This Week in Space 88

A lot of cool space stuff has occurred since the dawn of the Space Age, and a lot of it lives overhead right now. This week, Rod and Tariq run through their favorite space missions and top moments in the exploration of the final frontier. As usual, it may not be quite what you expect... but we'll be sure to toss in an extra Bad Space Joke to keep you satisfied. Join us!

Headlines

• SpaceX’s Starship rocket ready for launch attempt on November 19 after repairs. The world’s largest rocket could finally reach orbit after delays.
• Chinese rocket stage likely caused mysterious Moon crater in 2022, study finds. The lunar impact was traced back to a Long March 3C rocket body.
• ULA’s Vulcan Centaur rocket on track for inaugural launch in December, could land lunar probe on Moon. The new rocket’s first mission will carry a commercial moon lander.

Main Topic: Thanksgiving Special - What We’re Grateful For in Space

• Rod recalls being inspired as a child by 1950s visions of space exploration in magazines by Wernher von Braun.
• Tariq shares how going to space camp multiple times as a teen sparked his interest.
• Rod vividly recounts watching the Apollo 8 circumlunar mission on Christmas 1968.
• Tariq talks about space shuttle mission STS-126 coinciding with his daughter’s birth.
• Rod details the 1970s Skylab missions and astronauts fixing the damaged station.
• Tariq expresses gratitude for astronaut Mike Massimino’s Hubble repair work and public outreach.
• Rod reminisces about witnessing the first Viking Mars lander images in 1976.
• Tariq highlights Cassini’s Huygens probe revealing mysteries of Saturn’s moon Titan.
• Rod emotionally recounts being present for Cassini’s final plunge into Saturn in 2017.
• The hosts share favorite comments from listeners about the space events they are most grateful for, from the Apollo coverage on network TV to the recent Artemis and Webb missions.

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Links

• Starship ready for second test flight
• Lunar Crater-Maker was in fact Chinese rocket
• ULA's Vulcan rocket gearing up for first launch
• Before the Space Age
• The Flight of Apollo 8
• Space Camp
• Skylab
• James Webb Space Telescope
• Artemis 1
• NASA/SpaceX Demo-2 flight