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Jake and Anthony are joined by Dr. Thomas Zurbuchen, Former Associate Administrator of NASA’s Science Mission Directorate and leader of ETH Zurich Space, to talk about some of the big stories in science at NASA—Mars Sample Return, cost growth in missions across the board, and more.Note: Dr. Z cited the Europa Clipper solar arrays at 100 yards across, as in one football field, but clarified via email that they are actually 100 feet. He is European, so the football field mix up is understandable. Go Birds.TopicsOff-Nominal - YouTubeEpisode 172 (with Dr. Thomas Zurbuchen) - YouTubeWe’re finally going to the Solar System’s most intriguing but unexplored frontier - Ars TechnicaNASA's James Webb Space Telescope has reached its final destination. Let's celebrate the team that got it there (op-ed) | SpaceAs Psyche Mission Moves Forward, NASA Responds to Independent Review | NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)Psyche review finds institutional problems at JPL - SpaceNewsBridenstine to Lead NASA Mars Sample Return Stra

Jake and Anthony are joined by Jack Beyer, Content Manager for NSF, to talk about SpaceX doing the dang thing! They caught the booster!TopicsOff-Nominal - YouTubeEpisode 171 - Stiletto Starship (with Jack Beyer) - YouTubeSpaceX on X: “Watch Starship's fifth flight test”SpaceX on X: “Starship on its fifth flight test. Views powered by @Starlink”Starship’s Fifth Flight Test - SpaceX - LaunchesSpaceX Catches a Super Heavy Booster During a Milestone Flight 5 - NASASpaceFlight.comStarship | SN5 | 150m Flight Test - YouTubeDouglas X-3 Stiletto - WikipediaFollow JackJack Beyer (@thejackbeyer) / XJack BeyerNASASpaceFlight.comFollow Off-NominalSubscribe to the show! - Off-NominalSupport the show, join the DiscordOff-Nominal (@offnom) / TwitterOff-Nominal (@offnom@spacey.space) - Spacey SpaceFollow JakeWeMartians Podcast - Follow Humanity's Journey to MarsWeMartians Podcast (@We_Martians) | TwitterJake Robins (@JakeOnOrbit) | TwitterJake Robins (@JakeOnOrbit@spacey.space) - Spacey SpaceFollow AnthonyMain Engine Cut Off

Jake and Anthony are joined by Casey Handmer, Founder of Terraform Industries, to talk about Mars Sample Return, and the general state of government projects, NASA, and so much more.TopicsOff-Nominal - YouTubeEpisode 170 - Luckily, We Did All the Math (with Casey Handmer) - YouTubeSLS is still a national disgrace – Casey Handmer's blogWhat is going on with Mars Sample Return? – Casey Handmer's blogNASA awards Rocket Lab study contract for Mars Sample Return - SpaceNewsFollow CaseyCasey HandmerCasey Handmer, PhD (@CJHandmer) / XTerraform IndustriesFollow Off-NominalSubscribe to the show! - Off-NominalSupport the show, join the DiscordOff-Nominal (@offnom) / TwitterOff-Nominal (@offnom@spacey.space) - Spacey SpaceFollow JakeWeMartians Podcast - Follow Humanity's Journey to MarsWeMartians Podcast (@We_Martians) | TwitterJake Robins (@JakeOnOrbit) | TwitterJake Robins (@JakeOnOrbit@spacey.space) - Spacey SpaceFollow AnthonyMain Engine Cut OffMain Engine Cut Off (@WeHaveMECO) | TwitterMain Engine Cut Off (@meco@sp

Jake arrives sad about space, and Anthony tries to cheer him up. We talk ISS, Artemis, budgets, and government strategy and goals.TopicsOff-Nominal - YouTubeEpisode 169 - Sexy Atlantis - YouTubeNASA is working on a plan to replace its space station, but time is running out - Ars TechnicaNASA confirms space station cracking a “highest” risk and consequence problem - Ars TechnicaThe politically incorrect guide to saving NASA’s floundering Artemis Program - Ars TechnicaA key NASA commercial partner faces severe financial challenges - Ars TechnicaOne company appears to be thriving as part of NASA’s return to the Moon - Ars TechnicaFollow Off-NominalSubscribe to the show! - Off-NominalSupport the show, join the DiscordOff-Nominal (@offnom) / TwitterOff-Nominal (@offnom@spacey.space) - Spacey SpaceFollow JakeWeMartians Podcast - Follow Humanity's Journey to MarsWeMartians Podcast (@We_Martians) | TwitterJake Robins (@JakeOnOrbit) | TwitterJake Robins (@JakeOnOrbit@spacey.space) - Spacey SpaceFollow AnthonyMain Engi

Jake and Anthony are joined by Joe Barnard to air their grievances with the FAA.TopicsOff-Nominal - YouTubeEpisode 168 - Elon Munch (with Joe Barnard) - YouTubeThe war of words between SpaceX and the FAA keeps escalating | Ars TechnicaAndrew Jones on X: “Drone footage from Deep Blue Aerospace's VTVL attempt today. Great view of the landing and explosion.”Deep Blue Aerospace hop test suffers anomaly moments before landing - SpaceNewsThe Interstellar Gateway on X: “B11 is finally coming home

Jake and Anthony are joined by Eric Berger, Senior Space Editor at Ars Technica and author of Liftoff: Elon Musk and the Desperate Early Days That Launched SpaceX, to talk about his newest book, Reentry: SpaceX, Elon Musk, and the Reusable Rockets that Launched a Second Space Age.TopicsOff-Nominal - YouTubeEpisode 167 - Bechtold (with Eric Berger) - YouTubeReentry: SpaceX, Elon Musk, and the Reusable Rockets that Launched a Second Space Age | West Houston's Neighborhood BookshopReentry by Eric Berger - Audiobook - Audible.comReentry: SpaceX, Elon Musk, and the Reusable Rockets that Launched a Second Space Age Kindle EditionFor the first time in more than three years, SpaceX misses a booster landing | Ars TechnicaFollow EricEric Berger | Ars TechnicaEric Berger (@SciGuySpace) / XFollow Off-NominalSubscribe to the show! - Off-NominalSupport the show, join the DiscordOff-Nominal (@offnom) / TwitterOff-Nominal (@offnom@spacey.space) - Spacey SpaceFollow JakeWeMartians Podcast - Follow Humanity's Journey to MarsWe

Jake is joined by Emma Louden and Tanya Harrison to talk about their new children's book Mia and the Martians and how distilling space down to a child's level is a fascinating and challenging topic.TopicsOff-Nominal - YouTubeEpisode 166 - General Five Year Old (with Tanya Harrison and Emma Louden) - YouTubeMia the Martians | IndiegogoFollow EmmaEmma Louden | WebsiteFollow TanyaTanya Harrison | WebsiteFollow Off-NominalSubscribe to the show! - Off-NominalSupport the show, join the DiscordOff-Nominal (@offnom) / TwitterOff-Nominal (@offnom.com) / BlueskyOff-Nominal (@offnom@spacey.space) - Spacey SpaceFollow JakeJake Robins | BlogJake Robins (@JakeOnOrbit) | TwitterJake Robins (@jakerobins.com) - BlueskyWeMartians Podcast - Follow Humanity's Journey to MarsWeMartians Podcast (@We_Martians) | TwitterFollow AnthonyMain Engine Cut OffMain Engine Cut Off (@WeHaveMECO) | TwitterMain Engine Cut Off (@meco@spacey.space) - Spacey SpaceAnthony Colangelo (@acolangelo) | TwitterAnthony Colangelo (@acolangelo@jawns.club) -

Jake and Anthony are joined by Dr. Gerard van Belle, Astronomer at Lowell Observatory, to talk about the recurrent nova T Coronae Borealis, which is about to do some crazy stuff that it does every 78 years and honestly, we really need help understanding it.TopicsOff-Nominal - YouTubeThe Home of Pluto | Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, AZQuirks & Quarks - WikipediaT Coronae Borealis - WikipediaNASA, Global Astronomers Await Rare Nova Explosion - NASANova explosion visible to the naked eye expected any day now | Ars TechnicaFollow GerardDr. Gerard van Belle (@FringeDoctor) / XDr. Gerard van Belle - Lowell ObservatoryFollow Off-NominalSubscribe to the show! - Off-NominalSupport the show, join the DiscordOff-Nominal (@offnom) / TwitterOff-Nominal (@offnom@spacey.space) - Spacey SpaceFollow JakeWeMartians Podcast - Follow Humanity's Journey to MarsWeMartians Podcast (@We_Martians) | TwitterJake Robins (@JakeOnOrbit) | TwitterJake Robins (@JakeOnOrbit@spacey.space) - Spacey SpaceFollow AnthonyMain Engine Cut Of

Jake and Anthony are joined by Casey Dreier, Chief of Space Policy at The Planetary Society, to share the Good News about Human Spaceflight.TopicsOff-Nominal - YouTubeEpisode 164 - Middle Finger to Entropy (with Casey Dreier) - YouTubeThe Crusade to Reclaim Hubble - jakerobins.comSpace Policy Edition: Is Human Spaceflight a… | The Planetary SocietyEscaping Earth: Human Spaceflight as Religion (Roger D. Launius, Smithsonian Institution)Space Policy Edition: Real and Acceptable… | The Planetary SocietyFollow CaseyCasey Dreier | The Planetary SocietyThe Planetary SocietyFollow Off-NominalSubscribe to the show! - Off-NominalSupport the show, join the DiscordOff-Nominal (@offnom) / TwitterOff-Nominal (@offnom@spacey.space) - Spacey SpaceFollow JakeWeMartians Podcast - Follow Humanity's Journey to MarsWeMartians Podcast (@We_Martians) | TwitterJake Robins (@JakeOnOrbit) | TwitterJake Robins (@JakeOnOrbit@spacey.space) - Spacey SpaceFollow AnthonyMain Engine Cut OffMain Engine Cut Off (@WeHaveMECO) | TwitterMain Eng

Jake and Anthony are joined by John Conafay, founder of Integrate, to talk about what they’ve been up to lately, his time at SmallSat, all the space news of late, our bizarre JSC theories, and probably a review of Salt Lake City favorites in advance of the conferences’s move next year.TopicsOff-Nominal - YouTubeEpisode 163 - COTS of JSC (with John Conafay) - YouTubeEpisode 139 - Sourdough Software Starter - Off-NominalIntegrateSmall Satellite Conference | SmallSatNASA pushes Starliner return decision to late August - SpaceNewsCrypto entrepreneur buys Crew Dragon flight - SpaceNewsfram2: First Human Spaceflight To Earth’s Polar RegionsNASA requests details on potential VIPER partnerships - SpaceNewsIntuitive Machines seeks to take over NASA’s VIPER lunar rover - SpaceNewsVIPER Rover Partnership Opportunity: Request for Information - NASA ScienceNASA payload to fly on first Blue Origin lunar lander mission - SpaceNewsLockheed Martin to acquire Terran Orbital - SpaceNewsFollow JohnJohn Conafay (@JConafay) / XInt

Jake and Anthony are joined by Logan and Alan from MSI DFAT to talk about blasting satellites and spacecraft with sound. Seriously, that is their job.TopicsOff-Nominal - YouTubeEpisode 162 - falcon_9.mp3 (with Logan and Alan from MSI DFAT) - YouTubeMSI DFATPhotos | MSI-DFATJWST suffers new problem during spacecraft testing - SpaceNewsSurround Sound - Orion Service Module for Artemis 1 Undergoes Acoustic Tests - NASAFollow Off-NominalSubscribe to the show! - Off-NominalSupport the show, join the DiscordOff-Nominal (@offnom) / TwitterOff-Nominal (@offnom@spacey.space) - Spacey SpaceFollow JakeWeMartians Podcast - Follow Humanity's Journey to MarsWeMartians Podcast (@We_Martians) | TwitterJake Robins (@JakeOnOrbit) | TwitterJake Robins (@JakeOnOrbit@spacey.space) - Spacey SpaceFollow AnthonyMain Engine Cut OffMain Engine Cut Off (@WeHaveMECO) | TwitterMain Engine Cut Off (@meco@spacey.space) - Spacey SpaceAnthony Colangelo (@acolangelo) | TwitterAnthony Colangelo (@acolangelo@jawns.club) - jawns.club

Jake and Anthony are joined by Christian Davenport of The Washington Post to catch Jake up on what he missed while on vacation. Just a Falcon 9 failure, the ongoing Starliner saga, and a brand new Presidential race.TopicsOff-Nominal - YouTubeEpisode 161 - Ambassador Administrator Senator (with Christian Davenport) - YouTubeChris Bergin - NSF on X: “Here are two minutes of the SpaceX launch stream where the ice build-up began.”Starlink 9-3 - SpaceX - LaunchesFalcon 9 cleared to resume launches - SpaceNewsFalcon 9 Returns to Flight - SpaceX - UpdatesNASA, Boeing Continue Data Analysis for Crew Flight Test Evaluation – Commercial Crew ProgramEric Berger on X: “It's clear NASA does not want to deviate from its base plan of using Starliner to come home, and this remains most likely. But it is not certain. SpaceX and NASA have been quietly studying launching Crew-9 two astronauts. Suits are available for Butch and Suni.”Eric Berger on X: “For weeks and weeks I was 100 percent confident astronauts were coming back o

Anthony is joined by his two favorite LGs—Lori Garver, former NASA Deputy Administrator, and Loren Grush of Bloomberg—to talk about an absolutely chaotic run of space news.TopicsOff-Nominal - YouTubeEpisode 160 - Cut That Shit Out (with Lori Garver and Loren Grush) - YouTubeBoeing Flubbed Its Space Debut. NASA Isn’t Helping. - The AtlanticBoeing Crew’s Return From Space Station Still in Limbo - BloombergSpaceX’s Workhorse Rocket Is Grounded After Failure in Orbit - BloombergVIPER Clears Acoustic Tests as Scientists Question Proposed Cancellation – SpacePolicyOnline.comFollow LoriLori GarverLori Garver (@Lori_Garver) / TwitterEscaping Gravity: My Quest to Transform NASA and Launch a New Space Age: Garver, Lori Amazon.com: BooksFollow LorenLoren Grush - BloombergLoren Grush (@grushcrush) • Instagram photos and videosLoren Grush (@lorengrush) / TwitterThe Six: The Untold Story of America's First Women Astronauts: Grush, Loren: 9781982172800: Amazon.com: BooksFollow Off-NominalSubscribe to the show! - Off-Nominal

Anthony is joined by Joey Roulette of Reuters and Jacqueline Feldscher of Payload to talk about the Falcon 9 failure and its fallout, and the ongoing communications debacle that is Starliner.TopicsOff-Nominal - YouTubeSpaceX's Falcon 9 grounded after failure dooms batch of Starlink satellites | ReutersChris Bergin - NSF on X: “Here are two minutes of the SpaceX launch stream where the ice build-up began.”Starlink 9-3 - SpaceX - LaunchesEpisode 159 - The Budget Wedges are All Wedging (with Joey Roulette and Jacqueline Feldscher) - YouTubeNASA cancels VIPER lunar rover - SpaceNewsNASA Cancels VIPER Lunar Rover – SpacePolicyOnline.comNASA astronauts voice confidence that Boeing Starliner will bring them home | ReutersFirefly Aerospace Investigates CEO’s Alleged Inappropriate Relationship - PayloadBill Weber Steps Down as Firefly Aerospace CEO - PayloadMax Polyakov and Noosphere released by U.S. from restrictions imposed before Russian invasion of UkraineFollow JoeyJoey Roulette (@joroulette) / TwitterJoey Roulet

Jake and Anthony are back! We catch up mostly about spacesuits, space stations, spaceships, and probably Dragon XL.TopicsOff-Nominal - YouTubeEpisode 158 - Meant to F - YouTubeNASA will pay SpaceX nearly $1 billion to deorbit the International Space Station | Ars TechnicaDutchSatellites on X: “The USDV that SpaceX offered is indeed based off Dragon XL. By leveraging the technology already under development for Dragon XL, SpaceX was able to keep their offer for the USDV relatively cheap. Never mind the boilerplate language about the launch service: it will launch on FH.”NASA’s commercial spacesuit program just hit a major snag | Ars TechnicaAre NASA, Boeing Starliner Astronauts Really Stranded in Space? - BloombergStarliner return eyed for end of July as tests continue - SpaceNewsAndrew Jones on X: ”Wow. This is apparently what was supposed to be a STATIC FIRE TEST today of a Tianlong-3 first stage by China's Space Pioneer. That's catastrophic, not static. Firm was targeting an orbital launch in the coming mon

Jake and Anthony are joined by Laura Delgado López, Visiting Fellow at the Americas Program of the Center for Strategic and International Studies, to talk about Latin American space policy.TopicsOff-Nominal - YouTubeEpisode 157 - Assuming States are Rational (with Laura Delgado López) - YouTubeSpace security in the Americas can no longer go overlooked - SpaceNewsWhat Are the Implications of Peru Joining the Artemis Accords?Follow LauraLaura Delgado Lopez | LinkedInCSIS Americas (@CSISAmericas) / XFollow Off-NominalSubscribe to the show! - Off-NominalSupport the show, join the DiscordOff-Nominal (@offnom) / TwitterOff-Nominal (@offnom@spacey.space) - Spacey SpaceFollow JakeWeMartians Podcast - Follow Humanity's Journey to MarsWeMartians Podcast (@We_Martians) | TwitterJake Robins (@JakeOnOrbit) | TwitterJake Robins (@JakeOnOrbit@spacey.space) - Spacey SpaceFollow AnthonyMain Engine Cut OffMain Engine Cut Off (@WeHaveMECO) | TwitterMain Engine Cut Off (@meco@spacey.space) - Spacey SpaceAnthony Colangelo (@acola

Jake and Anthony are joined by Mark Peller, VP of Vulcan Development at United Launch Alliance, to talk about…well…Vulcan development!TopicsOff-Nominal - YouTubeEpisode 156 - It’s All Muscle (with Mark Peller, VP of Vulcan Development at ULA) - YouTubeUnited Launch Alliance Successfully Launches First Next Generation Vulcan RocketTory Bruno on X: “Hmm. What’s that? Could it be a second Vulcan mobile launch platform on its way to the new VIF for final assembly?”Tory Bruno on X: “By popular demand, here’s some photos of the construction at SLC3 at Vandenberg to convert the pad for Vulcan. (Classic Vandy “June Gloom”). Currently on track to be completed early next year, several months ahead of our first West Coast Vulcan.”ULA on X: “#ULARocketShip and #VulcanRocket are on the move! Soon, the #Cert2 booster and Centaur V will be arriving in Cape Canaveral, Florida ahead of its launch planned later this year.”Tory Bruno on X: “Atlases, Atlases, Atlases… Mighty #AtlasV is stacking up like cord wood at the Cape…”Bui

Jake and Anthony are joined by Peter Beck, Founder, President, and CEO of Rocket Lab, to talk about making rocket bikes, why he would do such a thing as make rocket bikes, what it was like to ride rocket bikes, and why he stopped making rocket bikes.TopicsOff-Nominal - YouTubeEpisode 155 - Unhinged Planetary Desire (with Peter Beck) - YouTubeRocket Lab Sets Launch Date for 50th Electron Mission, Prepares to Deploy Five Satellites for Kinéis | Rocket LabRocket Lab Completes Archimedes Engine Build, Begins Engine Test Campaign | Rocket LabRocket Lab Successfully Returns Spacecraft Capsule to Earth, Brings Back Pharmaceuticals Made in Space | Rocket LabRocket Lab Unveils Spacecraft Bus Lineup | Rocket LabRocket Lab to Establish Space Structures Complex in Baltimore County to Supply Advanced Composite Products Internally and to Broader Space Industry | Rocket LabFollow PeterPeter Beck (@Peter_J_Beck) / XRocket Lab (@RocketLab) / XFollow Off-NominalSubscribe to the show! - Off-NominalSupport the show, join the Dis

Jake and Anthony are joined by Matt Desch, CEO of Iridium, to talk about what they’ve been up to lately, the state of the satellite communications industry, and to tell some stories from his career.TopicsOff-Nominal - YouTubeEpisode 154 - They Ran Into Us (with Matt Desch) - YouTubeIridium Satellite Communications | Your World. Our Network.Iridium adds five years to constellation lifetime estimate - SpaceNewsAmazon.com: Eccentric Orbits: The Iridium Story: 9780802126788: Bloom, John: BooksFollow MattMatt Desch (@IridiumBoss) / XIridium (@IridiumComm) / XFollow Off-NominalSubscribe to the show! - Off-NominalSupport the show, join the DiscordOff-Nominal (@offnom) / TwitterOff-Nominal (@offnom@spacey.space) - Spacey SpaceFollow JakeWeMartians Podcast - Follow Humanity's Journey to MarsWeMartians Podcast (@We_Martians) | TwitterJake Robins (@JakeOnOrbit) | TwitterJake Robins (@JakeOnOrbit@spacey.space) - Spacey SpaceFollow AnthonyMain Engine Cut OffMain Engine Cut Off (@WeHaveMECO) | TwitterMain Engine Cut Off (@

Jake and Anthony catch up on the news, and Anthony returns from vacation with a few reviews of some recent Smithsonian Air and Space Museum changes.TopicsOff-Nominal - YouTubeEpisode 153 - YouTubeNASA and Boeing moving ahead with Starliner test flight after propulsion issues - SpaceNewsMDA Space joins Starlab Space commercial space station venture - SpaceNewsSpaceX sets date for next Starship flight, explains what went wrong the last time | Ars TechnicaSatTrackCam Leiden (b)log: The NROL-146 payloads: observing the 'train' of 21 Starshield satellitesNASA and ESA complete agreement for cooperation on Mars rover mission - SpaceNewsPrivate mission to save Hubble Space Telescope raises concerns, NASA emails show : NPRFollow Off-NominalSubscribe to the show! - Off-NominalSupport the show, join the DiscordOff-Nominal (@offnom) / TwitterOff-Nominal (@offnom@spacey.space) - Spacey SpaceFollow JakeWeMartians Podcast - Follow Humanity's Journey to MarsWeMartians Podcast (@We_Martians) | TwitterJake Robins (@JakeOnOrbit