The Space Shuttle Program achieved a lot — but did it achieve its main goals? The Shuttle was intended to provide crewed access to orbit at lower costs, with rapid reusability and reliability. John Logsdon, who founded the Space Policy Institute and now serves on The Planetary Society’s board of directors, wrote a paper back in 1986 arguing that the Shuttle program was a policy failure. The latest episode of Planetary Radio: Space Policy Edition revisits this classic paper to discuss its arguments, its conclusions, and whether the paper stands up to this day. Pictured: The Space Shuttle Columbia making its first trip to launchpad. Image credit: NASA.
What caused the largest marsquake ever recorded? Benjamin Fernando, a postdoctoral fellow from the University of Oxford, joins Planetary Radio this week to talk about the 4.7-magnitude marsquake recorded by NASA’s InSight Mars lander in 2022, what we know about it today, and the international effort it took to figure it out.
Marc Hartzman knows a lot about aliens. Specifically, the author and historian knows how to discern between the fact and fiction of UFOs/UAPs and the real possibility of life existing beyond Earth. He joined our latest virtual book club meeting to talk to Planetary Society members about his book “We Are Not Alone.” Watch a recording of the live event and be sure to check out the next meeting in our online member community. Not a member yet? Join us now.