Talking Space returns after a hiatus to discuss the landing attempts by the NASA Commercial Lunar Payload Services program. First a successful soft landing of the Firefly Aerospace Blue Ghost 1 mission on the plans of Mare Crisium. Then a much more perilous landing attempt for the Intuitive Machines "Athena" lander, trying to land its suite of science and technology demonstrations closer to the Lunar South Pole than any other mission to date, with some mixed results. We also mention that Japan's ispace is set to try a lunar landing on 6 June.

We then focused on the Expedition 72 / 73 handover at the International Space Station and took one more look at the Crew-9 Mission's saga in the mainstream press with a reminder, no Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams were never stuck on the ISS.

Our Mark Ratterman also reminds all that the NASA Spinoff catalog for 2025 is available for download.

If at first, you don't succeed... try, try again out at Boca Chica Texas for the SpaceX Starship with Iteriave Flight Test mission No.8. Alas, the same result as Mission 7 with debris scattering over the skies of Caribbean Islands and air traffic having to be diverted out of the area, quickly. We discuss the incident and the possible future of the program.

We end the program with a plea, especially for our friends in the United States. Due to current goings-on within the US government, both NASA's personnel and budget are poised to be cut drastically. A 50 % cut in the NASA science budget is not outside the realm of possibility. The impact would be catastrophic, causing long-established science investigations to shut down, and crippling the start of new missions.

Very rarely do we go into activist mode, but this is one of those times where it is required. If you care for your space program, tell your elected representatives. Don't know how to contact them? Here's a guide via Congress.gov

Participants this Week:

Dr. Kat Robison, Mark Ratterman, Gene Mikulka

It was September 9, 2009; aka 09/09/09.

That was the easy-to-remember air date of the first episode of Talking Space. The Space Shuttle era was ending. As far as most of the public was concerned, that represented the death knell for the U.S. Space Program. But Gene, Mark and Sawyer knew better, and they were trying to figure out how to best spread the word that all was not lost.

Thus, Talking Space was born. And what a ride it’s been.

In Part 2 of this retrospective (Part 1 can be found here), the team reveals:

• The role of audience feedback – pros and cons, and the methods by which we receive it (and don’t, despite our best efforts);
• Our social media follies;
• The behind-the-scenes scrambles to cover launch anomalies;
• The proven importance of dissimilar redundancy, as well as interoperability;
• How we’ve dealt with the occasional bouts of podcast burnout over the last 15 years, because sometimes we just get tired, you know? And sometimes, Life just gets in the way. Those are the times we’re glad we’re not doing this podcasting stuff alone.

And we also talk about how much we value feedback from you, our listeners – even when you let us know you do not particularly agree with us.

Be sure to let us know your thoughts on the topics we discuss. You can always reach us at mailbag@TalkingSpaceOnline.com .

Show recorded 09-19-2023.

Host: Larry Herrin

Panelist(s): Gene Mikulka, Mark Ratterman, Sawyer Rosenstein and Dr. Kat Robison

Podcast Editor: Larry Herrin

It was September 9, 2009; aka 09/09/09.

That was the easy-to-remember air date of the first episode of Talking Space. The Space Shuttle era was ending. For most casual observers, that represented the death knell for the U.S. Space Program. But Gene, Mark and Sawyer knew better, and they were trying to figure out how to best spread the word that all was not lost.

Back then, there were basically only three places to publish a podcast: iTunes, Yahoo and your own website (probably made with Wordpress). Apple didn’t launch its first standalone Apple Podcasts mobile app until 2012. The app was later pre-installed with iOS beginning October 2014.

Now, you can listen to Talking Space on any of what seems like dozens of available podcast aggregation apps.

So, as our gift to you, you get to hear us talk about ourselves for a change – like it or not. Yay!

This time around, our entire on-air team (as it existed when this episode was recorded on September 19, 2023) lets their collective hair down to celebrate and reminisce about how Talking Space got started back in those Wild West days of podcasting. We also discuss how each of us came to find a way to be a part of it. We’ll reveal the "challenging" episodes, the ones that caused us joy, the occasionally stressful times, and the often very rewarding times.

Listen in as we share behind-the-scenes stories of covering historic events, interviewing legendary astronauts, and navigating the ever-evolving world of space exploration.

Discover how Talking Space has grown and adapted over the years, embracing new formats and audiences while staying true to its mission of delivering in-depth analysis and commentary. Whether you're a long-time listener or new to the podcast, this episode offers a unique glimpse into the passion and dedication that drives the Talking Space team.

Don't miss Part 1 of this engaging and nostalgic look back at the past 14 years of Talking Space.

And then, stay tuned for Part 2, coming soon, where the conversation continues!

Be sure to let us know your thoughts on the topics we discuss. You can always reach us at mailbag@TalkingSpaceOnline.com .

Show recorded 09-19-2023.

Host: Larry Herrin

Panelist(s): Gene Mikulka, Mark Ratterman, Sawyer Rosenstein and Dr. Kat Robison

Podcast Editor: Larry Herrin