welcome Jared Isaacman, at last, as the new NASA Administrator. What he will do and how remains largely unknown, but we do believe he has the nation's interests at heart, and the man knows people are watching. But there are a lot of other stories and we've

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1:13:48

TWiS 186: Snow on the Moon? - With Dr. Jim Green,...

This Week in Space (Video) ·

2025/11/14

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 miles above our planet at the time, may have shared a dynamic magnetic field with that of the Earth, resulting in the moon having an early atmosphere about twice as dense as the Martian atmosphere is today! This has wide implications for planetary science, but perhaps our favorite is that it may have snowed both carbon dioxide and water ice on the moon

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