This Week in Space (Audio)

TWiS 214: Moon Man - With Former NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine

This Week in Space (Audio)

Show Notes

There are NASA Administrators, and then there are NASA Administrators—all are very accomplished individuals, but some stand out for their unique backgrounds and on-the-job successes, and Jim Bridenstine is one of the latter. Entering service as the new NASA Administrator in 2017 with a background as a Navy pilot, Congressman, and museum director, he was an unconventional choice, and faced some headwinds in the appointment—but Jim turned out to be exceptional in the job, especially given the state of NASA when he took it on. Join us to hear his experiences with our favorite space agency and what he's doing today.

Headlines:

SpaceX Shatters Records with Largest IPO Ever

NASA Faces Backlash Over Artemis 3 Diversity

Scientists Propose Magnetosphere Shield Against Solar Storms

Main Topic: Jim Bridenstine & Quantum Space

Jim Bridenstine's Unconventional Path to NASA Leadership

Overcoming Political Challenges as NASA Administrator

Launch and Evolution of the Artemis Moon Program

Securing Bipartisan Support and Budget for Artemis

Reflections on Artemis 2 Success and Artemis 3's Challenges

The Need for a Robust Lunar Lander Solution

NASA's Global Influence and Soft Power

The Role of Private Investment in Space Exploration

Bridenstine's Leadership at Quantum Space

Quantum Space's Ranger Spacecraft and Military Space Tech

National Security and Distributed Satellite Architectures

Small Satellites and Future Space Warfare

Quantum Space's Move to Go Public via SPAC

Vision for Moon Bases and Lunar Resource Utilization

Geopolitics of the New Moon Race and First Mover Advantage

Quantum Space's Ambitions in Cislunar and Lunar Operations

Hosts: Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik

Guest: Jim Bridenstine

Download or subscribe to This Week in Space at https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-space.

Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts!

Support what you love and get ad-free audio and video feeds, a members-only Discord, and exclusive content. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit

Sponsor: threatlocker.com/twit

More from This Week in Space (Audio)

Oct 16, 2026

In this week's episode we turned to Chelsea Gohd, former writer for NASA/JPL and now with Space.com, to talk about the recent large data dump from the Artemis II mission. What was included? Why is this new data important? What observations were made, and what discoveries might result from them? What kind of annotations and notes did the astronauts include that make these observations uniquely valuable? And finally, we talk about Artemis III - what is the mission profile and what are the stakes for SpaceX and Blue Origin?

Oct 9, 2026

From the earliest works of Jules Verne and H.G. Wells to the best of contemporary space science fiction, Tariq and I dive deep into our favorite space si-fi across the ages! And our challenge to you for some of the most obscure titles we know.

Oct 2, 2026

Think you're having a hot summer? Try living on 55 Cancri-e, a super-Earth with daytime temperatures above 4000 degrees Fahrenheit. Most of these super-Earths orbit frighteningly close to their host stars and have long since had their atmospheres scraped away, leaving them baked, parched rocks. But some, like 55 Cancri, still have dense envelopes of air. How is that possible, when the planet is 20 times closer to its star than our own planet Mercury? Dr. Laura Schaefer explains how molten lava worlds defy the odds. Plus: Starship update, the first orbital data centers, and a new year on Mars.

Sep 25, 2026

This week it's Rod and Tariq working through the most important space headlines. The big story: Starship could launch test flight 14 as early as Monday the 28th. We've seen lots of tests, but this is the first attempt at an orbital flight, the success of which is necessary for the lunar landing system and eventual retirement of the Falcon 9 and Crew Dragon. Also: Vast starts up a lunar division, Isaacman's relief over delays to China's lunar program, concerns over announced discontinuation of SpaceX's Falcon 9 and Crew Dragon, and yet more money for Boeing's troubled Starliner. This and more on this episode of TWiS!

Sep 18, 2026

In the 1980s, as the US space shuttle was just starting operations, the UK embarked on an ambitious project called HOTOL—short for Horizontal Take Off and Landing, a radical, air-breathing spaceplane design. Political and funding shifts in the UK ultimately derailed the project, despite the promising technologies it pioneered. The idea was later restarted as Skylon, with key individuals and refined technologies at its core. This project, too, struggled, ultimately shuttering in 2024. Despite this, the promise of rapid, reusable spaceplanes that can launch and land at airports is still coveted by many countries, and efforts continue. Join Rob Coppinger, author of the definitive book on the topic and editor of the UK's "Spaceflight" magazine, as he tells this fascinating story.

See all episodes →