The Space Show by Dr. David Livingston

The Space Show Presents Frank White & Pablo Moncada-Larrotiz on Decentralized Funding For Democratizing Access to Space, Friday, 3-27-26 Quick Summary: The Space Show featured a discussion about MoonDAO, a decentralized autonomous organization (DAO) that funds space-related projects, with co-founder Pablo Moncada-Larrotiz and Frank White, who is seeking to experience the “overview effect” through...

Hotel Mars, Tuesday, March 24, 2026 John Batchelor, Dr. David Livingston with guest Rahil Makadia This episodes of Hotel Mars features Rahil Makadia, who with his team, has been working the DART Mission data regarding the successful planetary defense impactor mission launched back in 2021 intercepting a binary asteroid the following year, 2022. The successful and violent impact has greatly helped...

The Space Show Presents THE Space Show AI Program, Sunday, 3-22-26 Quick Summary: This was a Sunday Space Show Zoom program focused on how our regular Space Show panel members use and work with AI in their professional and personal lives. Manuel Cuba in Luxembourg shared his experience using AI tools like ChatGPT and Copilot for work in the European space industry, particularly for analyzing docum...

The Space Show Presents Bob Zimmerman, Tuesday, 3-24-26! Quick Summary: This space show program focused primarily on NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman’s comprehensive restructuring of the Artemis lunar program, which includes three phases of lunar surface operations, the pausing of the Lunar Gateway project, and increased reliance on private sector partnerships. Bob Zimmerman provided detailed ana...

The Space Show Presents John Hunt, Tuesday, 3-17-26 Quick Summary: The Tuesday Space Show focused on UAP (Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena) and UFO discussions, with John Hunt as our UAP specialist. The conversation covered various topics including the mysterious disappearance of General McCaslin in Albuquerque, potential government disclosure efforts, and historical cases like Roswell. John expla...

Phil Swan, Sunday, 3-15-25 The Space Show Presents Phil Swan on Launching Orbital Data Centers from The Moon are ready! Quick Summary: The meeting focused on the feasibility and implications of building data centers on the moon, with Phil Swan as the main speaker discussing the concept and addressing various technical and economic challenges. Participants explored the potential of mass drivers for...

John Batchelor and I welcomed Dr. Peter van Dokkum of Yale to define and discuss runaway black holes which are supermassive objects expelled from galaxies after massive collisions. These objects move at 1,000 kilometers per second, escaping their host galaxies to roam through intergalactic space. Astronomers first detected a runaway black hole via a shock front and a wake of 100 million newborn st...

The Space Show Presents Jim Muncy, Sunday, 3-10-26 Quick Summary: Our discussion focused on NASA’s Artemis program changes and lunar development strategy, with Jim Muncy discussing NASA Administrator Jared’s recent modifications to Artemis missions, including standardizing on the Centaur 5 upper stage and adding an Earth orbit rendezvous mission before lunar landing attempts. The discussion explor...

Anatoly Zak was our Hotel Mars guest for March 4, 2026 to once again take us through Russian space history with stories and events that were classified at the time so new to us today. You can follow along on Anatoly's excellent website, https://www.russianspaceweb.com. Though many of his stories are behind a paywall, and I suggest you subscribe if Russian space news and history is important to you...

The Space Show Presents Dr. Andrew Fraknoi, Sunday, March 1, 2026 Quick Summary: The Space Show presented an in-depth discussion with astronomer Dr. Andrew Fraknoi about the upcoming total lunar eclipse on March 3rd, which will be visible in the early morning hours across North America. Our discussion explored how ancient Greeks used lunar eclipses to prove Earth’s spherical shape and covered mode...

The Space Show Presents Karen Jones re “SPACEPORTOPIA” Thursday, 2-26-26 Quick Summary: This Space Show program focused on spaceport development and launch forecasting, featuring Karen Jones from Aerospace Corporation to discuss her paper “Spaceportopia: A Primer for Successful Launch Site Planning.” The discussion explored the economic challenges of spaceport development, including demand forecas...

Hotel Mars, Doug Messier, Weds, 2-25-26 Doug joined John Batchelor and myself to discuss the plight of the Boeing Starliner spacecraft. He went over the recent problems with the capsule that stranded astronauts on the ISS until SpaceX could bring them safely home using Dragon. Doug described the problems, issues in quality control and engineering with Boeing in recent times and probably solutions...

The Space Show Presents Trisha Epp. Sunday, 2-22-26 Quick Summary: The Space Show hosted Trisha Epp, Director of Innovation at Freelancer.com, to discuss NASA’s open innovation challenges and Freelancer’s role in facilitating these competitions. Trisha explained how Freelancer works with NASA’s Tournament Lab to run innovation challenges that attract solutions from around the world, with prize mon...

The Space Show Presents Dr. Siamak Hesar and Araz Feyzi on the Shenzhou-20 Debris Scare, Tuesday, 2-20-26. Quick Summary: The Space Show hosted a discussion on the orbital debris problem, focusing on the recent Shenzhou 20 debris scare and its implications for space safety. Araz Feyzi and Siamak Hesar from Kayhan Space explained the challenges of tracking and mitigating space debris, highlighting...

Hotel Mas with Dr. Kshalay De, Wednesday, 2-18-26 John Batchelor and Dr. David Livingston welcomed Dr. Kishalay De of Columbia University discuss a star collapsing into a black hole without a supernova, challenging established theories about the minimum mass required for such cosmic events. Dr. De of Columbia University outlined future astronomical surveys using advanced telescopes to identify mor...

The Space Show Presents OPEN LINES, Sunday, 2-15-26 Quick Summary The Space Show Wisdom Team discussed Elon Musk’s decision to pivot SpaceX’s focus from Mars to the Moon, examining both technical and business reasons for the shift. Ajay presented technical arguments against Starship’s capability to achieve significant payload delivery to orbit, while others debated whether this pivot represented a...

The Space Show Presents FRANK PIETRONIGRO, a visionary interdisciplinary artist, astronaut, polymath, educator, and author whose work, in part, explores the intersection of human creativity and space, Friday, 2-13-26 Quick Summary: The Space Show featured a discussion with Frank Pietronigro, an interdisciplinary artist and artronaut who presented his vision for the Xenian node, a biologically livi...

Hotel Mars with Rick Fisher, Weds, 2-11-25 Our special Hotel Mars guest was Rick Fisher who returned to discusses China’s recent Long March 10 A test which was a very important test for the development of their lunar rocket. The Long March 10 A is planned to be a reusable rocket for China’s lunar missions. The development of the Long March 10 A illustrates China’s evolving moon architecture compar...

The Space Show Presents Steve Wolfe, Tyler Bender, & The Beyond Earth Institute, Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026 Quick Summary: This Space Show program focused on promoting the upcoming Beyond Earth Symposium, scheduled for February 24-25 in Washington, D.C., which will explore creating a clear pathway to a space town and discuss Artemis program developments. The discussion covered NASA’s authorization bil...

The Space Show Presents Dr. Scott Solomon, Sunday, Feb. 8, 2026 Quick Summary: The Space Show program focused on Dr. Scott Solomon’s new book “Becoming Martian,” which explores the biological and evolutionary challenges of human space settlement, particularly on Mars. Our discussion covered key concerns about reproduction in space, medical care for astronauts, and the genetic diversity needed for...

The Space Show Present Dr. Greg Autry, Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2026 Quick Summary: The group explored various aspects of the Artemis program, including its challenges, timeline concerns, and comparison with China’s space efforts, while discussing the importance of maintaining U.S. leadership in space exploration. The conversation concluded with discussions about space policy, commercial space activities,...

The Space Show Presents Mark Whittington, Sunday, Feb. 1, 2026 Quick Summary: Our program began with followed by conversations about the Artemis II mission and space technology advancements. The group explored various aspects of space exploration, including Iran’s space program, lunar missions, and the development of space suits and launch systems. The discussion concluded with conversations about...

The Space Show Presents Marc Berte & Paul Jaffe of the Overview Energy Co. Friday, 2-6-26 Quick Summary The Space Show hosted a discussion about space solar power with Marc Berte, CEO of Overview Energy, and Paul Jaffe, Vice President of Systems Engineering at Overview. The conversation focused on Overview’s innovative approach to space solar power, which involves beaming near-infrared light from...

Eric Berger of Ars Technia joined both John and me on this one segment Hotel Mars program to discuss thre details regarding NASA's urgency in acquiring a new Mars telecommunications orbiter. The debate seems to be between traditional public (government) builds or commercial partnerships to meet the critical 2028 launch window for future missions. Note that this was a one segment Hotel Mars program...

The Space Show Presents Sarah Scoles, Friday, 1-30-26 Quick Summary” Our program initially focused on discussing the status and challenges of the Breakthrough Starshot project, including its cancellation and implications for interstellar travel research through Sarah’s Oct 2025 Scientific American story. Participants explored the technical and financial aspects of space exploration, including the...