Stories From Space

Host | Matthew S Williams For more podcast Stories from Space with Matthew S Williams, visit: https://itspmagazine.com/stories-from-space-podcast ______________________ Episode Notes From Apollo to Artemis: What Lowell Observatory Knows About Going Back to the Moon Fifty years is a long time to forget how to do something. That is, more or less, where NASA stood when Artemis 1 left the pad — and where it stands now, with Artemis 2 having put humans beyond low Earth orbit for the first time in half a century. The institutional memory had thinned. The people who built Apollo had moved on, retired, or passed away. The books, as Dr. Alex Polanski puts it in this episode, had to be dusted off. Polanski, a Percival Lowell postdoctoral fellow at Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona, joins host Matt to talk about what Artemis 2 actually proved, and why Lowell — an observatory better known for its exoplanet work and its founder's obsession with Mars — has always sat closer to crewed spaceflight than most people realize. The nine Apollo astronauts trained on the volcanic terrain of northern Arizona. They studied lunar maps made at Lowell. They walked the same ground tourists walk today, in the shadow of the Clark refractor. The conversation moves from the geology of the Moon's Highlands and Maria to the meteorite work of Dr. Nick Moskowitz, the mapping happening at the USGS office down the road, and the longer question behind all of it: is the Moon a stepping stone to Mars, or a detour? Polanski makes the case for the stepping stone — not out of caution, but because there are things we don't yet know we need to know, and a one-second light delay is a much more forgiving classroom than a twenty-minute one. And then there's what comes next. Radio telescopes in the craters of the far side, shielded from Earth's noise. Optical interferometers spread across lunar real estate, free of the atmospheric wobble that makes ground-based astronomy feel, in Polanski's words, like reading a note card at the bottom of a pool. For the first time, the possibility of actually seeing the surfaces of other stars. Percival Lowell saw canals on Mars that weren't there. He may have been looking at the veins in his own eye. A century later, his observatory is helping figure out how to look at the real thing. 🎙️ Guest: Dr. Alex Polanski, Lowell Observatory 🌐 lowell.edu ______________________ Resources Dr. Alex Polanski's Twitter https://x.com/AlexNeedsSpace Dr. Alex Polanski's company https://x.com/LowellObs Dr. Alex Polanski's LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-polanski-9ba397113/ Dr. Alex Polanski's Facebook profile https://www.facebook.com/alex.polanski.3 Moon to Mars / NASA's Artemis Program https://www.nasa.gov/humans-in-space/artemis/ ______________________ For more podcast Stories from Space with Matthew S Williams, visit: https://itspmagazine.com/stories-from-space-podcast Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Host | Matthew S Williams For more podcast Stories from Space with Matthew S Williams, visit: https://itspmagazine.com/stories-from-space-podcast ______________________ SpaceX founder Elon Musk recently announced that his company, founded on the idea of creating the first city on Mars, was focusing on the Moon instead. This announcement has left many wondering why he has made such a massive pivot. There are also questions as to why he's chosen to do this now. SpaceX, Mars, Moon, NASA, Musk, Bezos, Blue Origin, Artemis, xAI, Starlink, Starship, HLS, astronauts, space, Blue Moon, New Glenn, lunar lander, lunar surface, Moon base ______________________ Resources Fraser Cain - Soundbites https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XqCx81ky8Ts ______________________ For more podcast Stories from Space with Matthew S Williams, visit: https://itspmagazine.com/stories-from-space-podcast Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Host | Matthew S Williams For more podcast Stories from Space with Matthew S Williams, visit: https://itspmagazine.com/stories-from-space-podcast ______________________ Episode Notes Asteroid Mining: The Promise, the Problems, and the Philosophy Asteroid mining is one of those ideas that cycles in and out of public fascination — generating enormous excitement, then fading when people realize it won't happen within the next news cycle. But the concept never truly disappears, and for good reason. Near-Earth asteroids, numbering in the millions, contain staggering quantities of precious metals, rare earth elements, and water ice. Ironically, those same materials — iron, gold, platinum, nickel, and dozens of others — were originally delivered to Earth by asteroids during the Late Heavy Bombardment period some four billion years ago. We're essentially talking about going back to the source. The three main asteroid types — carbonaceous (C-type), silicate (S-type), and metallic (M-type) — each offer distinct resources. Beyond metals, the abundance of water ice in the solar system could relieve pressure on Earth's increasingly stressed freshwater supply and fuel deep-space missions. Philosophically, the implications are profound. Thomas More and Nietzsche both wrestled with why scarcity drives human value systems. Flood the market with space-borne metals and the entire economic architecture built on scarcity begins to crumble. Orwell saw it too — abundance erodes hierarchy. The first trillionaires born from asteroid mining might find their wealth meaningless almost immediately after making it. But the darker scenarios deserve equal attention. Redistributing consumption off-world doesn't eliminate it. Space debris, environmental degradation beyond Earth, and the very real risk of exploitative labor structures in off-world operations — echoes of colonialism and indentured servitude — are not science fiction. They're logical extensions of human patterns. The enthusiasm may ebb and flow, but asteroid mining remains an inevitable chapter in humanity's story. The real question is what kind of story we choose to write around it. ______________________ Resources ______________________ For more podcast Stories from Space with Matthew S Williams, visit: https://itspmagazine.com/stories-from-space-podcast Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Host | Matthew S Williams On ITSPmagazine 👉 https://itspmagazine.com/itspmagazine-podcast-radio-hosts/matthew-s-williams ______________________ This Episode’s Sponsors Are you interested in sponsoring an ITSPmagazine Channel? 👉 https://www.itspmagazine.com/sponsor-the-itspmagazine-podcast-network ______________________ Episode Notes Interstellar Objects (ISO) are back in the news, thanks to the arrival of 3I/ATLAS in our Solar System. But what do we actually know about this object? All indications are that it is a comet that poses no threat to Earth. Like it's predecessors, including the mysterious 'Oumuamua, it represents the dawn of a new era in astronomy. ______________________ Resources NASA - View Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS Through NASA’s Multiple Lenses: https://science.nasa.gov/solar-system/view-interstellar-comet-3i-atlas-through-nasas-multiple-lenses/ ______________________ For more podcast Stories from Space with Matthew S Williams, visit: https://itspmagazine.com/stories-from-space-podcast Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Host | Matthew S Williams On ITSPmagazine 👉 https://itspmagazine.com/itspmagazine-podcast-radio-hosts/matthew-s-williams ______________________ This Episode’s Sponsors Are you interested in sponsoring an ITSPmagazine Channel? 👉 https://www.itspmagazine.com/sponsor-the-itspmagazine-podcast-network ______________________ Episode Notes For decades, scientists believed they had a pretty good idea of how the Universe worked. But with the deployment of Webb, a number of discoveries have emerged that are challenging this assumption. As new discoveries challenge old assumptions, scientists are beginning to wonder. Is the Standard Model of Cosmology wrong, or does it just need some adjustments? ______________________ Resources Cosmology - Harvard & Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics: https://www.cfa.harvard.edu/research/science-field/cosmology ______________________ For more podcast Stories from Space with Matthew S Williams, visit: https://itspmagazine.com/stories-from-space-podcast Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Guest | Les Johnson , Chief Technologist NASA Marshall Space Flight Center (retired) [ @NASA_Marshall ] On Twitter | https://x.com/LesAuthor On LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/lesjohnson1/ On Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/les.johnson2 On YouTube | http://www.youtube.com/@interstellarresearchgroup Website | https://www.lesjohnsonauthor.com/ Host | Matthew S Williams On ITSPmagazine 👉 https://itspmagazine.com/itspmagazine-podcast-radio-hosts/matthew-s-williams ______________________ This Episode’s Sponsors Are you interested in sponsoring an ITSPmagazine Channel? 👉 https://www.itspmagazine.com/sponsor-the-itspmagazine-podcast-network ______________________ Episode Notes Les Johnson has spent his life working with NASA to realize advanced propulsion concepts that could one day enable interstellar voyages. In a new volume, the Interstellar Travel Monograph, he and a select group of experts explore all of the challenges such a voyage would present, before, during, and upon arrival. ______________________ Resources Interstellar Travel Monograph: https://shop.elsevier.com/books/interstellar-travel/johnson/978-0-323-91637-0 ______________________ For more podcast Stories from Space with Matthew S Williams, visit: https://itspmagazine.com/stories-from-space-podcast Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Host | Matthew S Williams On ITSPmagazine 👉 https://itspmagazine.com/itspmagazine-podcast-radio-hosts/matthew-s-williams ______________________ This Episode’s Sponsors Are you interested in sponsoring an ITSPmagazine Channel? 👉 https://www.itspmagazine.com/sponsor-the-itspmagazine-podcast-network ______________________ Episode Notes The decision to name the Next Generation Space Telescope after former administrator James E. Webb has led to significant controversy and demands that it be renamed. This issue has shone a light on a dark period in the history of the U.S. and NASA and has raised questions about the agency's naming conventions. ______________________ Resources The Lavender Scare - National Archives: https://www.archives.gov/publications/prologue/2016/summer/lavender.html#:~:text=Beginning%20in%20the%20late%201940s,the%20power%20of%20congressional%20investigation. Why NASA should have a do-over on the name of JWST - Jason Wright: https://sites.psu.edu/astrowright/2022/10/25/why-nasa-should-have-a-do-over-on-the-name-of-jwst/ ______________________ For more podcast Stories from Space with Matthew S Williams, visit: https://itspmagazine.com/stories-from-space-podcast Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Sixty years ago, famed physicist Freeman Dyson theorized that advanced civilizations, in their ongoing quest to find more living space and energy, would convert their solar system into a megastructure enclosing their star. This gave rise to the concept of megastructures, many of which have been theorized over the years. These hypothetical structures are one of many technosignatures SETI researchers are on the lookout for as they probe the stars for signs of intelligent life. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Neil Blevins' artwork: http://neilblevins.com/ Centauri Dreams (Paul Glister): https://www.centauri-dreams.org/ Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI), scientists need to consider what technologies they should look for, including those used by a more advanced species. This has spawned the idea of Megastructures, which was first proposed in the 1960s by theoretical physicist and mathematician Freeman Dyson (who proposed the Dyson Sphere). Since then, many variations and other possible Megastructures have been proposed, all of which are fascinating and fun to think about! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Dr. Shawna Pandya is an aeromedical transport physician, a neurosurgery and emergency medic, leader of the an aquanaut with NASA's NEEMO analog missions, director of the International Institute for Astronautical Sciences' (IIAS) Space Medicine Group, and will be Canada's first female commercial astronaut. She's also a black belt martial artist in Taekwon-Do, an analog astronaut, and an explorer. During our interview, we discussed the path that brought her to medicine, space, and what the future holds for humans living and working offworld. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

A few months ago, I had the honor of appearing on AADYA Geo Talks, the podcast series launched by Bharti Sharma and the organization she founded – AADYA, whose name means “origin” in Hindi. As a geologist and world-traveller, Sharma launched this organization to promote knowledge about planetary and geoscience and create opportunities for collaborative research to address critical global challenges. During the interview, we talked about how I got into science journalism, my podcast series, and my science fiction writing. The interview lasted for more than an hour because she asked great questions about a range of wonderful topics! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

A few months ago, I had the honor of appearing on AADYA Geo Talks, the podcast series launched by Bharti Sharma and the organization she founded – AADYA, whose name means “origin” in Hindi. As a geologist and world-traveller, Sharma launched this organization to promote knowledge about planetary and geoscience and create opportunities for collaborative research to address critical global challenges. During the interview, we talked about how I got into science journalism, my podcast series, and my science fiction writing. The interview lasted for more than an hour because she asked great questions about a range of wonderful topics! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The White House recently released its budget for FY 2026, which has led to significant concerns at NASA as it recommends significant cuts to international programs, education, and research. In addition, many of these cuts call for the cancellation of key elements of NASA's Artemis Program and its plans for sending crewed missions to Mars. This includes the Space Launch System (SLS), the Orion spacecraft, and the Lunar Gateway. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The Kerbal Space Program is currently used as an educational tool to teach about spacecraft and mission design. But as Dr. Schmitt tells us, it should be used as a method for designing whole mission architectures. For years, Schmitt has relied on KSP and its realism mods to design and simulate missions, including those that will take astronauts back to the Moon! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In Earth's orbit, there are millions of debris objects that pose a collision risk for satellites and space stations. If left unchecked, the situation could lead to a cascading effect known as Kessler Syndrome. While space agencies worldwide track and monitor objects in orbit to prevent collisions, strategies for active debris removal are needed and many are being researched. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Guest | Dr. Moriba Jah , Professor, The University of Texas at Austin [ @UTAustin ] On Twitter | https://x.com/moribajah On LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/jahniverse/ On Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/moribajah Website | https://www.moriba.com/ Host | Matthew S Williams On ITSPmagazine 👉 https://itspmagazine.com/itspmagazine-podcast-radio-hosts/matthew-s-williams ______________________ This Episode’s Sponsors Are you interested in sponsoring an ITSPmagazine Channel? 👉 https://www.itspmagazine.com/sponsor-the-itspmagazine-podcast-network ______________________ Episode Notes Moriba Jah is a Professor of Aerospace Engineering and Engineering Mechanics at The University of Texas at Austin. He's also a major advocate for the "stewardship" of Earth and space. Through his world traveling and extensive experience with NASA, the Air Force Research Laboratory, and academia, he has earned a wide following as a champion for the sustainable use of space. ______________________ Resources ______________________ For more podcast Stories from Space with Matthew S Williams, visit: https://itspmagazine.com/stories-from-space-podcast Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Host | Matthew S Williams On ITSPmagazine 👉 https://itspmagazine.com/itspmagazine-podcast-radio-hosts/matthew-s-williams ______________________ This Episode’s Sponsors Are you interested in sponsoring an ITSPmagazine Channel? 👉 https://www.itspmagazine.com/sponsor-the-itspmagazine-podcast-network ______________________ Episode Notes The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is the most complex and powerful space observatory ever deployed. What it has discovered since it commenced operations has been nothing short of groundbreaking! However, many of these discoveries were unexpected and confounded astronomers. But this is the purpose of Webb, which is designed to investigate the biggest questions we have about the nature of the Universe. ______________________ Resources Webb Space Telescope - Home: https://webbtelescope.org/home ______________________ For more podcast Stories from Space with Matthew S Williams, visit: https://itspmagazine.com/stories-from-space-podcast Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Guest | Keith Cowing , Creator / Editor, NASA Watch and Astrobiology.com On Twitter | https://x.com/keithcowing On LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/keith-cowing-9b94076/ On Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/keith.cowing Host | Matthew S Williams On ITSPmagazine 👉 https://itspmagazine.com/itspmagazine-podcast-radio-hosts/matthew-s-williams ______________________ This Episode’s Sponsors Are you interested in sponsoring an ITSPmagazine Channel? 👉 https://www.itspmagazine.com/sponsor-the-itspmagazine-podcast-network ______________________ Episode Notes Keith Cowing has been one of NASA's most vocal critics for decades. Together, we discussed what the future may hold for NASA and its ambitious exploration programs. In the end, hope and fear are the only way to describe the mood at NASA as it faces an uncertain future. ______________________ Resources NASA Watch: https://nasawatch.com/ Astrobiology.com: https://astrobiology.com/ ______________________ For more podcast Stories from Space with Matthew S Williams, visit: https://itspmagazine.com/stories-from-space-podcast Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Guest | Keith Cowing , Editor, NASA Watch On Twitter | https://x.com/keithcowing On LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/keith-cowing-9b94076/ On Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/keith.cowing Host | Matthew S Williams On ITSPmagazine 👉 https://itspmagazine.com/itspmagazine-podcast-radio-hosts/matthew-s-williams ______________________ This Episode’s Sponsors Are you interested in sponsoring an ITSPmagazine Channel? 👉 https://www.itspmagazine.com/sponsor-the-itspmagazine-podcast-network ______________________ Episode Notes Keith Cowing, a former NASA scientist and the creator of NASAWatch, has been a part of the space sector for decades. He's also one of NASA's most vocal critics. We sat down to discuss the current state of affairs at NASA, which has become chaotic thanks to the shakeup caused by the current U.S. administration ______________________ Resources NASA Watch: https://nasawatch.com/ Astrobiology.com: https://astrobiology.com/ ______________________ For more podcast Stories from Space with Matthew S Williams, visit: https://itspmagazine.com/stories-from-space-podcast Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.