TWiS 178: Tell It to the Mountain - Astronaut and Senate Hopeful Terry Virts Says NASA Needs a Major Rethink

There's a very elite club in astronaut circles, one in which former astronauts go on to political careers. The most elite are senators, and so far, John Glenn, Harrison Schmitt, and Mark Kelly have been members, and may soon be joined by Terry Virts, a former shuttle and ISS astronaut. He's got a lot to say about today's NASA, the budget, the Artemis program (he was the astronaut embedded with the SLS rocket program back in 2011), and much more. Col. Virts is also an author and filmmaker, among his other pursuits. Join us for the enlightening episode.

Headlines:
• Ukraine Destroys Russian Military-Used Radio Telescope in Crimea
• China's Surge in Spaceflight Triggers New Warnings About U.S. Competitiveness
• Stunning New Black Hole Images Revealed by Event Horizon Telescope
• Partial Solar Eclipse Coming, Visible Most Spectacularly to Penguins

Main Topic: Interview with Colonel Terry Virts—Astronaut and Senate Candidate
• Highlights of Terry Virts' Career: Air Force, Shuttle & Soyuz Missions, Space Station Command
• Motivation Behind Virts' Run for U.S. Senate in Texas
• Threats to American Democracy, Middle-Class Issues, and Human Rights Priorities
• How Astronaut and Military Experience Prepares Him for Political Office
• Views on the U.S. Space Program: Budget Cuts, Program Delays, and China's Lunar Ambitions
• Specific Critiques of Artemis, SLS, and Lunar Lander Strategies
• Advice for Aspiring Astronauts and Reflections on NASA's Challenges
• The ISS at 25: Collaboration, Science Achievements, and Personal Lessons Learned
• Space, Star Trek, and Geek Culture Moments from Virts' NASA Years

Hosts: Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik

Guest: Terry Virts

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