logo
episode-header-image
Jul 30
44m 51s

Has NASA Ceded Its Mission To Elon Musk?

NPR
About this episode
The Atlantic journalist Franklin Foer explains how SpaceX and the Trump administration are changing the face of NASA, and why Musk's dream of Mars may come at the cost of the agency's mission.

Also, Ken Tucker commemorates the 50th anniversary release of George Clinton's album Mothership Connection.

Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices

NPR Privacy Policy
Up next
Yesterday
Laufey Is Unapologetically Herself
Icelandic jazz-pop star Laufey spoke with Terry Gross about her classical training in cello, breaking out online during COVID, and her first arena tour. "I've been inspired by Golden Age films, the va-va-voom of it all," the Grammy-winning artist says. Laufey sings and plays in t ... Show More
46m 1s
Oct 7
'Dopesick' Writer Returns To Her 'Fractured' Hometown
Journalist and Dopesick author Beth Macy returned to the Ohio factory town where she grew up to find jobs have left, families are struggling and old friends now embrace conspiracy theories. She spoke with Dave Davies about her new memoir, Paper Girl: A Memoir of Home and Family i ... Show More
45m 14s
Oct 6
Poet Ada Limón On Writing In Uncertain Times
As the nation’s 24th Poet Laureate, Ada Limón has spent her career writing about the hardest parts of being human: loss, grief, longing, and our relationship to nature. She believes that poetry can sometimes tell a better story than a traditional memoir. Limón spoke with Tonya Mo ... Show More
45m 26s
Recommended Episodes
Apr 2025
Elon Musk Brings His Vision for Mars to NASA
The SpaceX founder has backed a friend to lead the space agency and make a Mars mission a priority. Wall Street Journal reporters Emily Glazer and Micah Maidenberg talk about Musk’s efforts to align NASA’s priorities with his own, and what could happen to its moon program Artemis ... Show More
13m 56s
Jun 2025
Elon Musk and President Trump Feud Impacts Tesla, SpaceX
Bloomberg’s Caroline Hyde and Ed Ludlow discuss the fallout between President Trump and Elon Musk, as Tesla stocks regain some of Thursday’s losses. Plus, the spat could impact U.S. space ambitions and SpaceX. The CEO of Anysphere, the maker of AI coding assistant Cursor, also ex ... Show More
45m 47s
Nov 2024
What does the U.S. election mean for NASA?
  Presidential elections in the United States don’t just shape the country’s future — they set the course for space exploration. This week, Casey Dreier, the chief of space policy at The Planetary Society, analyzes what the incoming Trump administration could mean for NASA’s fund ... Show More
59m 41s
Aug 2024
Tech Under Pressure Ahead of Nvidia Results and Space X Tapped in to Bring NASA Astronauts Home
Bloomberg's Caroline Hyde and Ed Ludlow look at the move down in technology stocks as the market braces for Nvidia's earnings on Wednesday. Plus Elon Musk's SpaceX has been tapped in to bring NASA's stranded astronauts home from the ISS after Boeing's capsule failings. And Telegr ... Show More
42m 15s
Aug 2017
#13 Elon Musk and Why SpaceX Will Colonize Mars
What I learned from reading The Elon Musk Blog Series: Wait But Why by Tim Urban.In the most recent 1% of our species short existence, we have become the first life on earth to know about the situation (4:38)The total market for satellite manufacturing, the launches that carry th ... Show More
55m 10s
Jun 2025
Trump wants to put humans on Mars: what scientists think of the plan
In this Podcast Extra, we examine President Donald Trump's calls for NASA to land humans on Mars. Although the White House has proposed spending some US$1 billion in 2026 on Mars plans, critics say the final cost will likely be hundreds of billions of dollars spread over a number ... Show More
11m 47s
Aug 2024
NASA Says It Could Tap SpaceX to Complete Starliner Mission
A.M. Edition for August 8. NASA confirms it’s considering using Elon Musk’s space company to bring two astronauts back from the International Space Station. The WSJ’s Micah Maidenberg says that would be a tough blow for Boeing, whose Starliner craft has run into issues. Plus, thr ... Show More
13m 37s
Mar 2025
An extinction-level event for NASA science
NASA's science missions have transformed our understanding of the Universe, from breathtaking images of deep space to robotic explorers on Mars. But now, a reported 50% cut to NASA's science budget threatens to shut down missions, halt discoveries, and devastate the future of spa ... Show More
1h 7m
Feb 2025
Elon Musk's DOGE Takes Control Of Federal Spending
Elon Musk is keeping his campaign promise of trying to cut $2 trillion of federal spending through his unit, DOGE. After some questions about his role, the White House announced that he is now a "special government employee." What has Musk been able to accomplish thus far? This e ... Show More
15m 3s
Aug 2023
Space Policy Edition: Why lunar exploration must be of enduring national interest
Scott Pace, the prior executive secretary of the National Space Council, discusses why Artemis is of strategic value to U.S. national interests — and why the Moon is unique as a destination to drive global space exploration. Casey also discusses the latest congressional budgets n ... Show More
1h 13m
Listen to millions of songs and podcasts on Anghami