Space projects push boundaries, aiming to give teams a better understanding of our own planet and to explore what’s beyond. But these efforts are full of complexity, with evolving risks, new innovations, long timelines and fluctuations in funding. We discuss this with: Kenneth Harris II, PhD, senior project engineer, The Aerospace Corporation, Upper Marlbo ... Show More
Nov 2023
NASA’s Former Head of Science on What It Takes to Manage Complex, High-Risk Projects
As the head of science at NASA, Thomas Zurbuchen managed an $8.6 billion dollar budget. A typical Monday, for him, might have involved hitting an asteroid with a space craft or trying to launch a rocket. Zurbuchen left that role in 2022, but he’s still the longest continually ser ... Show More
31m 9s
Jan 2025
Space Policy Edition: The Challenges of Change at NASA
<p dir="ltr">How does change happen within NASA, and what prevents it? Marcia Smith, founder of Space Policy Online, joins the show to discuss the opportunities and pitfalls faced by incoming presidential administrations and how NASA has—and hasn’t—changed over ... Show More
1h 8m
Dec 2021
Moon missions and space junk
2021 was another year of firsts in the ever-expanding industry around space, as we moved towards space tourism as a reality. But what about NASA, and its plans to return to the moon? We hear all about it, and the space agency’s ambitious plans for not just the moon, but mars; fro ... Show More
17m 28s
Oct 2022
NASA’s Science Head on Leading Space Missions with Risk of Spectacular Failure
In 2021, the U.S. space agency NASA launched a spacecraft toward a pair of asteroids more than 11 million kilometers away. The target? The smaller of the two asteroids, just 170 meters wide. The success of the $300 million, seven-year project demanded careful coordination of scie ... Show More
29m 30s
Jul 2023
Space Policy Edition: What’s Going on with: Congress, MSR, and ?
<p>We check in on the congressional budget process for NASA, Mars Sample Return’s spiraling cost growth, and the impending end of the regulatory holiday for human commercial space launch companies. Jack Kiraly, director of government relations for The Planetary Society, joins hos ... Show More
56m 49s