Planetary Radio: Space Policy Edition
The politics, policy, and history behind space exploration.
Latest episodes
Dec 1, 2023 • 59min
Was the Space Shuttle a policy failure?
Though the Space Shuttle program lasted 30 years and built the ISS, it fell short of NASA's goals for cost, reusability, and reliability. Can a program be both a worldly success and a policy failure? In this Space Policy Edition, we dissect a classic space policy paper and debate its relevance today.
Nov 3, 2023 • 1h 29min
What went wrong with Mars Sample Return
NASA's Mars Sample Return mission is both a top priority and seriously troubled. Independent review board chair Orlando Figueroa joins us to talk about the challenges and what must be done.
Aug 4, 2023 • 1h 14min
Why lunar exploration must be of enduring national interest
Scott Pace, the prior executive secretary of the National Space Council, discusses why Artemis is of strategic value to U.S. national interests — and why the Moon is unique as a destination to drive global space exploration.
Jul 7, 2023 • 57min
What’s Going on with: Congress, MSR, and FAA Reauthorization?
We check in on the congressional budget process for NASA, Mars Sample Return’s spiraling cost growth, and the impending end of the regulatory holiday for human commercial space launch companies.
Jun 2, 2023 • 1h 17min
The policy implications of active SETI
Would meeting an extraterrestrial civilization be good or bad for humanity? Astronomer Dr. Jacob Haqq Misra argues that knowing the outcome in advance is fundamentally impossible.
May 5, 2023 • 1h 20min
SpaceX's Starship vs. the environment, with Eric Roesch
Eric Roesch, an environmental policy expert, joins Planetary Radio to discuss SpaceX's Starship, environmental regulations' role in commercial space travel, and responsible space exploration.
Apr 7, 2023 • 58min
The motives behind NASA's billions — Jean Toal Eisen on how Congress funds the final frontier
Jean Toal Eisen, former senior staff on the Senate Appropriations Committee, joins the show to reveal the decision-making process, priorities, and motivations of those who control the U.S. space program's funding.
Mar 3, 2023 • 1h 11min
The Tricky Ethics of Space Settlement
Dr. Erika Nesvold, astrophysicist and author of the new book Off-Earth: Ethical Questions and Quandaries for Living in Outer Space explores the ethical challenges facing our species as it dips its toe into living beyond our home planet.
Feb 3, 2023 • 1h 17min
The White House's Matt Daniels on the U.S.'s New Cislunar Strategy
Dr. Matt Daniels of the White House's Office of Science and Technology Policy joins the show to discuss the White House’s new cislunar space strategy, its ambitions, and implications for the future of lunar exploration and development.
Jan 6, 2023 • 1h 3min
JPL Director wants "every brain" to have the chance to work in space exploration
Jet Propulsion Laboratory Director Laurie Leshin wants to give every brain in the country the opportunity to work in space exploration.
