This Week in Space (Audio)

The Outer Space Treaty of 1967, which was intended to regulate activities in space, is hard to enforce and woefully out of date.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 private actors are entering the spaceflight arena, and an updated mechanism with a bit more teeth is needed. Our guest, Ely Sandler, a Fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School, has put forward the idea of using COPs—not the kind in uniform, but a Conference of Parties—as a less-formal gathering of spacefaring (and space-ambitious) entities, to discuss future treaties, agreements, and enforcement mechanisms, eventually leading to new treaties. These would be similar to the annual climate COP that has provided useful discourse on climate change. A space COP would address responsibility for and control of orbital assets, land and resource use on the Moon, Mars, and asteroids; and possibly limits to the militarization of space. Join us for a fascinating discussion!

Headlines:

Artemis II Moon Rocket Rolls Out for Launch Preparations

Crew-11 Astronauts Speak on Space Station Medical Evacuation

Earth Faces Strongest Solar Radiation Storm in 20 Years

Auroras Sparked Across Unusual Latitudes

Main Topic: Is the Outer Space Treaty Obsolete? Examining the Future of Space Governance with Ely Sandler

Outer Space Treaty's Vagueness and Limits for Modern Space Activity

Why New Space Policy Models Are Needed for Orbital Debris, Spacecraft Ownership, and Liability

"Conference of the Parties" (COP) Model Proposed for Space Law Updates

Challenges of Property Rights, Exclusion Zones, and International Consensus on the Moon

How Commercial Space and Military Concerns Intersect Under Outdated Treaties

Space Solar Power's Potential and Regulatory Hurdles for Energy Beaming

Hosts: Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik

Guest: Ely Sandler

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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 Out to the Launch Pad Amid Tight Schedule

NASA Attempts to Revive MAVEN Spacecraft Around Mars

Main Topic: Chronicling the Space Age — With Dr. Roger Launius

How NASA's First Chief Historian Got Hooked on Space

The Role and Daily Work of a NASA Chief Historian

Transitioning From NASA to Smithsonian: Culture, Audience, and Mission

Is This a "Second Space Age"? Commercial Players and Evolving Space Policy

Public Attitudes Toward Space: Then and Now—Separating Myth From Reality

Historical Parallels Between Apollo and Artemis and the Notion of a New Space Race

Challenges of Public Engagement and NASA's Struggle to Stay In the Spotlight

Media Fragmentation, Social Media, and Changing Consumption of Space News

The Rise of Moon Landing Conspiracies Amid Information Abundance

The Vital Importance of Documenting Accidents and Hard Lessons in Space History

Preserving Space History in the Digital Era—From Paper to Tweets

Dr. Roger Launius' Upcoming Book: NASA History in 100 Objects

Hosts: Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik

Guest: Roger Launius

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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 robot to the south lunar pole, SpaceX plans robust tests of Starship this year—and hopefully refinement of their lander for Artemis III, Boeing will fly Starliner again (uncrewed), Mars Sample Return is poised to be scuttled, and all this under the leadership of a new—and apparently quite capable—NASA administrator, Jared Isaacman. Join us for an in-depth look at what's coming in 2026!



Headlines:

Medical evacuation planned for ISS astronauts due to health concerns

NASA Chief Jared Isaacman leads first big press conference amid ISS medical incident

Artemis 2 lunar mission remains on track for February launch

Orion spacecraft heat shield faces scrutiny ahead of crewed flight

NASA budget nearly secured—Congress backs full funding for 2026

Mars Sample Return project faces likely cancellation

SpaceX Starship gears up for crucial orbital and refueling tests

Blue Origin's Blue Moon lunar lander launch delayed, competition heats up

China's lunar, asteroid, and orbital missions ramp up for 2026

Boeing Starliner and Sierra Space Dream Chaser schedule ISS cargo missions

New moon landers, asteroid missions, and global crewed capsule tests coming in 2026

NASA's Roman Space Telescope possibly launching this year

Hosts: Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik

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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 of an informative and forward-looking episode!

Hosts: Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik

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It's our annual holiday special for 2025, in which we look back at the past 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 done our best to stuff as many as we can into this virtual Christmas space stocking! Please join us for this year-end roundup!



Headlines & Looking Back at 2025:

New Executive Order Targets Space Superiority

Starlink Satellite Breaks Up in Orbit, SpaceX Responds

Interstellar Comet ATLAS: Extraterrestrial Conspiracies and Public Fascination

Isaacman Confirmed as New NASA Administrator

Project Athena: NASA's New Strategic Direction?

Artemis 2 Mission Prep and Timeline Shifts

Mars Sample Return: Uncertain Costs and New Proposals

Commercial Spaceflight: SpaceX Successes, Boeing Troubles

Perseverance Rover Finds Possible Mars Biosignatures Recap

Space Shuttle Discovery Relocation Battle Heats Up

New Moon Discovered Around Uranus

Webb Telescope and Hubble Milestones

International Space Station Celebrates 25 Years of Crewed Work

U.S. Space Policy Shifts and NASA's New Leadership

Satellite Operations: Starlink's Reliability and Space Junk Concerns

Hosts: Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik

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