Dr. Brent D. Ziarnick serves as an assistant professor at the Air Command and Staff College at Maxwell Air Force Base. He is also author of ‘To Rule the Skies: General Thomas S. Power and the Rise of Strategic Air Command in the Cold War’. In this episode, he discusses the birth of the U.S. Space Force along with the military and economic implications of future space exploration and expansion. "Slow Burn" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

When the formation of the U.S. "Space Force" was announced, the new military branch was the butt of many jokes but what role will it serve in the 21st century? Tensions are currently high between the United States, Russia, and China. Is a war in outer space inevitable or will this new frontier offer prosperity for all who join in the adventure? A new guest on the program helps us to answer this important questions. REFERENCES: 'The Battle for the Soul of the Space Force' by Brent Ziarnik, 'The Hill' MUSIC: "Nonstop" Kevin MacLeod (incomptech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ "Perspectives" Kevin MacLeod (incomptech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ "Ossuary 6 - Air" Kevin MacLeod (incomptech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ "Crypto" Kevin MacLeod (incomptech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ "Thunderbird" Kevin MacLeod (incomptech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Outer space is the ultimate strategic high ground for the world's great powers. This is true for both spy satellites and ballistic missiles. During the Cold War, President Ronald Reagan proposed the creation of a technologically advanced, space-based defensive weapon system known as S.D.I.. But critics of the proposal dubbed it 'Star Wars' and said it would trigger a new arms race with the Soviet Union. What historical lessons can be learned from this episode in history? REFERENCES: "Adolf Hitler's Plot to Bomb New York" By David Robinson https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/368490/Adolf-Hitler-s-plot-to-bomb-New-York "The 1983 Military Drill that Nearly Sparked Nuclear War with the Soviets" by Francine Uenuma https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-1983-military-drill-that-nearly-sparked-nuclear-war-with-the-soviets-180979980/ "Strategic Defense Initiative" State.gov https://2001-2009.state.gov/r/pa/ho/time/rd/104253.htm MUSIC: "Nonstop" Kevin MacLeod (incomptech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ "Ossuary 6 - Air" Kevin MacLeod (incomptech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ "Shores of Avalon" Kevin MacLeod (incomptech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ "Perspectives" Kevin MacLeod (incomptech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

50 years ago today, the three Apollo 17 astronauts departed the Moon to return to Earth. It was the first time in human history that a scientist set foot on another world: geologist Harrison 'Jack' Schmitt. What lessons does this historic mission have to teach us in the coming years as humans finally return to the Moon with the Artemis program? RECORDED BY: Jantzen Carter REFERENCES: 'Apollo 17: Diary of the Twelfth Man' by Harrison 'Jack' Schmitt 'The Last Man on the Moon' by Eugene Cernan and Don Davis 'A Man on the Moon' by Andrew Chaikin MUSIC: "Nonstop" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ "Thunderbird" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ "Ossuary 1: A Begining" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

The renowned and deeply insightful Andrew Chaikin joins the After Talk to share his views on space exploration along with his experiences interviewing the Apollo astronauts. Chaikin is the author of 'A Man on the Moon', 'Voices from the Moon', and 'A Passion for Mars'. MUSIC: "Slow Burn" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

The renowned and deeply insightful Andrew Chaikin joins the After Talk to share his views on space exploration along with his experiences interviewing the Apollo astronauts. Chaikin is the author of 'A Man on the Moon', 'Voices from the Moon', and 'A Passion for Mars'. MUSIC: "Slow Burn" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Nearly half a century before the space age began in earnest, a few brilliant visionaries had the courage to look beyond their own time and see humanity’s future. From Russia to the United States, a few brilliant minds transformed science fiction into science fact, giving birth to the space age. REFERENCES: ‘The Russian Cosmists: The Esoteric Futurism of Nikolai Fedorov and His Followers’ by George M. Young ‘The Case for Space: How the Revolution in Spaceflight Opens Up a Future of Limitless Possibility’ by Robert Zubrin MUSIC: "Ossuary 1 - A begining" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ “Tenebrous Brothers Carnival: Act Two” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ "Infinite Perspective" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ "Perspectives" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Host and producer discuss the future of space travel and manned missions to Mars. If you would like to make a contribution to the program, click this link: https://www.patreon.com/universeuniversity?fbclid=IwAR0GJjAwa3C1f8KKxDi7aeGVEO-Ou3dL10vmf1kQHjssQu5eEgmCkyNFMgw MUSIC: "Slow Burn" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ REFERENCES: "Scientists and Seaman" [article] By Ben Finney "Humans Will Never Colonize Mars" [article] By George Dvorsky "The Case for Space" By Robert Zubrin PhD "Merchants of Despair: Radical Environmentalists, Criminal Pseudo-Scientists, and the Fatal Cult of Antihumanism" By Robert Zubrin PhD "Elon Musk: Telsa, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future" by Ashlee Vance

Host and producer discuss the future of space travel and manned missions to Mars. If you would like to make a contribution to the program, click this link: https://www.patreon.com/universeuniversity?fbclid=IwAR0GJjAwa3C1f8KKxDi7aeGVEO-Ou3dL10vmf1kQHjssQu5eEgmCkyNFMgw MUSIC: "Slow Burn" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ REFERENCES: "The Case for Space" By Robert Zubrin PhD "Merchants of Despair: Radical Environmentalists, Criminal Pseudo-Scientists, and the Fatal Cult of Antihumanism" By Robert Zubrin PhD "Elon Musk: Telsa, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future" by Ashlee Vance

Dr. Robert Zubrin joins the after talk for an in depth discussion on space exploration. He starts by telling us the story of his Mars Direct plan, the founding of the Mars Society, and his relationship with the young Elon Musk. We go on to discuss the technical and political challenges of sending human beings to Mars as well as his personal philosophyof human space exploration. To watch the video version of this interview, click this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4cWRQo2Iw MUSIC: "Slow Burn" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ REFERENCES: "The Case for Space" By Robert Zubrin PhD "Merchants of Despair: Radical Environmentalists, Criminal Pseudo-Scientists, and the Fatal Cult of Antihumanism" By Robert Zubrin PhD "Elon Musk: Telsa, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future" by Ashlee Vance Special Guest: Robert Zubrin.

Mars has captivated the human imagination for generations. Yet the question remains: is there organic life on the Red Planet? If so, how can we search for it and what would such life be like? And what will day-to-day life be like for the first astronauts to set foot on Mars? The brilliant Dr. Robert Zubrin joins us to help answer some of these questions. If you would like to make a contribution to the program, click this link: https://www.patreon.com/universeuniversity?fbclid=IwAR0GJjAwa3C1f8KKxDi7aeGVEO-Ou3dL10vmf1kQHjssQu5eEgmCkyNFMgw VOICE CREDIT: A very generous, anonymous Patreon contributor offered to act as the voice to Agustina Lusky because Lusky does not speak English as her first language. The words in the episode are entirely Lusky's words. REFERENCES: "The Case for Mars: The Plan to Settle the Red Planet and Why We Must" By Robert Zubrin PhD "The Mars Underground" [2007 Documentary] Dir. Scott J. Gill "From Antarctica to Outer Space: Life in Isolation and Confinement" Edited by A.A. Harrison, Y.A. Clearwater, and C.P. McKay "Strife and Despair at South Pole Illuminate Psychology of Isolation" By Robert Reinhold, New York Times "A Brief History of Mars Missions" Space.com "Mars and Its Canals" by Percival Lowell MUSIC: "Nonstop" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ "Ossuary 6 - Air" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ "Infinite Perspective" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ "Thunderbird" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ "Perspectives" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ "Ossuary 1 - A begining" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ Special Guest: Robert Zubrin.

Nick Conant, a science communicator and Theater Manager of the Fiske Planetarium, sits down for an After Talk about: Native American astronomy, craters, comets as a (proposed) water source on Earth, and the ethics of asteroid mining. If you would like to make a contribution to the program, click this link: https://www.patreon.com/universeuniversity?fbclid=IwAR0GJjAwa3C1f8KKxDi7aeGVEO-Ou3dL10vmf1kQHjssQu5eEgmCkyNFMgw MUSIC: "Slow Burn" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ Special Guest: Nick Conant.

Centuries ago, the work of Edmond Halley demonstrated to the world that comets were not evil omens as many superstitious Europeans believed but celestial bodies in outer space. Even so, comets and asteroids could pose a direct threat to all life on Earth. The real question is whether humanity has the tools to meet that threat? If you would like to make a contribution to the program, click this link: https://www.patreon.com/universeuniversity?fbclid=IwAR0GJjAwa3C1f8KKxDi7aeGVEO-Ou3dL10vmf1kQHjssQu5eEgmCkyNFMgw PHOTO CAPTION: Comet Lovejoy near the constellation Ursa Major NASA/MSFC/Jacobs Technology/ESSSA/Aaron Kingery REFERENCES: 'Edmond Halley: Charting the Heavens and the Seas' by Alan Cook 'The Day the Mesozoic Died: How the Story of the Dinosaurs' Demise was Uncovered' by Sean B. Carrol http://nautil.us/issue/32/space/the-day-the-mesozoic-died 'Ernst Florens Friedrich Chladni (1756-1827) and the origins of modern meteorite research' by Ursula B. Marvin 'Asteroid Apocalypse? Why Scientists Worry About 2036 'Planet Buster'. Newsweek.com by Michio Kaku https://www.newsweek.com/asteroid-apocalypse-why-scientists-worry-about-2036-planet-buster-63395 'Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) Mission', NASA.gov https://www.nasa.gov/planetarydefense/dart MUSIC: "Shores of Avalon" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ "Perspectives" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ "Infinite Perspective" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ "Ossuary 1: A Begining" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ "Ossuary 6: Air" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Host and producer recap a year of podcasting in a holiday after talk.

Professor Alex Roland discusses how he became a historian for NASA, the financial costs of the U.S. shuttle program, the concept of "buying in", and the enormous challenges of manned space travel. If you would like to make a contribution to the program, click this link: https://www.patreon.com/universeuniversity?fbclid=IwAR0GJjAwa3C1f8KKxDi7aeGVEO-Ou3dL10vmf1kQHjssQu5eEgmCkyNFMgw MUSIC: "Slow Burn" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

The space shuttle was a marvel of American ingenuity that ushered in a new era for the American space program. But the world would soon learn that reusable spacecraft were far from being perfect machines. Is the story of the U.S. shuttle program a tale of triumph for human space exploration? Or is the tale of a modern day Icarus? If you would like to make a contribution to the program, click this link: https://www.patreon.com/universeuniversity?fbclid=IwAR0GJjAwa3C1f8KKxDi7aeGVEO-Ou3dL10vmf1kQHjssQu5eEgmCkyNFMgw For listener questions and comments, email us here: show@universeuniversity.space PHOTO CAPTION: Computer generated simulation depicting the American space shuttle's thermal tiles displacing heat upon reentry into the Earth's atmosphere. REFERENCES: 'After Apollo?: Richard Nixon and the American Space Program' by John M. Logsdon 'Accountability in the Public Sector: Lessons from the Challenger', Public Administration Review by Barbara S. Romzek and Melvin J. Dubnick 'Remembering Roger Boisjoly: He Tried to Stop Shuttle Challenger Launch', NPR.org by Howard Berkes 'For Parts, NASA Boldly Goes... on Ebay', The New York Times by William J. Broad 'Pentagon Chief Assails Article on Shuttle Trip', The New York Times by Alex S. Jones 'Prepared Statement of Dr. Michael D. Griffin: "The Future of Human Space Flight" House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology MUSIC: "Heavy Heart" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ "Perspectives" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ "Ossuary 6: Air" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ "Shores of Avalon" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ "Pepper's Theme" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ "Ossuary 1: A Begining" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ "Perspectives" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ "Thunderbird" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ "Ossuary 1: A Begining" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

An after talk discussion with Konner Blunt from the Blunt Report on Halloween celebrations around the world, weather control, S.E.T.I. research, anthropomorphizing extraterrestrials, sleep paralysis, and UFOs. If you would like to make a contribution to the program, click this link: https://www.patreon.com/universeuniversity?fbclid=IwAR0GJjAwa3C1f8KKxDi7aeGVEO-Ou3dL10vmf1kQHjssQu5eEgmCkyNFMgw MUSIC: "Slow Burn" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ Special Guest: Konner Blunt.

In the late 1940s, the United States military began to take an interest in reports of unidentified flying objects or U.F.O.s which included multiple projects designed to investigate and evaluate the sightings. Despite the fact that many UFO sightings were cases of mistaken identity that could easily be explained away, a minority of them proved extremely perplexing to the U.S. government, leading some high level officials to consider the possibility that the Earth was being visited by extraterrestrials... and at the center of it all, there was one astronomer named J. Allen Hynek who struggled to bring his scientific expertise to bear on the mystery. If you would like to make a contribution to the program, click this link: https://www.patreon.com/universeuniversity?fbclid=IwAR0GJjAwa3C1f8KKxDi7aeGVEO-Ou3dL10vmf1kQHjssQu5eEgmCkyNFMgw REFERENCES: *'The UFO Phenomenon' * by George Constable, Time Life Books Inc. 'The Close Encounters Man: How One Man Made the World Believe in UFOs' by Mark O'Connell 'Area 51: An Uncensored History of America's Top Secret Military Base' by Annie Jacobsen 'Glowing Auras and 'Black Money': The Pentagon's Mysterious U.F.O. Program', New York Times by Helene Cooper, Ralph Blumbenthal, and Leslie Kean *'Maj. Gen. John A. Samford's Statement on "Flying Saucers" *(7/31/1952) U.S. National Archives 'Two Pilots Saw a UFO. Why Did the Air Force Destroy the Report?', History.com by Greg Daugherty MUSIC: "Shores of Avalon" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ "Ossuary 1: A Begining" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ "Perspectives" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ "Tenebroud Brothers Carnival: Act Two" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ "Waltz of the Carnies" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ "Thunderbird" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Guest Beth Gordon chats about her wildly popular Instagram account (Spacewhippet), space museums around the country, the significance of Apollo 11, and the future of human space travel. If you would like to make a contribution to the program, click this link: https://www.patreon.com/universeuniversity?fbclid=IwAR0GJjAwa3C1f8KKxDi7aeGVEO-Ou3dL10vmf1kQHjssQu5eEgmCkyNFMgw MUSIC: "Slow Burn" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ Special Guest: Spacewhippet.

Half a century ago this week, Apollo 11 set out to land on the moon. It was the culmination of hundreds of thousands of brilliant engineers working to make science fiction into science fact. But who were the three men who went on the journey? What did they experience during their epic journey to an alien world? And what significance does their historic mission have for humanity 50 years later? If you would like to make a contribution to the program, click this link: https://www.patreon.com/universeuniversity?fbclid=IwAR0GJjAwa3C1f8KKxDi7aeGVEO-Ou3dL10vmf1kQHjssQu5eEgmCkyNFMgw REFERENCES: *"What You Didn't Know About the Apollo 11 Mission" * by Charles Fishman https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/what-you-didnt-know-about-apollo-11-mission-fifty-years-ago-180972165/ 'The Last Man on the Moon: Astronaut Eugene Cernan and America's Race in Space' by Eugene Cernan and Don Davis 'Somebody Else is on the Moon' by George H. Leonard Sergei Korolev: the Rocket Genius Behind Yuri Gagarin (2011) Guardian article by Robin McKie 'NOVA: To the Moon' (1997) PBS documentary 'The Engines that Came in From the Cold' (2001) documentary 'CuriousDroid' Youtube Channel MUSIC: "Shores of Avalon" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ "Heavy Heart" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ "Perspectives" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ "Thunderbird" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ "Ossuary 1: A Begining" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ "Crossing the Divide" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/