This Week in Space 180

This week we cover the headlines, from the shutdown of NASA, to the risky dismantling of the space shuttle Discovery (because Texas insists), to a rogue exoplanet's weird weather, and much more. Should we be worried about China investing in SpaceX? How about those close-up shots of the interstellar visitor 3I/Atlas? And are asteroids hiding out near Venus a threat to Earth? All this and more on episode 180 of This Week in Space.

Headlines:

• NASA Suffers Major Disruption Amid Government Shutdown
• Shuttle Discovery Faces Potential Forced Dismantling for Texas Move
• China Might be Eying Perseverance Mars Samples in Race to Retrieve Martian Rocks
• Near-Venus Asteroids Pose Hidden Threats to Earth
• Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS Gets Close-Up for Mars Orbiters
• Concerns Over Chinese Investments in SpaceX
• China Fast-Tracks Lunar Landing Systems and Rocket Tests
• James Webb Telescope Delivers First Rogue Exoplanet Weather Report

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• Tech: What the Government Shutdown Means for NASA
• Transcripts: This Week in Space 180 Transcript

Links

• NASA closes doors to 15,000 employees as US government shutdown begins
• Senators Cruz and Cornyn Want To Chop Up Space Shuttle Discovery
• Could China return the Perseverance rover's possible biosignature sample from Mars?
• NASA Selects Blue Origin to Deliver VIPER Rover to Moon’s South Pole
• Nearly invisible asteroids around Venus could threaten Earth — but don't worry, not for a while
• Interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS will be eyed by Mars and Jupiter probes as it zooms past the sun this month
• Elon Musk’s SpaceX Took Money Directly From Chinese Investors, Company Insider Testifies
• JWST delivers 1st weather report of nearby world with no sun — stormy and covered with auroras