This Week in Space 162

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 technological triumph and the first human steps on another celestial body.
• STEM Education: A key facet is promoting STEM education to inspire the next generation in space exploration, especially given declining national literacy rates.
• Support for the Initiative: The initiative has garnered support from astronauts (Buzz Aldrin, Charlie Duke, Fred Haise, Jack Schmitt – who advocates for an international holiday) and NASA flight directors (Gene Kranz, Jerry Griffin). A wide coalition is signing the online petition at LunarLandingDay.net.

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• Tech: Lunar Landing Day: The Movement to Make July 20th a Federal Holiday
• Transcripts: This Week in Space 162 Transcript

Links

• Upcoming Launch - Starship's Ninth Flight Test
• SpaceX gets FAA approval for Flight 9 of Starship megarocket
• Giant 'white streak' appears over multiple US states as Chinese rocket dumps experimental fuel in space
• U.S. Space Force general to lead Trump's $175 billion Golden Dome space defense program
• Mark Rocket, a former ambassador and more: Blue Origin reveals passengers for 12th space tourism launch
• Weekly World News - 8 U.S. SENATORS ARE ALIENS
• Lunar Landing Day
• NASA - Apollo 11