Jake and Anthony talk about Firefly’s latest spectacular Alpha failure, and the skinny budget request. Topics Off-Nominal - YouTube Episode 196 - ❌ Lady Telescope ❌ - YouTube Trump Proposes $6 Billion Cut to NASA – SpacePolicyOnline.com NASA scrambles to cut ISS activity due to budget issues - Ars Technica Firefly Alpha launches FLTA006 Message In …

This week, Mike, Alanah, and Austin chat to co-founder of Stoic, the creators of The Banner Saga and, more recently, Towerborne!By Alanah Pearce

Jake and Anthony are joined by Dante Lauretta, Principal Investigator of NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission, and Professor of Planetary Science at the University of Arizona, to talk about—take a guess!—returning and studying pristine samples from Bennu. Topics Off-Nominal - YouTube Episode 195 - Dirtiest Thing in the Cleanroom (with Dante Lauretta) - YouTub…

Jake and Anthony are joined by Roman Chiporukha, founder of SpaceVIP, a travel agency for space. Topics Off-Nominal - YouTube Episode 194 - St. Bart’s on a Tuesday (with Roman Chiporukha) - YouTube SpaceVIP | Your Gateway to the Cosmos Space Prize Blue Origin’s First All-Female Spaceflight Stunt - The New York Times Radian Aerospace – World’s First…

Jake and Anthony talk about Jared Isaacman’s confirmation hearing, and the apocalyptic NASA science budget. Topics Off-Nominal - YouTube Episode 193 - The Secretary of Land - YouTube Isaacman Insists NASA Can Pursue Moon and Mars Goals Simultaneously – SpacePolicyOnline.com Isaacman’s “Golden Age of Science & Discovery” on Shaky Ground – SpacePolic…

Jake and Anthony are joined by Chris Carberry and Sam Burbank to talk about their first documentary film, Alcohol in Space - The Movie, their upcoming projects, and the 2025 Humans to the Moon & Mars Summit. Topics Off-Nominal - YouTube Watch Alcohol in Space - The Movie | Prime Video The Music of Space: Scoring the Cosmos in Film and Television: C…

This week, Alanah and Mike discuss the Switch 2 presentation!By Alanah Pearce

Jake and Anthony are joined by Richard French, Vice President, Business Development and Strategy, Space Systems at Rocket Lab, to talk about their Mars Sample Return architecture, the way they’ve been putting the word out on it, and to hear what’s been up with their space systems side of the business lately. Topics Off-Nominal - YouTube Episode 191…

Jake and Anthony are joined by writer and podcaster Jason Snell, to talk about Jared Isaacman’s nomination to lead NASA, what’s been up in the NASA CFO scene, what astronauts really want to be doing, and so much more. Also, this episode completes the Lifoff-Nominal crossover spectacular, AND makes 10 year old Anthony very happy that he’s podcasting…

Jake and Anthony are joined by Awais Ahmed, Founder and CEO of Pixxel, to talk about building a constellation of hyperspectral imaging satellites. Honestly, we mostly try to help Jake get his head around the electromagnetic spectrum. Topics Off-Nominal - YouTube Pixxel | Hyperspectral Imagery and Space Data Company Google leads $36 million funding …

Jake and Anthony are joined by Jonathan McDowell, astrophysicist at Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics and the namesake of the McDowell Line at 80 kilometers, to talk about his fundraiser to move his epic space library to a new, permanent home. Topics Off-Nominal - YouTube Episode 188 - Barry Up the Street (with Jonathan McDowell) - YouTub…

This week, Alanah and Mike start out by talking about the lay-offs across WB Games, then jump into talking about Microsoft's newly announced AI "Muse", and then we - finally - get Alanah's thoughts on Who Framed Roger Rabbit.By Alanah Pearce

Jake and Anthony talk about the Moon lander mania this week has been—Firefly’s Blue Ghost 1 and Intuitive Machines’ IM-2 missions. Topics Off-Nominal - YouTube Episode 187 - Amazon Basics Lunar Lander - YouTube Blue Ghost Mission 1 - Firefly Aerospace AstroForge | Earning the Learnings: The Launch of Odin NASA still working to restore contact with …

Jake and Anthony are joined by Casey Dreier, Chief of Space Policy at The Planetary Society, to talk about the current era of Executive action, Congressional pushback (or not) against it, and the upcoming Day of Action. Topics Off-Nominal - YouTube Episode 186 - It’s Like the Cinnamon Challenge (with Casey Dreier) - YouTube The Day of Action | The …

This week, Austin and Alanah sit down to talk to Mike Laidlaw, the game director of Dragon Age: Origins who most recently started his own studio and make ETERNAL STRANDS. Which Austin also worked on, because of course he did. He cannot be contained.By Alanah Pearce

Jake and Anthony are joined by Matthew Weinzierl and Brendan Rosseau to talk about their new book, Space to Grow: Unlocking the Final Economic Frontier. Supply! Demand! Subsidies! Probably dunking on the commercial space station market! Topics Off-Nominal - YouTube Episode 185 - A Little Bit Like Mexico (with Matthew Weinzierl and Brendan Rosseau) …

Apologies for the delay here - the audio file was corrupted! This week, Mike and Alanah are joined by Strange Scaffold's Xalavier Nelson Jr to talk about how the studio makes so many high quality games, and what it really means to be a good game director.By Alanah Pearce

Jake and Anthony catch up on some news, stories they haven’t covered yet like Rocket Lab’s Mars Sample Return architecture, and discuss the glory of Super Bowl LIX. It’s Anthony’s birthday, so he will not be stopped by Jake. Go Birds. Topics Off-Nominal - YouTube Episode 184 - Trickle Down Space News - YouTube Chiefs vs Eagles | Super Bowl LIX High…

Jake and Anthony are joined by Kristin Fisher to talk about her journey into independent journalism with her new YouTube channel, and we’ll probably kick around some news, too, because there’s been a lot, huh? Topics Off-Nominal - YouTube The Endless Void - YouTube Biden Administration “Certainly” Supports Artemis Program – SpacePolicyOnline.com Fo…

After a break due to the LA fires - which we talk about to begin with here - we chat about a recent 200-page document called "The State of Video Games in 2025" from Matthew Ball. If you'd like links to the charities we mentioned, please check those out on the YouTube version of the podcast!By Alanah Pearce

Jake and Anthony are joined by Stephen Clark, space reporter at Ars Technica, to talk about Starship Flight 7, New Glenn Flight 1, and let’s be real, probably space policy. Topics Off-Nominal - YouTube Episode 182 - Firmly Against Night Launches (with Stephen Clark) - YouTube Starship’s Seventh Flight Test - SpaceX - Launches SpaceX Catches Booster…

Jake and Anthony are joined by Swapna Krishna to talk about the Mars Sample Return non-update…since they only gave it about 5 minutes of last week’s show. And hey, there are some big rockets on launch pads right now. Topics Off-Nominal - YouTube Episode 181 - Down-Suggest (with Swapna Krishna) - YouTube New Glenn Mission NG-1 | Blue Origin New Glen…

Jake and Anthony take a look back at their 2024 predictions, make a few for 2025, and check in on Mars Sample Return announcements. Topics Off-Nominal - YouTube Episode 180 - Murgers Back on the Menu - YouTube Launches, moon landings and more: Here's the top spaceflight missions to watch in 2025 | Space NASA to Explore Two Landing Options for Retur…

Happy four years of PWL! Sorry about Mike's audio here, we don't know what happened.By Alanah Pearce

Jake and Anthony are joined by Loren Grush of Bloomberg to present the 2024 Off-Nominees: the most bizarre space news stories of the year. Topics Off-Nominal - YouTube Episode 179 - Presenting the 2024 Off-Nominees (with Loren Grush) - YouTube The Off-Nominal Awards - Off-Nominal Follow Loren Loren Grush - Bloomberg Loren Grush (@grushcrush) • Inst…

Jake and Anthony are joined by journalist and author Tim Fernholz to talk about the election aftermath, the nomination of Jared Isaacman to be NASA Administrator, and whether Anthony is a space warmonger. Topics Off-Nominal - YouTube Episode 178 - Weirdest Midlife Crisis (with Tim Fernholz) - YouTube Did Joe and Kamala Fumble Space? - Tim Fernholz …

Alanah left her job at Sony, and Mike got in trouble for saying something on Bluesky. We discuss the state of the games industry now that it's December 2024, and the notion that "indies will save" everything.By Alanah Pearce

Jake and Anthony are joined by Matt Gialich, Founder and CEO of AstroForge, to talk about asteroid mining. Yep, we’re doing the asteroid mining show. Topics Off-Nominal - YouTube Episode 177 - Sudafed and Rockstars (with Matt Gialich) - YouTube AstroForge Against all odds, an asteroid mining company appears to be making headway - Ars Technica Why i…

We're back from a brief hiatus! Immediately discussing: should Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree be nominated for GOTY even though it's a DLC? Also: Mike announced another video game!By Alanah Pearce

Jake and Anthony are joined by Adrian Beil of NSF (and a long-time beloved member of the Off-Nominal Discord) to talk about Starship Flight 6. Topics Off-Nominal - YouTube Episode 176 - Cosplaying the Shuttle (with Adrian Beil) - YouTube Starship’s Sixth Flight Test - SpaceX - Launches SpaceX lands Ship 31 in the Indian Ocean but miss the Booster C…

Jake and Anthony sit down for an election-week palate cleanser and explore some fun discussion prompts from Anomalies just like you! Topics Off-Nominal - YouTube Episode 175 - Hijinks on the Moon - YouTube “We Can Fix Anything”: Remembering Skylab’s Salvation, 50 Years On - AmericaSpace In 1973, as a prank to the Skylab 4 astronauts, the Skylab 3 c…

Jake and Anthony are joined by Eric Berger, Senior Space Editor at Ars Technica and author of Reentry: SpaceX, Elon Musk, and the Reusable Rockets that Launched a Second Space Age, to talk about the 2024 US elections, the return of President Trump, Musk’s role in the next administration, and what space policy looks like over the next four years. To…

Jake and Anthony are joined by Scott “Kidd” Poteet, Mission Pilot of Polaris Dawn, retired United States Air Force Lieutenant Colonel, and former Thunderbird #4 Demonstration Pilot, to talk about his recent flight to space. Topics Off-Nominal - YouTube Episode 173 - A Bigger Diaper (with Scott “Kidd” Poteet) - YouTube Polaris Program Polaris Dawn P…

Jake and Anthony are joined by Dr. Thomas Zurbuchen, Former Associate Administrator of NASA’s Science Mission Directorate and leader of ETH Zurich Space, to talk about some of the big stories in science at NASA—Mars Sample Return, cost growth in missions across the board, and more. Note: Dr. Z cited the Europa Clipper solar arrays at 100 yards acro…

This week, FROSTPUNK 2!By Alanah Pearce

Jake and Anthony are joined by Jack Beyer, Content Manager for NSF, to talk about SpaceX doing the dang thing! They caught the booster! Topics Off-Nominal - YouTube Episode 171 - Stiletto Starship (with Jack Beyer) - YouTube SpaceX on X: “Watch Starship's fifth flight test” SpaceX on X: “Starship on its fifth flight test. Views powered by @Starlink…

Jake and Anthony are joined by Casey Handmer, Founder of Terraform Industries, to talk about Mars Sample Return, and the general state of government projects, NASA, and so much more. Topics Off-Nominal - YouTube Episode 170 - Luckily, We Did All the Math (with Casey Handmer) - YouTube SLS is still a national disgrace – Casey Handmer's blog What is …

Jake arrives sad about space, and Anthony tries to cheer him up. We talk ISS, Artemis, budgets, and government strategy and goals. Topics Off-Nominal - YouTube Episode 169 - Sexy Atlantis - YouTube NASA is working on a plan to replace its space station, but time is running out - Ars Technica NASA confirms space station cracking a “highest” risk and…

Jake and Anthony are joined by Joe Barnard to air their grievances with the FAA. Topics Off-Nominal - YouTube Episode 168 - Elon Munch (with Joe Barnard) - YouTube The war of words between SpaceX and the FAA keeps escalating | Ars Technica Andrew Jones on X: “Drone footage from Deep Blue Aerospace's VTVL attempt today. Great view of the landing and…

This week, AUSTIN TURNS 40 (technically over a week ago at the time of publishing). So, we indulge him with almost an entire episode about Star Wars (Outlaws) and video game bugs.By Alanah Pearce

Jake and Anthony are joined by Eric Berger, Senior Space Editor at Ars Technica and author of Liftoff: Elon Musk and the Desperate Early Days That Launched SpaceX, to talk about his newest book, Reentry: SpaceX, Elon Musk, and the Reusable Rockets that Launched a Second Space Age. Topics Off-Nominal - YouTube Episode 167 - Bechtold (with Eric Berge…

Jake is joined by Emma Louden and Tanya Harrison to talk about their new children's book Mia and the Martians and how distilling space down to a child's level is a fascinating and challenging topic. Topics Off-Nominal - YouTube Episode 166 - General Five Year Old (with Tanya Harrison and Emma Louden) - YouTube Mia the Martians | Indiegogo Follow Em…

This week, Alanah, Austin, and Mike discuss the economic state of the games industry and if game prices need to go from $60 to $70.By Alanah Pearce

Jake and Anthony are joined by Dr. Gerard van Belle, Astronomer at Lowell Observatory, to talk about the recurrent nova T Coronae Borealis, which is about to do some crazy stuff that it does every 78 years and honestly, we really need help understanding it. Topics Off-Nominal - YouTube Episode 165 - Vacuum Light Pipe (with Dr. Gerard van Belle) - Y…

Jake and Anthony are joined by Casey Dreier, Chief of Space Policy at The Planetary Society, to share the Good News about Human Spaceflight. Topics Off-Nominal - YouTube Episode 164 - Middle Finger to Entropy (with Casey Dreier) - YouTube The Crusade to Reclaim Hubble - jakerobins.com Space Policy Edition: Is Human Spaceflight a… | The Planetary So…

After a month off, we have returned to bring you TOP QUALITY VIDEO GAME CONTENT! But mostly, a lot of us talking about the TV show The Expanse. And Sex in the City?By Alanah Pearce

Jake and Anthony are joined by John Conafay, founder of Integrate, to talk about what they’ve been up to lately, his time at SmallSat, all the space news of late, our bizarre JSC theories, and probably a review of Salt Lake City favorites in advance of the conferences’s move next year. Topics Off-Nominal - YouTube Episode 163 - COTS of JSC (with Jo…

Jake and Anthony are joined by Logan and Alan from MSI DFAT to talk about blasting satellites and spacecraft with sound. Seriously, that is their job. Topics Off-Nominal - YouTube Episode 162 - falcon_9.mp3 (with Logan and Alan from MSI DFAT) - YouTube MSI DFAT Photos | MSI-DFAT JWST suffers new problem during spacecraft testing - SpaceNews Surroun…

Jake and Anthony are joined by Christian Davenport of The Washington Post to catch Jake up on what he missed while on vacation. Just a Falcon 9 failure, the ongoing Starliner saga, and a brand new Presidential race. Topics Off-Nominal - YouTube Episode 161 - Ambassador Administrator Senator (with Christian Davenport) - YouTube Chris Bergin - NSF on…

Anthony is joined by his two favorite LGs—Lori Garver, former NASA Deputy Administrator, and Loren Grush of Bloomberg—to talk about an absolutely chaotic run of space news. Topics Off-Nominal - YouTube Episode 160 - Cut That Shit Out (with Lori Garver and Loren Grush) - YouTube Boeing Flubbed Its Space Debut. NASA Isn’t Helping. - The Atlantic Boei…