2026.04.22 | How the Vengeance Weapon Two (V-2) first took flight in New Mexico

2026.04.22 | How the Vengeance Weapon Two (V-2) first took flight in New Mexico

On The Space Show for Wednesday, 22 April 2026: Turning Back Time 80 years since the first test launch of a V-2 rocket from American soil: [https://www.smithsonianmag.com/air-space-magazine/first-v2-rocket-launch-america-was-75-years-ago-today-180977520/] At 2:47 on the afternoon of Tuesday, 16 April 1946, a captured Nazi V-2 missile ascended into the sky from the U.S. Army's new White Sands Proving Ground in south-central New Mexico. It didn't get very far. The guidance system failed, a fin came off, and the rocket—after reaching an altitude of only 3.4 miles—crashed in the desert. 65 years since Yuri Gagarin became the first human in space: [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yuri_Gagarin] On 12 April 1961, at 6:07 am UTC, the Vostok 3KA-3 (Vostok 1) spacecraft was launched from Baikonur Cosmodrome. Aboard was Yuri Gagarin, the first human to travel into space. 45 Years since the first flight of the Space Shuttle: [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/STS-1] On 12 April 1981, the world's first reusable spacecraft, the Space Shuttle Columbia, was launched from Kennedy Space Centre, beginning the STS-1 mission. Commander John Young & pilot Robert Crippen strapped into the most complex machine ever built, with no test run or uncrewed test flight, and made history. 35 years since the launch of the Gamma-ray Observatory: [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compton_Gamma_Ray_Observatory] On 5 April 1991, the Compton Gamma-ray Observatory (CGRO) was launched aboard the Space Shuttle Atlantis from the Kennedy Space Center.

2026.04.15 | 76th International Astronautical Congress 2025 - Part 5

On The Space Show for Wednesday, 15 April 2026: 2025 International Astronautical Congress (IAC), Sydney:  "If you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far, go together.” Part 2 of an astronaut panel discussion marking 25 years of continuous human presence on the International Space Station.  The astronauts are: * Julie Payette [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julie_Payette] (moderator) — Canadian engineer, scientist and former astronaut who served as the 29th Governor General of Canada from 2017 to 2021. * Yi So-yeon [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yi_So-yeon]— South Korean astronaut and biotechnologist who became the first South Korean to fly in space. * Koichi Wakata [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Koichi_Wakata]— Japanese engineer and an astronaut working for Axiom Space after retiring from JAXA. * Andreas Mogenson [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andreas_Mogensen] — Danish engineer and ESA astronaut who is best known for being the first Dane to fly in space. * Alper Gezeravcı [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alper_Gezeravc%C4%B1] — a military pilot and the first Turkish astronaut who flew to the  International Space Station with Axiom Mission 3 (Ax-3). * Andrew Feustel  [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_J._Feustel] — American/Canadian NASA astronaut and geophysicist who most recently served as commander on the International Space Station for Expedition 55 and 56.

2026.04.08 | 76th International Astronautical Congress 2025 - Part 4

On The Space Show for Wednesday, 8 April 2026: Space Show News: Artemis II update 2025 International Astronautical Congress (IAC), Sydney: * Lessons learned at Gilmour Space with Adam Gilmour, CEO and co-founder of Gilmour Space Technologies [https://www.gspace.com/] * A conversation between the head of the Australian Space Agency [https://space.gov.au/] (ASA), Enrico Palermo, and the President of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency [https://global.jaxa.jp/] (JAXA), Dr Hiroshi Yamakawa.   * Part 1 of an astronaut panel discussion marking 25 years of continuous human presence on the International Space Station. The astronauts are: * ⁠Julie Payette⁠ [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julie_Payette] (moderator) — Canadian engineer, scientist and former astronaut who served as the 29th Governor General of Canada from 2017 to 2021. * ⁠Yi So-yeon ⁠ [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yi_So-yeon]— South Korean astronaut and biotechnologist who became the first South Korean to fly in space. * ⁠Koichi Wakata ⁠ [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Koichi_Wakata]— Japanese engineer and an astronaut working for Axiom Space after retiring from JAXA. * ⁠Andreas Mogenson⁠ [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andreas_Mogensen] — Danish engineer and ESA astronaut who is best known for being the first Dane to fly in space. * ⁠Alper Gezeravcı⁠ [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alper_Gezeravc%C4%B1] — a military pilot and the first Turkish astronaut who flew to the  International Space Station with Axiom Mission 3 (Ax-3). * ⁠Andrew Feustel ⁠ [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_J._Feustel] — American/Canadian NASA astronaut and geophysicist who most recently served as commander on the International Space Station for Expedition 55 and 56.

2026.04.01 | Looking back at the Earth from space

On The Space Show for Wednesday, 1 April 2026: Space Show News:  * Artemis II mission poised to launch.  * The Australian National University is providing laser communications support for NASA’s Artemis II Moon mission [https://www.anu.edu.au/news/all-news/anu-provides-laser-communications-support-for-nasas-artemis-ii-crewed-moon-mission].  * NASA selects Intuitive Machines to carry Roo-ver, Australia's first Moon rover, to the lunar South Pole region in 2030 [https://www.space.gov.au/news-and-media/nasa-selects-intuitive-machines-to-carry-australian-roover-to-the-moon]. Lunar Astronomy Dr Martin Elvis, Senior Astrophysicist at the Centre for Astrophysics at Harvard & Smithsonian [https://www.cfa.harvard.edu/people/martin-elvis], speaking at the 2025 International Astronautical Congress (IAC) in Sydney, Australia. Lunar Geology Dr Walter Kiefer of the Lunar and Planetary Institute [https://www.lpi.usra.edu/science/staff/kiefer/] responds to the Moon hoax conspiracy by explaining how lunar geology counters it. Looking back at the Earth from space On the eve of the Artemis II mission, astronaut Tracy Caldwell Dyson [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tracy_Caldwell_Dyson] reflects on looking back at the Earth from the cupola of the International Space Station.

2026.03.25 | Ignition: NASA Unveils Initiatives to Achieve America’s National Space Policy

On The Space Show for Wednesday, 25 March 2026: The announcement of a major change in direction and focus for NASA [https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/nasa-unveils-initiatives-to-achieve-americas-national-space-policy/]with Jared Isaacman, NASA Administrator. (Courtesy NASA HQ) Policy as a compass for Australia's lunar future with Jeremy Kruckel, a member of the Space Association of Australia. The lunar discoveries of LRO  A summary of the achievements of the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter since its launch in 2009. (Courtesy GSFC) Turn Back Time: Luna 10 Sixty Years ago, Luna 10 became the first craft to be placed into orbit around the Moon, and how a 'swifty' was pulled on the Communist Party Congress. Should spacefarers have their appendix removed before a long-duration mission? Also, reflections on the lack of aerospace medical training in Australia with Dr Rowena Christiansen, Medical School, University of Melbourne.