Alex G. Orphanos, Science Communicator

Today In Space

Science EN ↓ 415 episodes

The award-winning space science podcast about all things space! Hosted by Alex G. Orphanos, science communicator, maker, and aerospace engineer. Our mission: to spread love and spread science!

Author

Alex G. Orphanos, Science Communicator

Category

Science

Podcast website

www.todayinspace.net

Latest episode

Jul 12, 2026

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Episodes

The Balance: NASA chooses SpaceX for HLS for Artemis, Starship...to the moon! 22.04.2021

The balance has been achieved between NASA & SpaceX! Starship was chosen as the single investment and winner of the HLS contract to bring the first woman and next man to step foot on the Moon. We started this segment of the balance with a question about whether or not NASA & SpaceX could combine forces and bring their best aspects together for a single effort to advance humanity in space....and th...

Review of NASA's Crew 2 & SpaceX's Inspiration 4 mission & Thoughts on First Contact 07.04.2021

In this episode we're playing catch-up to review all the human Spaceflight underway in the next few weeks and months. Crew 1 makes a port relocation in preparation for Crew 2, and we review the Inspiration 4 mission and crew, as well as the impact of the first all civilian space mission. What does this mean for the future? I also discuss the impact of what First Contact IRL would have on humanity...

NASA's SLS Success, 200 years of Greek Independence, and Leonard Nimoy Day 26.03.2021

On this week's episode there's alot to catch up on in Space! NASA successfully test fired their RS-25 engines for the Space Launch System, the heavy lift vehicle created from the Space Shuttle, and is planned to be used for the Artemis Missions. Starship SN11 test fired successfully in Boca Chica, Texas. SpaceX scrubbed the 10km test flight until Monday. March 25th was the 200th anniversary of Gre...

Oumuamua vs. String Theory | Testable vs. Untestable Hypothesis. Which should we fund more? | Today In Space 16.03.2021

In this episode I explore my thoughts on redefining the 'Scientific Ladder of Ideas' - specifically for a Hypothesis. Our talk with Avi Loeb last week opened my mind to two distinct groups for the 1st stage of scientific ideas. Testable and Untestable Hypothesis. Oumuamua vs. String Theory. If you haven't already listen to our last podcast about Avi's groundbreaking hypothesis about the origins of...

Avi Loeb | Oumuamua, Astrophysics, and Academia's struggle with new ideas | People of Science 08.03.2021

On this episode of People of Science we are pleased to have Avi Loeb on to discuss the scientific mystery of Oumuamua. Avi is an Astrophysicist who's hypothesis on the first detected interstellar object to pass through our solar system looks at all the facts and leads us to challenge humanities greatest question - "Are we alone in the universe?" A true Sherlock Holmes style mystery challenging our...

Mars in Review 2021 & NASA's History, Ed Dwight, Nichelle Nichols, & Charles Bolden | Thoughts from an Engineer 28.02.2021

In our final episode of February we wanted to share what to expect in space to start March 2021 (on earth and mars). I share my thoughts on Mars Perseverance Landing and the data we've gathered. The inevitable fake science reporting or poor attention grabbing content sharing fake Mars has returned. Can we get better at this as science communicators? Latest data from Mars rover (images, videos, & m...

NASA Perseveres to Mars and lands Rover - Perseverance despite the Pandemic for Mars2020! | Facebook Live Replay 19.02.2021

We went LIVE on Facebook to have a Mars Mission hangout to celebrate the final of three missions to the Red Planet. Catch the replay of the exciting finale of Mars Exploration for this season with the Perseverance Rover Entry, Descent, and Landing for NASA & JPL.  A MASSIVE congratulations to the Mars2020 team, quite literally persevering through a pandemic and still accomplishing what so many hav...

Hope, Perseverance, and Tianwen-1 | A Triplet of Missions at Mars | TIS#233 11.02.2021

In this episode Alex shares his favorite facts about the two missions of the Mars Triplet this month - Hope & Tianwen-1. We also discuss the ideas of an interplanetary mission to Mars as an amplifier for a country's value and recognition on the world stage. Can a small, young team of engineers and scientists succeed where the most powerful countries in modern history have failed? Can space progres...

SpaceX Starship Update | Comparing SN9 to SN8 | Reaction & First Thoughts | TIS#232 04.02.2021

On this week's episode we sat down and watched both SpaceX Starship high altitude test flights (SN9 & SN8) to compare the two. Both ended in a 'boom', but the 'landing' position was pretty good. How much good data did they get from this launch? Is it enough to continue progress on the Starship program? We'll learn soon enough once SpaceX goes through the debris and analyzes. Best of luck  Alex sha...

Is Space ready for Ride-sharing Cubesats? Orbital Debris & SpaceX's Transporter-1 | The Balance TIS#231 27.01.2021

In this week's episode we discuss the success of the record breaking launch of Transporter-1 by SpaceX that successfully deployed 143 satellites into orbit in the same launch. We also share some stats on this mission to give it some more context Then we discuss the Balance of the space industry and ask whether or not Space is ready for all these emerging launches of cubesats & satellites, consider...

Virgin Orbit Gets to Space! NASA's SLS test fires short, Updates on SpaceX's Starship SN9 & Starlink 19.01.2021

  https://tcrn.ch/3sKRjwe - Virgin orbit goes to space! https://www.space.com/nasa-sls-megarocket-artemis-1-engine-test-fire https://www.facebook.com/groups/spaceXverse/permalink/2495749894063354/ https://physicsworld.com/a/dark-coated-starlink-satellites-are-better-but-not-perfect-say-astronomers/  

Why are space progress & societal chaos linked? | A look at Space Race 2.0 | SpaceX, Flight Proven Hardware, & Gwynne Shotwell 11.01.2021

We've got a space-packed episode for you this week! We're talking about some great things to LOOK UP for in the night sky this month, review the latest news since the start of the year, and break down the idea that we're in the era of Space Race 2.0. The private sector is keeping the space industry strong and while interest is still high, there's a ton of progress still to come! With a ton of succ...

The Balance: Goodbye 2020: Lessons & Takeaways: Honesty, Teamwork, & Personal Growth 31.12.2020

It's the end of 2020, and we can't be more excited for this year to end! We've learned a whole bunch along the way, and I wanted to take this last episode of this shitty year to breakdown some lessons and takeaways. Would love to know what you've taken away from this year as well. We've learned alot by seeing SpaceX & NASA work together to achieve great things. I've learned alot about being honest...

The Great 2020 Conjunction of Jupiter & Saturn aka The 'Xmas Star' | Holiday Special | Today In Space #227 23.12.2020

Welcome to our Holiday Special! We're gearing up for the end of 2020 (thank goodness) and this week we wanted to break down what makes this Great Conjunction so 'great'. We go over what's happening with these two planets, when it's happened before, and what the Earth was like the last time this astronomical event was happening in 1623 and 1226! Were things as messed up as they are now? You'd be su...

SpaceX Starship SN8 Test Launch Breakdown | Test, Break, Analyze (repeat) | Today In Space #226 12.12.2020

It's been a crazy month of Space so far! On this week's podcast we start by giving you a lightning fast review of all that's happened recently in space, and then we focus on breaking down the SpaceX Starship SN8. Alex explains why the test was a success (go R&D!) and how SpaceX's definition of failure is very different than all the haters and click baiters saying it was a 'failure' Way to go Elon...

Cyril Dupuy CEO of Vaonis | Astronomy, Optics, and Telescope Innovation | People of Science 05.12.2020

This week we had the pleasure of having Cyril Dupuy on the podcast! He's the CEO of Vaonis, an ex-Aerospace engineer, and extremely passionate about astronomy. We discuss Vaonis' telescope Stellina and all the ways they are making it easy for ANYONE to view the night sky and guided by their platform's application. A really great talk with a science based thinker who's on a mission to innovate astr...

Redundancies, 7-time Flown Falcon 9, & the Reusability Equation | Today In Space #224 30.11.2020

This week Alex talks about the 3D printing fire that was prevented due to redundancies, geeks out about the space shuttle, and then discusses the latest success from SpaceX with their 7th time flown Falcon 9 B1049. This kind of progress in space brings about a new era we're watching unfold in real time. To answer last weeks question about how much money rocket customers are saving by using a reuse...

Launch Hangout | Crew1 SpaceX & NASA | Best-of Moments from Live Stream 20.11.2020

This week we have the best-of moments from the SpaceX & NASA Crew1 launch hangout. We had a lot of fun hanging out with everyone who joined us live! Thanks for all the great questions! Congratulations to Shannon, Mike, Victor & Soichi for their successful launch and docking to the ISS. It was very inspirational and provided hope for a good future in the time of the unknown.  You can watch the NASA...

Can Space Travel Save us from a Dystopian Future? Or fuel it? | Thoughts from an Engineer | TIS#222 10.11.2020

We're slowly getting back to a regular schedule after I was out with COVID. Thanks for your patience!  I share what's been on my mind lately, and what kept me preoccupied when I was recovering from COVID. There's been alot of dystopia floating around in my head - and no wonder, its pretty dystopian right now in the real world. Our lives are intertwined with the digital world, there's a pandemic on...

Testing Positive | My two-week COVID-19 Experience | Thoughts from an Engineer TIS #221 30.10.2020

We're back! After two weeks with COVID-19, and taking alot of rest and basically putting life on hold - the podcast has returned. A huge thank you to the Today In Space fam for reaching out, sending good vibes, and offering to help. It was a crazy time, and you definitely helped us get through this. THANK YOU! I wanted to take this episode to share my experience with COVID. I did test positive and...

Bringing Ideas into Reality with 3D Printing | Creators of the Snap Collar Jack Collins & Mike Sullivan | TIS#220 09.10.2020

This week we have the creators of the Snap Collar on to discuss their product before it launches on Kickstarter on October 13th, 2020. We had the pleasure of working with them early in the development stages of their design and used 3D printing and iterative design to fast-track their idea from paper to product. Iterative design is a core tenant in the New Space world, we see this concept in real...

Hope for the future of Space Colonies with Starship, 3D printing rovers, and Martian Lava tubes | TIS#219 02.10.2020

This week has been tough for me - so I hope you're hanging in there. Stress overload. I usually end up thinking 'big picture' and looking to the future when that happens. So for this episode, I pull together some research on how we might make space colonies possible. For me, I'm putting alot of stake into SpaceX's Starship being the vehicle for progressive change to human life on the Moon and Mars...

Starship Evolution, A week full of rocket launches, and life on Venus | Orbital News TIS#218 25.09.2020

Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos rivalry https://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musk-jeff-bezos-fights-disagreements-insults-list-2019-6#not-long-after-spacex-claimed-victory-musk-and-bezos-began-clashing-in-public-in-november-2015-blue-origin-landed-its-first-reusable-rocket-called-the-new-shepard-the-rarest-of-beasts-a-used-rocket-bezos-tweeted-with-a-video-12 Blue Origin NS-13 - Texas Moon Landing Techno...

Elliot & Zander Weaver - Producers of 'COSMOS' the Sci-Fi feature film | People of Science #217 18.09.2020

On this week's People of Science episode, we have the Weaver brothers Elliot & Zander who are the producers of the science fiction feature film 'COSMOS. They share their journey to becoming filmmakers and discuss where the passion for storytelling comes from. Thanks to @thescenesnob  for introducing me to these guys, it was a blast talking about their passion for filmmaking and finding out WHY the...

Thoughts from an Engineer: Neuralink, The Future, and 9-11 | Today in Space #216 11.09.2020

This week Alex shares his thoughts on the future ahead of us, and just how weird it's going to get. Neuralink is the obvious front runner, allowing us to interface with the brain at a level unheard of before. Lots of great things for those affected by blindness, deafness, paralysis, memory loss, and stroke complications. But it could be used for a lot of bad too, and we need to start thinking abou...

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