Planetary Radio: Space Policy Edition

Episoder

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  What's going on with commercial space stations? 03.07.2026 57min

  Clayton Swope, deputy director of the Aerospace Security Project and senior fellow at CSIS, joins the show to break down NASA's rocky path toward a commercial replacement for the International Space Station.
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  A proposal to stifle American science 05.06.2026 52min

  Casey Dreier is joined by Liz Ginexi, a former Program Officer at the U.S. National Institutes of Health, to break down a 400-page proposed rule change from the U.S. Office of Management and Budget that could fundamentally reshape how the federal government manages scientific grants.
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  Why humans matter — The philosophy of Artemis II 01.05.2026 1t 18min

  Casey Dreier, chief of space policy at The Planetary Society, sits down with Rebecca Lowe, philosophy senior fellow at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University, to explore why human presence in space is so different from robotic missions, and why that difference matters.
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  Return to Launch — Cape Canaveral's unlikely history 03.04.2026 1t 13min

  Casey Dreier, chief of space policy at The Planetary Society, sits down with Stephen C. Smith, author of Return to Launch and Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex communicator, to explore how a remote Florida peninsula became the heart of U.S. spaceflight.
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  Is there really a space race between the US and China? 06.03.2026 1t 8min

  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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  What a NASA Authorization bill actually does 06.02.2026 1t

  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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  Change for the Sake of Disruption at NASA 02.01.2026 1t 11min

  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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  The Moral Case for Space Science 12.12.2025 1t 8min

  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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  Should a (potential) biosignature revive Mars Sample Return? 07.11.2025 1t 21min

  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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  China’s growing space science ambitions 03.10.2025 48min

  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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  Does the rise of Elon mean the fall of NASA? 05.09.2025 1t

  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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  Is this the moment for in-space nuclear power? 01.08.2025 1t 10min

  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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  Are Democrats falling behind on space policy? 04.07.2025 59min

  Our guest, Mary Guenther, argues that the Democratic Party is ceding leadership in space policy, and how linking space to jobs, supply chains, and climate could help refocus the party’s relationship with the Cosmos.
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  NASA’s 2026 budget 27.06.2025 1t 7min

  Alicia Brown from the Commercial Space Federation and Brittany Webster from the American Geophysical Union join the show to discuss NASA’s fiscal year 2026 budget proposal.
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  What does NASA need with an economist? 06.06.2025 1t 15min

  Former NASA chief economist Akhil Rao explains why NASA needs economic expertise to navigate the complex — and often misunderstood — market forces that will determine the success or failure of its private partnerships.
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  How NASA remembers—and forgets 02.05.2025 1t 18min

  No one person knows how to build a spaceship. What happens to NASA’s collective knowledge when thousands of employees lose their jobs?
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  Lies, damned lies, and space data 04.04.2025 1t 9min

  The space sector is data-rich but insight-poor. Jack Kuhr of Payload talks about how he turns raw numbers into real narratives.
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  Locke, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness (in space) 07.03.2025 1t 17min

  Can classical liberalism provide fresh insights to guide humanity’s activities in space? Philosopher Rebecca Lowe explains how it can.
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  Mars Sample Return, but at what (fixed) price? 07.02.2025 1t 20min

  Rocket Lab CEO Peter Beck outlines a $4B fixed-price plan for Mars Sample Return — and reveals new Venus mission details — before VP Richard French explains how a single, integrated team cuts costs and ensures success.
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  The Challenges of Change at NASA 03.01.2025 1t 8min

  Marcia Smith, founder of Space Policy Online, joins the show to discuss the motivations and risks of pursuing change at NASA - and how much change can ultimately happen with Congress holding the purse strings.