This Week In Space podcast: Episode 93 — Does America really want to go back to the moon?
Former NASA Chief Historian Roger Launius reveals the history of America's dedication to moon exploration and what it means today.
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America's heading back to the Moon, but what does the public really think? On Episode 93 of This Week In Space, Tariq and Rod take a look at Artemis and Apollo with former NASA historian Roger Launius to get the story.
Dr. Roger Launius, former NASA Chief Historian and Smithsonian Curator, has studied, among many other things, public perceptions of NASA and spaceflight.
Some spoilers: no, there was no "Golden Age" in the 1960s when the public was hugely behind the Apollo Moon landings; being a space historian is a lot of fun; and it probably doesn't really matter if China lands people on the Moon before the US does so *again*.
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Space news of the week
- ULA's Vulcan Centaur aces test flight
- ... but Peregrine in Peril
- NASA frees Stuck lid on OSIRIS-REx probe!
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.
Breaking space news, the latest updates on rocket launches, skywatching events and more!

Space.com is the premier source of space exploration, innovation and astronomy news, chronicling (and celebrating) humanity's ongoing expansion across the final frontier. Originally founded in 1999, Space.com is, and always has been, the passion of writers and editors who are space fans and also trained journalists. Our current news team consists of Editor-in-Chief Tariq Malik; Editor Hanneke Weitering, Senior Space Writer Mike Wall; Senior Writer Meghan Bartels; Senior Writer Chelsea Gohd, Senior Writer Tereza Pultarova and Staff Writer Alexander Cox, focusing on e-commerce. Senior Producer Steve Spaleta oversees our space videos, with Diana Whitcroft as our Social Media Editor.
