This Week in Space (Audio)

Think you're having a hot summer? Try living on 55 Cancri-e, a super-Earth with daytime temperatures above 4000 degrees Fahrenheit. Most of these super-Earths orbit frighteningly close to their host stars and have long since had their atmospheres scraped away, leaving them baked, parched rocks. But some, like 55 Cancri, still have dense envelopes of air. How is that possible, when the planet is 20 times closer to its star than our own planet Mercury? Dr. Laura Schaefer explains how molten lava worlds defy the odds. Plus: Starship update, the first orbital data centers, and a new year on Mars.



Headlines:

SpaceX's Starship Achieves First Full Orbital Flight With Satellite Deployments

Google and Planet Labs Launch AI Data Center Satellite

Multiple SpaceX Launches Within Hours Mark a New Operational Standard

Cowboy Space Debuts Power-Beaming AI Data Center in Orbit

Mars Celebrates a New Year on Its Extended Journey Around the Sun

NASA Anniversary and Notable Space Birthdays Noted

Main Topic: Living on Lava Worlds—Atmospheres, Extreme Planets, and the Search for Life

Early Exoplanet Detection Methods and Evolution of Exoplanet Surveys

Cosmic Shoreline Concept: How Gravity and Stellar Radiation Shape Planetary Atmospheres

Airless Valleys, Sandbars, and Other New Categories for Rocky Exoplanets

Permanent Magma Oceans: Why Some Lava-covered Worlds Retain Atmospheres

Volatiles, Atmosphere Loss, and The Soda-Bottle Effect on Hot Exoplanets

Sandbar Regime: Superheated Planets Keep Atmospheres Longer Than Expected

Case Study: 55 Cancri e and the Myth of the Diamond Planet

K2-18b: Possibilities of a Water World or Another Magma-Lava Hybrid

Redefining Goldilocks Zones With Atmospheric Survival Factors

Tidal Heating, Volcanism, and Dynamics Shaping Exoplanet Atmospheres

Future Directions: Webb Telescope, Habitable Worlds Observatory, and Prospects for Imaging True "Earths"

Hosts: Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik

Guest: Dr. Laura Schaefer

Download or subscribe to This Week in Space at https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-space.

Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts!

Support what you love and get ad-free audio and video feeds, a members-only Discord, and exclusive content. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit

Sponsors:
helixsleep.com/space

coveron.com/thisweekinspace and use code thisweekinspace

Think you're having a hot summer? Try living on 55 Cancri-e, a super-Earth with daytime temperatures above 4000 degrees Fahrenheit. Most of these super-Earths orbit frighteningly close to their host stars and have long since had their atmospheres scraped away, leaving them baked, parched rocks. But some, like 55 Cancri, still have dense envelopes of air. How is that possible, when the planet is 20 times closer to its star than our own planet Mercury? Dr. Laura Schaefer explains how molten lava worlds defy the odds. Plus: Starship update, the first orbital data centers, and a new year on Mars.



Headlines:

SpaceX's Starship Achieves First Full Orbital Flight With Satellite Deployments

Google and Planet Labs Launch AI Data Center Satellite

Multiple SpaceX Launches Within Hours Mark a New Operational Standard

Cowboy Space Debuts Power-Beaming AI Data Center in Orbit

Mars Celebrates a New Year on Its Extended Journey Around the Sun

NASA Anniversary and Notable Space Birthdays Noted

Main Topic: Living on Lava Worlds—Atmospheres, Extreme Planets, and the Search for Life

Early Exoplanet Detection Methods and Evolution of Exoplanet Surveys

Cosmic Shoreline Concept: How Gravity and Stellar Radiation Shape Planetary Atmospheres

Airless Valleys, Sandbars, and Other New Categories for Rocky Exoplanets

Permanent Magma Oceans: Why Some Lava-covered Worlds Retain Atmospheres

Volatiles, Atmosphere Loss, and The Soda-Bottle Effect on Hot Exoplanets

Sandbar Regime: Superheated Planets Keep Atmospheres Longer Than Expected

Case Study: 55 Cancri e and the Myth of the Diamond Planet

K2-18b: Possibilities of a Water World or Another Magma-Lava Hybrid

Redefining Goldilocks Zones With Atmospheric Survival Factors

Tidal Heating, Volcanism, and Dynamics Shaping Exoplanet Atmospheres

Future Directions: Webb Telescope, Habitable Worlds Observatory, and Prospects for Imaging True "Earths"

Hosts: Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik

Guest: Dr. Laura Schaefer

Download or subscribe to This Week in Space at https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-space.

Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts!

Support what you love and get ad-free audio and video feeds, a members-only Discord, and exclusive content. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit

Sponsors:
helixsleep.com/space

coveron.com/thisweekinspace and use code thisweekinspace

This week it's Rod and Tariq working through the most important space headlines. The big story: Starship could launch test flight 14 as early as Monday the 28th. We've seen lots of tests, but this is the first attempt at an orbital flight, the success of which is necessary for the lunar landing system and eventual retirement of the Falcon 9 and Crew Dragon. Also: Vast starts up a lunar division, Isaacman's relief over delays to China's lunar program, concerns over announced discontinuation of SpaceX's Falcon 9 and Crew Dragon, and yet more money for Boeing's troubled Starliner. This and more on this episode of TWiS!



Headlines:

SpaceX Prepares for Big Starship Flight 14 Launch

Falcon 9 and Crew Dragon Proposed Wind-down Sparks Industry Jitters

Starship's Role as Future Space Habitat Gains Traction

Industry Faces Uncertainty as Falcon 9 Phaseout Looms

Boeing Starliner and Alternative Crew Vehicles in Focus

SpaceX's Massive Louisiana Expansion Announced

Jared Isaacman Comments on China's Lunar Delays

U.S. and China Jostle for Lunar Leadership

Vast Unveils Lunar Habitat and Surface System Ambitions

ESA's JUICE and Ramses Missions Headline Upcoming Science

NASA Selects PRIMA Probe for Far-Infrared Astrophysics

New Study Details Disastrous Global Ice Loss

Hosts: Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik

Download or subscribe to This Week in Space at https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-space.

Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts!

Support what you love and get ad-free audio and video feeds, a members-only Discord, and exclusive content. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit

Sponsors:
trustedtech.team/twit

coveron.com/thisweekinspace and use code thisweekinspace

threatlocker.com/twit

This week it's Rod and Tariq working through the most important space headlines. The big story: Starship could launch test flight 14 as early as Monday the 28th. We've seen lots of tests, but this is the first attempt at an orbital flight, the success of which is necessary for the lunar landing system and eventual retirement of the Falcon 9 and Crew Dragon. Also: Vast starts up a lunar division, Isaacman's relief over delays to China's lunar program, concerns over announced discontinuation of SpaceX's Falcon 9 and Crew Dragon, and yet more money for Boeing's troubled Starliner. This and more on this episode of TWiS!



Headlines:

SpaceX Prepares for Big Starship Flight 14 Launch

Falcon 9 and Crew Dragon Proposed Wind-down Sparks Industry Jitters

Starship's Role as Future Space Habitat Gains Traction

Industry Faces Uncertainty as Falcon 9 Phaseout Looms

Boeing Starliner and Alternative Crew Vehicles in Focus

SpaceX's Massive Louisiana Expansion Announced

Jared Isaacman Comments on China's Lunar Delays

U.S. and China Jostle for Lunar Leadership

Vast Unveils Lunar Habitat and Surface System Ambitions

ESA's JUICE and Ramses Missions Headline Upcoming Science

NASA Selects PRIMA Probe for Far-Infrared Astrophysics

New Study Details Disastrous Global Ice Loss

Hosts: Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik

Download or subscribe to This Week in Space at https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-space.

Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts!

Support what you love and get ad-free audio and video feeds, a members-only Discord, and exclusive content. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit

Sponsors:
trustedtech.team/twit

coveron.com/thisweekinspace and use code thisweekinspace

threatlocker.com/twit

In the 1980s, as the US space shuttle was just starting operations, the UK embarked on an ambitious project called HOTOL—short for Horizontal Take Off and Landing, a radical, air-breathing spaceplane design. Political and funding shifts in the UK ultimately derailed the project, despite the promising technologies it pioneered. The idea was later restarted as Skylon, with key individuals and refined technologies at its core. This project, too, struggled, ultimately shuttering in 2024. Despite this, the promise of rapid, reusable spaceplanes that can launch and land at airports is still coveted by many countries, and efforts continue. Join Rob Coppinger, author of the definitive book on the topic and editor of the UK's "Spaceflight" magazine, as he tells this fascinating story.



Headlines:

New Crater Discovered on the Moon

Boeing Starliner Gains New Life with NASA Support

Starship Flight 14 Gears Up for Launch

Main Topic: British Spaceplanes – HOTOL and Skylon

Rob Coppinger Shares Inspiration and Career Path

Origins and Vision Behind HOTOL

HOTOL vs. the Space Shuttle: Concepts and Challenges

Funding Issues and UK Government Decisions

Evolution from HOTOL to Skylon and Reaction Engines

Technological Innovations: SABRE Engine and Reusability

International Context: Other Spaceplane Projects

Current Status and Future Prospects for UK Spaceplanes

Lessons in Vision, Imagination, and Persisting with Big Ideas

Hosts: Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik

Guest: Rob Coppinger

Download or subscribe to This Week in Space at https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-space.

Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts!

Support what you love and get ad-free audio and video feeds, a members-only Discord, and exclusive content. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit

Sponsor:
trustedtech.team/twit