Episodes

  • The James Webb Space Telescope Naming Controversy | Stories From Space Podcast With Matthew S Williams

    The James Webb Space Telescope Naming Controversy | Stories From Space Podcast With Matthew S Williams
    Aug 25 2025

    Host | Matthew S Williams

    On ITSPmagazine 👉 https://itspmagazine.com/itspmagazine-podcast-radio-hosts/matthew-s-williams

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    Episode Notes

    The decision to name the Next Generation Space Telescope after former administrator James E. Webb has led to significant controversy and demands that it be renamed. This issue has shone a light on a dark period in the history of the U.S. and NASA and has raised questions about the agency's naming conventions.

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    Resources

    The Lavender Scare - National Archives: https://www.archives.gov/publications/prologue/2016/summer/lavender.html#:~:text=Beginning%20in%20the%20late%201940s,the%20power%20of%20congressional%20investigation.

    Why NASA should have a do-over on the name of JWST - Jason Wright: https://sites.psu.edu/astrowright/2022/10/25/why-nasa-should-have-a-do-over-on-the-name-of-jwst/

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    For more podcast Stories from Space with Matthew S Williams, visit: https://itspmagazine.com/stories-from-space-podcast
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    27 mins
  • Episode 106 - Megastructures (Part III)

    Episode 106 - Megastructures (Part III)
    Aug 5 2025
    Sixty years ago, famed physicist Freeman Dyson theorized that advanced civilizations, in their ongoing quest to find more living space and energy, would convert their solar system into a megastructure enclosing their star. This gave rise to the concept of megastructures, many of which have been theorized over the years. These hypothetical structures are one of many technosignatures SETI researchers are on the lookout for as they probe the stars for signs of intelligent life.
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    35 mins
  • Episode 105 - Megastructures (Part II)

    Episode 105 - Megastructures (Part II)
    Jul 9 2025

    Neil Blevins' artwork: http://neilblevins.com/

    Centauri Dreams (Paul Glister): https://www.centauri-dreams.org/
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    29 mins
  • Episode 104 - Megastructures!

    Episode 104 - Megastructures!
    Jun 25 2025
    In the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI), scientists need to consider what technologies they should look for, including those used by a more advanced species. This has spawned the idea of Megastructures, which was first proposed in the 1960s by theoretical physicist and mathematician Freeman Dyson (who proposed the Dyson Sphere). Since then, many variations and other possible Megastructures have been proposed, all of which are fascinating and fun to think about!
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    28 mins
  • Episode 103 - Space Medicine (with Dr. Shawna Pandya)

    Episode 103 - Space Medicine (with Dr. Shawna Pandya)
    Jun 11 2025
    Dr. Shawna Pandya is an aeromedical transport physician, a neurosurgery and emergency medic, leader of the an aquanaut with NASA's NEEMO analog missions, director of the International Institute for Astronautical Sciences' (IIAS) Space Medicine Group, and will be Canada's first female commercial astronaut. She's also a black belt martial artist in Taekwon-Do, an analog astronaut, and an explorer. During our interview, we discussed the path that brought her to medicine, space, and what the future holds for humans living and working offworld.
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    47 mins
  • Episode 102 - My Interview with AADYA Geo Talks (Part II)

    Episode 102 - My Interview with AADYA Geo Talks (Part II)
    Jun 6 2025
    A few months ago, I had the honor of appearing on AADYA Geo Talks, the podcast series launched by Bharti Sharma and the organization she founded – AADYA, whose name means “origin” in Hindi. As a geologist and world-traveller, Sharma launched this organization to promote knowledge about planetary and geoscience and create opportunities for collaborative research to address critical global challenges. During the interview, we talked about how I got into science journalism, my podcast series, and my science fiction writing. The interview lasted for more than an hour because she asked great questions about a range of wonderful topics!
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    36 mins
  • Episode 101 - My Interview with AADYA Geo Talks

    Episode 101 - My Interview with AADYA Geo Talks
    Jun 2 2025
    A few months ago, I had the honor of appearing on AADYA Geo Talks, the podcast series launched by Bharti Sharma and the organization she founded – AADYA, whose name means “origin” in Hindi. As a geologist and world-traveller, Sharma launched this organization to promote knowledge about planetary and geoscience and create opportunities for collaborative research to address critical global challenges. During the interview, we talked about how I got into science journalism, my podcast series, and my science fiction writing. The interview lasted for more than an hour because she asked great questions about a range of wonderful topics!
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    34 mins
  • NASA's Budget for 2026: Tough Times Ahead

    NASA's Budget for 2026: Tough Times Ahead
    May 22 2025
    The White House recently released its budget for FY 2026, which has led to significant concerns at NASA as it recommends significant cuts to international programs, education, and research. In addition, many of these cuts call for the cancellation of key elements of NASA's Artemis Program and its plans for sending crewed missions to Mars. This includes the Space Launch System (SLS), the Orion spacecraft, and the Lunar Gateway.
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    18 mins