Space Boffins, from the Naked Scientists

Dallas Campbell, broadcaster and author of Space Journal, reflects on space history and culture. He debates Artemis versus Apollo and why space missions inspire new generations. He also explores quirky cultural icons like the Clangers and shares how personal ephemera shaped his book.

How do you control a spacecraft on the way to the Moon? NASA flight director, Fiona Antkowiak, shares plans for the Artemis II mission and reveals the secrets of Mission Control. We also hear what goes on in the Orion Mission Evaluation Room (MER) from MER lead Trey Perryman; Sue Nelson and Richard Hollingham discuss the 'type A mishap' that befell the Starliner mission, and Sue talks to UK companies Space Forge and Bio Orbit about the future of factories in space. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Andrew Jones, space journalist covering China’s lunar plans. Ken Kremer, US space policy commentator from the Florida Space Coast. Meganne Christian, UK Space Agency exploration manager and ESA reserve trainee on emergency and evacuation training. Terry Hart, former NASA Shuttle astronaut who helped repair a satellite in orbit. They discuss astronaut evacuations and simulators, Shuttle-era repair missions and inspections, Artemis 2026 timing and lander concerns, and China’s lunar timeline.

Frank De Winne, Belgian astronaut and former ISS commander, reflects on life and leadership in orbit. Mark Craig, documentary filmmaker, explores the human story behind Apollo 1. Dr. Jamees Brown, Moonshot Museum director, talks hands-on outreach and lunar visions. Eva Dixon, multimedia artist, presents a Wally Funk–inspired Mercury 13 exhibition. They discuss station life, Apollo 1’s human angle, museum outreach, and space-themed art.

Sue Nelson and Richard Hollingham get up-close with a Moon lander taking shape at Astrobotic in Pittsburgh. The first woman to pilot and command the Space Shuttle, Eileen Collins, discusses a new film about her life: Space Woman. Plus, two new space quilts, complete with UFOs, at the Royal Astronomical Society... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

One of the most isolated places on Earth is helping us understand how to live on a moon or another planet. Space Boffins Sue Nelson and Richard Hollingham spoke to Nina Purvis, at the Concordia Station in Antarctica, about life on 'White Mars'. Former ESA advisor Mark McCaughrean discusses his new book, 111 Places in Space That You Must Not Miss, and companies ClearSpace, Astroscale and Orbit Fab explain their plans to clean up in space... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

We celebrate Apollo legend Jim Lovell in this month's Space Boffins as we mine the archives to look back on his extraordinary space career. Sue Nelson and Richard Hollingham talk to Andy Saunders, NASA photography expert and author of Gemini and Mercury Remastered. We also hear from rival UK rocket companies Skyrora and Orbex, plus Emily Dineley from the UK Space Agency on plans for the first UK vertical launch. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Join UK astronaut Rosemary Coogan, training for a 2030 ISS mission, as she shares her exciting journey at ESA. Josef Aschbacher discusses Europe's need for ambitious space strategies amid NASA's funding challenges. Smithsonian curator Jennifer Lavasseur highlights the fascinating history of the Manned Maneuvering Unit, revolutionizing spacewalks. Josh Weston reveals Space Forge's groundbreaking plans to manufacture semiconductors in orbit, paving the way for sustainable space industry growth.

Will China now get to the Moon first? NASA's former head of science, Thomas Zurbuchen, joins Space Boffins to discuss the proposed cuts to NASA's science budget. Richard visits SSTL to see an innovative European Space Agency mission, HydroGNSS, that uses satellite navigation signals to measure water from space. And authors Bruce McCandless III and Emily Carney share stories and songs from their new book, Star Bound, and talk Gemini, Skylab and an angry NASA memo. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Could factories in space be the future of manufacturing? Space Boffins Sue Nelson and Richard Hollingham meet the head of the UK company, Space Forge, about to launch a (very small) factory into orbit. Sue also visits a new exhibition at the Natural History Museum in London exploring whether life could exist elsewhere in the universe, and the weird 1960s design that could have seen astronauts return to Earth on a paraglider... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists