On Episode 130 of This Week In Space, Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik talk with Dr. Jim Bell about the Mars Sample Return program and VIPER mission to the moon.
NASA's planetary exploration program is in trouble. The Mars Sample Return program is verging on cancellation, and the VIPER mission to the moon already has been. Both are critical precursors to human exploration of these places, as Dr. Jim Bell of Arizona State University will tell us.
We need to know more about the surface of Mars -- with direct, in-the-lab studies of Mars rocks - -and we certainly need to understand where the volatiles -- another name for water and other resources of value -- are on the moon. And, if you're the US government, you'd like to do both before China does -- which is likely not far off.
Does it matter who achieves these things first? And specific to the US, what role might private companies and individuals play in the drama?
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Space news of the week
- Crew 9 to ISS
- NEW SPACE PLANE!
- A True "New Moon"
- Jim Bell at ASU
- Jim Bell TedX Talk
- VIPER Op-Ed
- Mars Sample Return Status
Model Falcon 9!
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About This Week In Space
This Week in Space covers the new space age. Every Friday we take a deep dive into a fascinating topic. What's happening with the new race to the moon and other planets? When will SpaceX really send people to Mars?
Join Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik from Space.com as they tackle those questions and more each week on Friday afternoons. You can subscribe today on your favorite podcatcher.
