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Scott “Kidd” Poteet, a retired U.S. Air Force Lieutenant Colonel and former Thunderbird pilot, shares thrilling insights from his mission as the pilot of Polaris Dawn. He delves into the emotional experience of spacewalks and breathtaking views of Earth, including magical moments like the Northern Lights. The discussion touches on the evolution of spacesuit technology, emphasizing collaboration for safety. Kidd also highlights the importance of inspiring future generations through educational outreach, blending humor with profound reflections on cosmic experiences.

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 Strategy Review – SpacePolicyOnline.comFollow ThomasThomas ZurbuchenThomas Zurbuchen (@Dr_ThomasZ) / 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

Jack Beyer, Content Manager for NSF, joins the conversation to discuss the exhilarating recent SpaceX developments, including their impressive booster catch. They explore how massive rockets like Starship create unique visual illusions of speed, contrasting personal anecdotes with technical insights. The chat dives into the fascinating evolution of SpaceX’s Starbase, the joys of celestial sightings, and the increasing public interest in space exploration, all while sharing lighthearted banter over their favorite Texas drinks.

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@spacey.space) - Spacey SpaceAnthony Colangelo (@acolangelo) | TwitterAnthony Colangelo (@acolangelo@jawns.club) - jawns.club 🐘Off-Nominal MerchandiseOff-Nominal Logo TeeWeMartians Shop | MECO Shop

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 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 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 🥹”Elon Musk on X: “Starship Super Heavy Booster Flight 4”SpaceX on X: “SpaceX engineers have spent years preparing and months testing for the booster catch attempt on Flight 5, with technicians pouring tens of thousands of hours into building the infrastructure to maximize our chances for success”Dr. Phil Metzger on X: “Amen. Space is too important. We need parts of the Earth available for launching rockets. Space helps, not hurts, the global environment and security of the public.”Dr. Phil Metzger on X (Thread)Joe Barnard 🚀 on X: “The FAA should let SpaceX launch whatever they want, whenever they want, and the only catch is they have to do it live on YouTube in 4K”Joe Barnard 🚀 on X: “Servos/cables potted - I’m so so excited for this project”Follow JoeBPS.space - YouTubeJoe Barnard (@joebarnard) / TwitterBPS.SpaceFollow 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 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 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 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) - jawns.club 🐘Off-Nominal MerchandiseOff-Nominal Logo TeeWeMartians Shop | MECO Shop

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 - YouTubeEpisode 165 - Vacuum Light Pipe (with Dr. Gerard van Belle) - 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 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 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 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