TWiS 162: Lunar Landing Day - When the Future Arrived

05/23/25 • 52 min

If you're lucky enough to have witnessed the landing of Apollo 11 on July 20, 1969, you know what a momentous occasion that was. If you're younger than a Boomer, you've read and heard about that amazing day, but it might not have the impact it did for those who witnessed it. Bob Slater, M.D., is out to change that with his campaign to make July 20 a national holiday called "Lunar Landing Day," and we think it's a fine idea--and so do the moonwalkers, Mission Control folks, and lots of others. It'll be good for STEM, good for national pride, and just good all around. Join us to learn more and about how you can help make this great idea a reality!
Headlines

Next Starship Launch Scheduled: SpaceX aims for its third Starship launch of the year, Flight 9, no earlier than May 27th, 7:30 PM Eastern. This follows previous failures, with hopes for a successful mission.
SpaceX Flight 9 Gets FAA Approval, with Caveats: The FAA approved Starship Flight 9 after SpaceX's Flight 8 failure assessment. A changed trajectory was requested for safety. The goal is to recreate earlier trajectories for a soft landing in the Indian Ocean and will be the first full reflight of the Super Heavy booster.
China's Experimental Fuel Dump: Chinese company Landscape launched a methane-fueled rocket that performed an experimental fuel dump at 155 miles, creating a visible ribbon of reflective crystals. Discussion arose on its necessity, accidental nature, or deliberate intent, and its resemblance to 1950s US/Russian plans to nuke the moon as a political statement.
"Golden Dome" Missile Defense Initiative: The Trump administration announced a $175 billion "Golden Dome" missile defense shield, similar to Israel's Iron Dome, to intercept orbital threats. U.S. Space Force General Michael Gutzlian will oversee the three-year development.
AI Processing Center in Abu Dhabi: OpenAI plans a new AI processing center in Abu Dhabi, requiring immense power (equivalent to five nuclear plants), raising concerns about AI's resource consumption.
"Rocket on a Rocket": Blue Origin's NS-32 private space flight will include investor Mark Rocket, CEO of Kai Aerospace and seed investor in Rocket Lab, among its six passengers: a Panamanian businessman, a radiologist and space camp alumni, an entrepreneur and real estate developer, a middle school STEM teacher, and a Canadian entrepreneur and adventurer.
From the wacky Weekly World News: Are eight U.S. senators actually aliens in disguise? (Just a gag!)

Main Topic - The Landing Day Initiative

Dr. Robert Slater, M.D., joins the podcast to discuss his Lunar Landing Day Initiative.
Dr. Slater's Path to Space Passion: Slater's passion for space began at age six, watching the moon landing, an event his parents stressed as historical.
The Lunar Landing Day Initiative: Inspired by the lack of public recall about July 20, 1969, Slater started the initiative to celebrate the moon landing as a unifying, historic American achievement.
Lunar Landing Day Initiative Federal Holiday Goal: The ultimate goal is to make July 20th a federal holiday with a paid day off for federal employees, encouraging states and companies to follow.
Historical Significance: Dr. Slater emphasizes the moon landing's historical context as a Cold War

These show notes have been truncated due to length. For the full show notes, visit https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-space/episodes/162

Hosts: Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik

Guest: Dr. Robert Slater

Next Starship Launch Scheduled: SpaceX aims for its third Starship launch of the year, Flight 9, no earlier than May 27th, 7:30 PM Eastern. This follows previous failures, with hopes for a successful mission.
SpaceX Flight 9 Gets FAA Approval, with Caveats: The FAA approved Starship Flight 9 after SpaceX's Flight 8 failure assessment. A changed trajectory was requested for safety. The goal is to recreate earlier trajectories for a soft landing in the Indian Ocean and will be the first full reflight of the Super Heavy booster.
China's Experimental Fuel Dump: Chinese company Landscape launched a methane-fueled rocket that performed an experimental fuel dump at 155 miles, creating a visible ribbon of reflective crystals. Discussion arose on its necessity, accidental nature, or deliberate intent, and its resemblance to 1950s US/Russian plans to nuke the moon as a political statement.
"Golden Dome" Missile Defense Initiative: The Trump administration announced a $175 billion "Golden Dome" missile defense shield, similar to Israel's Iron Dome, to intercept orbital threats. U.S. Space Force General Michael Gutzlian will oversee the three-year development.
AI Processing Center in Abu Dhabi: OpenAI plans a new AI processing center in Abu Dhabi, requiring immense power (equivalent to five nuclear plants), raising concerns about AI's resource consumption.
"Rocket on a Rocket": Blue Origin's NS-32 private space flight will include investor Mark Rocket, CEO of Kai Aerospace and seed investor in Rocket Lab, among its six passengers: a Panamanian businessman, a radiologist and space camp alumni, an entrepreneur and real estate developer, a middle school STEM teacher, and a Canadian entrepreneur and adventurer.
From the wacky Weekly World News: Are eight U.S. senators actually aliens in disguise? (Just a gag!)

Main Topic - The Landing Day Initiative

Dr. Robert Slater, M.D., joins the podcast to discuss his Lunar Landing Day Initiative.
Dr. Slater's Path to Space Passion: Slater's passion for space began at age six, watching the moon landing, an event his parents stressed as historical.
The Lunar Landing Day Initiative: Inspired by the lack of public recall about July 20, 1969, Slater started the initiative to celebrate the moon landing as a unifying, historic American achievement.
Lunar Landing Day Initiative Federal Holiday Goal: The ultimate goal is to make July 20th a federal holiday with a paid day off for federal employees, encouraging states and companies to follow.
Historical Significance: Dr. Slater emphasizes the moon landing's historical context as a Cold War

These show notes have been truncated due to length. For the full show notes, visit https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-space/episodes/162

Hosts: Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik

Guest: Dr. Robert Slater

Previous Episode

TWiS 161: The TWiS Comedy Hour! - With Starship, Voyager, Artemis, and more!

It's time for Rod and Tariq to catch up on headlines... and space dad jokes! We're going to update you on the ever-slimming NASA budget, the latest news on the Voyager spacecraft, what's up with the SLS, Orion capsule, and Artemis programs? SpaceX's 9th Starship test flight, AliBaba in orbit, and the end of the universe. And more space jokes than ever for you to choke on.

Gilmore Space Launch Attempt: Gilmore Space's Ares rocket experienced a payload fairing separation on the pad before launch.
NASA Budget Cuts & Artemis Program: Proposed budget cuts threaten NASA's Space Launch System (SLS), Orion capsule, and Lunar Gateway, sparking debate about the future of the Artemis program and a potential shift towards commercial solutions.
Voyager 1 Thrusters: After 21 years of inactivity, Voyager 1 successfully fired its backup thrusters, ensuring continued communication from interstellar space.
NASA Advisory Groups React: NASA advisory groups, including the Mars Exploration Program Advisory Group, expressed concern over budget cuts and their potential to hinder U.S. leadership in space exploration.
Texas MARS Act: Texas Senator John Cornyn proposed allocating $1 billion for modernizing the Johnson Space Center.
Intuitive Machines Update: Intuitive Machines plans to return to the moon in Q1 2026 with Intuitive Machines 3, having identified and addressed the causes of previous landing failures.
SpaceX Starship Update: Elon Musk will provide an update on SpaceX's Mars plans before the next Starship test flight, frlight 9, addressing challenges like refueling the vehicle in space.
The End of the Universe: Astrophysicists predict the universe's end, or "heat death", will occur sooner than previously thought, approximately 10 to the power of 78 years from now.
China's Orbital Computing Sats: China launched its first 12 orbital computing satellites, part of a planned 2,800-satellite constellation designed to shift power-hungry computing and AI capabilities off-planet.
Starlink Profitability: SpaceX's Starlink satellite internet business has generated $11.8 billion in revenue in 2024, surpassing its space transportation business.
VIPER Lunar Rover: NASA may be working to save the VIPER lunar prospecting rover mission, which was previously canceled due to lander delays.
Solar Flare Activity: The sun has unleashed a strong solar flare, an X2.7 magnitude, with the potential for increased auroras on Earth.
Auroras on Mars: Perseverance rover images reveal the first visible light auroras on Mars from the planet's surface.
Virgin Galactic Update: Virgin Galactic plans to launch its new Spaceship Delta fleet in early 2026 and resume ticket sales, with prices increases to come.

Hosts: Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik

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