Off-Nominal

Jake and Anthony dive into the excitement of the New Glenn launch, humorously measuring its altitude in Boeing 737s. They discuss the implications of ESCAPADE's low orbit and speculate about the future of Blue Origin after the successful demo. The hosts also chat about the political landscape surrounding NASA, focusing on Jared Isaacman's renomination and the potential for nuclear propulsion advancements. With witty banter and technical insights, they navigate the chaos of space exploration while reflecting on recent industry developments.

Jake and Anthony are joined by space artist and illustrator Paul Fjeld to review their rocket tier list, adjust some rankings, and add some new contenders to the mix.TopicsOff-Nominal - YouTubeEpisode 217 - Buran DMCA Takedown (with Paul Fjeld) - YouTubeEpisode 217 OuttakesRocket Tier List Rebuttal ※ veridical.netOff-Nominal Official Rocket - TierMaker (First Take)Off-Nominal Rocket Tiers Mark 2 - TierMaker (Spoilers)Follow PaulSpace Art by Paul FjeldFollow 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 🐘Off-Nominal MerchandiseOff-Nominal Logo TeeWeMartians Shop | MECO Shop

Eric Berger, Senior Space Editor at Ars Technica, dives into the competitive landscape of NASA leadership and the critical Artemis 3 lunar mission. He discusses the geopolitical importance of lunar exploration and the implications if the U.S. falls behind China. The conversation also touches on NASA's transparency issues, the potential streamlining of missions, and the dynamics of agency politics influencing the next NASA Administrator. Berger critiques both SpaceX and Blue Origin's media strategies while sharing insights on the future of lunar programming.

Jake and Anthony are joined by Craig Baerwaldt and Sarah Freese to talk about Space Happy Hour and the upcoming Sally’s Night event, honoring Sally Ride and celebrating women in aerospace.TopicsOff-Nominal - YouTubeEpisode 215 - Gainesville-on-Ocala (with Craig Baerwaldt and Sarah Freese) - YouTubeSally's Night | Space Happy Hour Global Women's Night November 13, 2025Space Happy Hour | Space Industry Networking EventsSpace Happy Hour: Overview | LinkedInFollow 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 🐘Off-Nominal MerchandiseOff-Nominal Logo TeeWeMartians Shop | MECO Shop

Jake and Anthony do a good ol’ news roundup—Jared Isaacman may be back as NASA Administrator, Stoke Space raises a ton of money, New Glenn gets ready for its next launch, and we have thoughts about the communication of phasing orbits.TopicsOff-Nominal - YouTubeEpisode 214 - Blasting Through the Pork Chop - YouTubeTrump, Billionaire Isaacman Said to Meet About Top NASA Job - BloombergStoke Space gives us another reason to take it very seriously - Ars TechnicaPentagon contract figures show ULA’s Vulcan rocket is getting more expensive - Ars TechnicaActually, we are going to tell you the odds of recovering New Glenn’s second launch - Ars TechnicaESCAPADE trajectory design creates new options for Mars smallsat missions - SpaceNewsHow America fell behind China in the lunar space race—and how it can catch back up - Ars TechnicaWe’re about to find many more interstellar interlopers—here’s how to visit one - 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 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 🐘Off-Nominal MerchandiseOff-Nominal Logo TeeWeMartians Shop | MECO Shop

Jake and Anthony are joined by Adam Wuerl and Rob Davis, creators of Apogee Board Games (and longtime anomalies!), to talk about their new game, Scoundrels and Pirates Affiliated with Criminal Enterprises.TopicsOff-Nominal - YouTubeEpisode 213 - This is Why We Playtest (with Adam Wuerl and Rob Davis) - YouTubeS.P.A.C.E. - Scoundrels and Pirates Affiliated with Criminal Enterprises by Apogee Board GamesRocket Tier List Rebuttal ※ veridical.netFollow AdamAdam Wuerl (@wuerl@mastodon.social) - Mastodon※ veridical.netFollow RobThoughts of RobFollow 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 🐘Off-Nominal MerchandiseOff-Nominal Logo TeeWeMartians Shop | MECO Shop

A guest scheduling snafu, a sickness at Anthony’s house, and a great idea from a future guest leads to an old school late night Off-Nominal where the boys have some fun making a tier list of rockets.TopicsOff-Nominal - YouTubeEpisode 212 - Subcontractor Voltron - YouTubeNASA Selects Blue Origin to Deliver VIPER Rover to Moon’s South Pole - NASANASA, Sierra Space Modify Commercial Resupply Services Contract - NASASierra’s Dream Chaser is starting to resemble a nightmare - Ars TechnicaArtemis II Crew Members Name Their Orion Spacecraft - NASANASA targeting early February for Artemis II mission 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 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 🐘Off-Nominal MerchandiseOff-Nominal Logo TeeWeMartians Shop | MECO Shop

Jake and Anthony are joined by Christian Davenport of The Washington Post to talk about his new book, Rocket Dreams: Musk, Bezos, and the Inside Story of the New, Trillion-Dollar Space Race.TopicsOff-Nominal - YouTubeEpisode 211 - The International Team (with Christian Davenport) - YouTubeRocket Dreams: Musk, Bezos, and the Inside Story of the New, Trillion-Dollar Space Race: Davenport, Christian: 9780593594117: Amazon.com: BooksThe Space Barons: Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, and the Quest to Colonize the Cosmos: Davenport, Christian: Amazon.com: BooksChristian Davenport on X: “So some personal news, as they say. I’m joining the amazing team @CBSNews as a contributor. So grateful they had me on to discuss Rocket Dreams.”Elon Musk Interview: Why the Starship Is Built of Stainless SteelFollow ChristianChristian Davenport - The Washington PostChristian Davenport (@wapodavenport) / 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 (@acolangelo) | TwitterAnthony Colangelo (@acolangelo@jawns.club) - jawns.club 🐘Off-Nominal MerchandiseOff-Nominal Logo TeeWeMartians Shop | MECO Shop

Jake and Anthony are joined by Greg Gillinger of Integrity ISR to talk about what Russia and China are up to lately with their space assets.TopicsOff-Nominal - YouTubeEpisode 210 - Hufflepuff Ships (with Greg Gillinger) - YouTubeIntegrity ISR: Forged by Service. Proven in Action.Integrity Flash Newsletter | ISR UniversityHome - ISR UniversityThe Space Review: Developing and testing China’s Guowang constellationChina’s Shijian-21 towed dead satellite to a high graveyard orbit - SpaceNewsChinese spacecraft prepare for orbital refueling test as US surveillance sats lurk nearby - SpaceNewsCOMSPOC_OPS on X: “Recent observations from @OurSkyAI and @ObservableSpace, supported by COMSPOC’s optical network, reveal several significant activities in GEO between 6–8 June 2025. SHIJIAN-25 (SJ-25) performed four maneuvers between 6 June 01:50 UTC and 7 June 16:51 UTC, using a total delta-v”Follow 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 🐘Off-Nominal MerchandiseOff-Nominal Logo TeeWeMartians Shop | MECO Shop

Chris Temby and Jan Špaček join Jake and Anthony to talk about the Agnostic Life Finding Association and the search for life on Mars.TopicsOff-Nominal - YouTubeEpisode 209 - Mars Life Pushers (with Chris Temby and Jan Špaček) - YouTubeALFA MarsAgnostic Life Finding Association, Inc. (@alfamarsinc) / XALFA Mars - YouTubeFollow 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 🐘Off-Nominal MerchandiseOff-Nominal Logo TeeWeMartians Shop | MECO Shop