On this episode of This Week in Space (opens in new tab), Rod and Tariq hit the books!
If you want to be an astronaut or astronomer, you will of course need to read. A lot. And the same is true if you want to write about space exploration in the news or books. And so here we present our favorite space non-fiction and sci-fi books in a not-so-comprehensive rundown for our listeners.
Of course, you all know Tariq and Rod could rave about the best space books ever, but TWiT's own Jason Snell of SixColors.com just had to chime in, and what a group rant we had! The best of space nonfiction and fiction is coming your way. You can also check out Space.com's take on the best space books for more reading ideas.
Also this week: An SUV-sized asteroid gave Earth a close shave this week, NASA and DARPA agreed to build a nuclear rocket for future exploration, the James Webb Space Telescope has another glitch and Buzz Aldrin got married again at 93!
Space news of the week
- Car-sized asteroid will pass extremely close to Earth tonight
- NASA and DARPA will build a nuclear rocket by 2027
- James Webb Space Telescope suffers 2nd instrument glitch
- Apollo 11's Buzz Aldrin and new wife over the moon with wedding, 'as excited as eloping teenagers'
Space books!
- National GeographicOur Universe: Picture Atlas of Our Universe (opens in new tab)
- A Man on the Moon: The Voyages of the Apollo Astronauts (opens in new tab)
- The Mars Project (opens in new tab)
- Comm Check...: The Final Flight of Shuttle Columbia (opens in new tab)
- Carrying the Fire: An Astronaut's Journeys (opens in new tab)
- Return to Earth (opens in new tab)
- Missions To The Moon (opens in new tab)
- Into the Black: The Extraordinary Untold Story of the First Flight of the Space Shuttle Columbia and the Astronauts Who Flew Her (opens in new tab)
- The Martian Chronicles (opens in new tab)
- Deepsix (opens in new tab)
- Lady Astronaut (3 book series) (opens in new tab)
- We All Died At Breakaway Station (opens in new tab)
- INHERIT THE STARS (opens in new tab)
Looking for a telescope to see comet C/2022 E3 ZTF? We recommend the Celestron Astro Fi 102 (opens in new tab) as the top pick in our best beginner's telescope guide.
Finally, did you know you can launch your own SpaceX rocket? Model rocket maker Estes' stunning scale model of a Falcon 9 rocket that you can pick up now. The launchable model is a detailed recreation of the Falcon 9 and retails for $149.99. You can save 10% by using the code IN-COLLECTSPACE at checkout (opens in new tab), courtesy of our partners collectSPACE.com.
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Related news story links:
- SpaceX Dragon capsule to be 5-person 'lifeboat' in event of ISS emergency (opens in new tab)
- Newfound alien planet has nuclear fusion going in its core (opens in new tab)
- Mars meteorite that crashed to Earth contains 'huge diversity' of organic compounds (opens in new tab)
- skytospace.com (opens in new tab)
This Week in Space (opens in new tab) 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 (opens in new tab) as they tackle those questions and more each week on Friday afternoons. You can subscribe today on your favorite podcatcher.
Rod Pyle (opens in new tab) is an author, journalist, television producer and Editor-in-Chief of Ad Astra magazine (opens in new tab). He has written 18 books (opens in new tab) on space history, exploration, and development, including Space 2.0, Innovation the NASA Way, Interplanetary Robots, Blueprint for a Battlestar, Amazing Stories of the Space Age, First On the Moon, and Destination Mars
In a previous life, Rod produced numerous documentaries and short films for The History Channel, Discovery Communications, and Disney. He also worked in visual effects on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and the Battlestar Galactica reboot, as well as various sci-fi TV pilots. His most recent TV credit was with the NatGeo documentary on Tom Wolfe's iconic book The Right Stuff.
Responsible for Space.com's editorial vision, Tariq Malik has been the Editor-in-Chief of Space.com since 2019 and has covered space news and science for 18 years. He joined the Space.com team in 2001, first as an intern and soon after as a full-time spaceflight reporter covering human spaceflight, exploration, astronomy and the night sky. He became Space.com's managing editor in 2009. As on-air talent has presented space stories on CNN, Fox News, NPR and others.
Tariq is an Eagle Scout (yes, he earned the Space Exploration merit badge), a Space Camp veteran (4 times as a kid, once as an adult), and has taken the ultimate "vomit comet" ride while reporting on zero-gravity fires. Before joining Space.com, he served as a staff reporter for The Los Angeles Times covering city and education beats. He has journalism degrees from the University of Southern California and New York University.