Episodes

  • Is there really a space race between the US and China?

    Is there really a space race between the US and China?
    Mar 6 2026
    Casey Dreier, chief of space policy at The Planetary Society, speaks with former NASA strategic advisor on China, Patrick Besha, about China’s long-term space strategy and what real competition in space may look like in the decades ahead.
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    1 hr and 9 mins
  • What a NASA Authorization bill actually does

    What a NASA Authorization bill actually does
    Feb 6 2026
    Chief of Space Policy Casey Dreier and Director of Government Relations Jack Kiraly break down what NASA authorization bills actually do and why these laws matter for long-term U.S. space policy, from science missions to human spaceflight and planetary defense.
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    1 hr and 1 min
  • Change for the Sake of Disruption at NASA

    Change for the Sake of Disruption at NASA
    Jan 2 2026
    After DOGE cuts, mass staff departures, and a blink-and-you-missed-it pivot to Mars, how much did NASA actually change in 2025? Space Policy Online founder Marcia Smith returns to assess a turbulent year.
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    1 hr and 11 mins
  • The Moral Case for Space Science

    The Moral Case for Space Science
    Dec 12 2025
    Why do we explore space? In this Space Policy Edition rerun, Casey Dreier speaks with philosopher Dr. J. S. Johnson-Schwartz about why space science is a moral obligation, beyond economics or prestige.
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    1 hr and 9 mins
  • Should a (potential) biosignature revive Mars Sample Return?

    Should a (potential) biosignature revive Mars Sample Return?
    Nov 7 2025
    In 1996, a controversial claim of fossilized life in a Martian meteorite ignited a golden age of Mars exploration. Nearly 30 years later, a potential biosignature detected by the Perseverance rover at Jezero Crater has sparked… no major policy changes. Why? Lou Friedman joins the show to present his view.
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    1 hr and 22 mins
  • China’s growing space science ambitions

    China’s growing space science ambitions
    Oct 3 2025
    If the United States is indeed in a space race with China, why are we abandoning space science programs across the Solar System? This question, posed by guest Maxwell Zhu in a recent op-ed co-authored by The Planetary Society’s chief of space policy, reveals the current myopia around human spaceflight and the missing focus on a growing and ambitious new entrant into space science in the 21st century.
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    49 mins
  • Does the rise of Elon mean the fall of NASA?

    Does the rise of Elon mean the fall of NASA?
    Sep 5 2025
    Atlantic writer Franklin Foer joins the show to discuss how NASA enabled the rise of Elon Musk, and, in doing so, sowed the seeds of its own decline.
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    1 hr and 1 min
  • Is this the moment for in-space nuclear power?

    Is this the moment for in-space nuclear power?
    Aug 1 2025
    Dr. Bhavya Lal argues that the 2020s are a decisive decade for in-space nuclear power. Without nuclear, humans may never be more than visitors on Mars or the Moon.
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    1 hr and 10 mins