NASA Tries Fuel Tanking the SLS Again

NASA Tries Fuel Tanking the SLS Again

In advance of the next scheduled launch attempt, NASA conducted another test to fill the fuel tanks onboard the Space Launch System rocket. The results were mixed, but the launch is still on schedule. Plus, a crewed launch, beautiful images, and an interview with Mike Simmons from Astronomy for Equity about sending telescopes to underprivileged students.

Play
All the Rockets and All the Rocks

All the Rockets and All the Rocks

With the release of JWST’s first science images behind us, we now catch up on all the rocket launches of the past few days. Meanwhile, Bennu continues to be a favorite research topic and is the subject of three new papers released this week. Plus, pulsar-orbiting planets, and this week in rocket history, we look back at GEOTAIL.

Play
Long-Awaited Rollout of the First Space Launch System

Long-Awaited Rollout of the First Space Launch System

The first SLS was rolled out of the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) High Bay 3 on the Crawler Transporter on March 17, 2022, and is the first lunar rocket to emerge from the VAB since Apollo 17’s Saturn V in 1972. Plus, an asteroid impact, climate change, ancient volcanoes, spring on Mars, and a new Deep Sky Network dish.

Play
Several Kepler Planets Turn Out to be Small Stars

Several Kepler Planets Turn Out to be Small Stars

Using updated stellar measurements based on new data from the Gaia mission, three (and possibly four) Kepler exoplanets are actually small stars, but it’s unlikely new calculations will reveal many more such issues. Plus, Ingenuity, astronauts, permafrost, and This Week in Rocket History, we look back at STS-3 and the first use of the Canadarm.

Play
Special Edition: Space Science and the Russia-Ukraine War

Special Edition: Space Science and the Russia-Ukraine War

Today we’re going to discuss the repercussions to space science of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Some people may find this subject upsetting, and if you need to skip this episode, we understand. We’re going to take a look at Roscosmos and how space corporations and nations are imposing sanctions that impact how, when, and what we send to space.

Play