Off-Nominal

Jake and Anthony are joined by Randy Riddle, retired small rocket chief engineer and long time anomaly (it’s LeonRunningMan, himself!), to talk about his career in the Air Force, how appropriated money actually works from the government side, and to tell a ton of stories.TopicsOff-Nominal - YouTubeEpisode 207 - Replacement Money (with Randy Riddle, LeonRunningMan!) - YouTubeNational Air and Space Intel CenterAir Force Issues RFP For OSP-3 Launch Services - Defense DailyUSSF awards OSP-4 contract to emerging Small Launch providers > Los Angeles Air Force Base > Article DisplaySpace and Missile Systems Center awards $4.9 million Small Rocket Program-Orbital contract for Agile Small Launch Operational Normalizer (ASLON)-45 mission > Los Angeles Air Force Base > Article DisplayFollow Off-NominalSubscribe to the show! - Off-NominalSupport the show, join the DiscordOff-Nominal (@offnom) / TwitterOff-Nominal (@offnom@spacey.space) - Spacey SpaceFollow JakeWeMartians Podcast - Follow Humanity's Journey to MarsWeMarti

Jake and Anthony kick around the news, from Vulcan and Ariane 6 launches on the same day, Blue Origin’s MTO, and some licensing talk, because that’s super fun.TopicsOff-Nominal - YouTubeEpisode 206 - Coalition for Deep State Exploration - YouTubeAfter first operational launch, here’s the next big test for ULA’s Vulcan rocket - Ars TechnicaESA - MetOp-SG-A1 and Sentinel-5 launch on Ariane 6Op-ed: NASA’s New CLD Strategy Will Lose Mars, LEO to China - PayloadNo Changes Allowed | LinkedInThe Mission: Blue Origin’s Mars Telecommunications Orbiter | Blue OriginTrump Issues Executive Order on Commercial Space – SpacePolicyOnline.comFollow Off-NominalSubscribe to the show! - Off-NominalSupport the show, join the DiscordOff-Nominal (@offnom) / TwitterOff-Nominal (@offnom@spacey.space) - Spacey SpaceFollow JakeWeMartians Podcast - Follow Humanity's Journey to MarsWeMartians Podcast (@We_Martians) | TwitterJake Robins (@JakeOnOrbit) | TwitterJake Robins (@JakeOnOrbit@spacey.space) - Spacey SpaceFollow AnthonyMain Engin

Jake and Anthony decide which spaceship(s) they would like to steal from a museum.TopicsOff-Nominal - YouTubeEpisode 205 - Knives Out for Kansas - YouTubeNASA’s new chief has radically rewritten the rules for private space stations - Ars TechnicaLawmakers writing NASA’s budget want a cheaper upper stage for the SLS rocket - Ars TechnicaIs the Dream Chaser space plane ever going to launch into orbit? - Ars TechnicaHouston, you’ve got a space shuttle… only NASA won’t say which one - Ars TechnicaSpace Shuttle Independence - WikipediaMikoyan-Gurevich MiG-105 - WikipediaLK (spacecraft) - WikipediaFollow Off-NominalSubscribe to the show! - Off-NominalSupport the show, join the DiscordOff-Nominal (@offnom) / TwitterOff-Nominal (@offnom@spacey.space) - Spacey SpaceFollow JakeWeMartians Podcast - Follow Humanity's Journey to MarsWeMartians Podcast (@We_Martians) | TwitterJake Robins (@JakeOnOrbit) | TwitterJake Robins (@JakeOnOrbit@spacey.space) - Spacey SpaceFollow AnthonyMain Engine Cut OffMain Engine Cut Off (@WeHa

Jake and Anthony are joined by Joe Barnard to catch up and finally discuss High Steaks!TopicsOff-Nominal - YouTubeEpisode 204 - It’s Not Delivery, It’s Deorbit (with Joe Barnard) - YouTubeCan Supersonic Heating Cook Steak? - YouTubeHigh Steaks Flight 1 - Onboard Footage 50% Speed with Data Overlay - YouTubeSmallest 4K 120fps Camera Possible - YouTubeUsing Condoms to Make a Rocket Nosecone - YouTubeBuilding a Supersonic Rocket Guidance System - YouTubeThe #1 Reason Rocket Parachutes Fail - YouTubeHalf Cat RocketryAustralia’s first orbital-class rocket didn’t make it far off the launch pad - Ars TechnicaGilmour Space on X: “Liftoff completed, launch tower cleared, stage 1 tested. Awesome result for a first test launch.”Follow JoeBPS.space - YouTubeJoe Barnard (@joebarnard) / TwitterBPS.SpaceFollow Off-NominalSubscribe to the show! - Off-NominalSupport the show, join the DiscordOff-Nominal (@offnom) / TwitterOff-Nominal (@offnom@spacey.space) - Spacey SpaceFollow JakeWeMartians Podcast - Follow Humanity's Journe

Jake and Anthony return from their travels with stories, and a ton of news to catch each other up on. And we’ll find out if Jake was the person who bought NWA 16799.TopicsOff-Nominal - YouTubeEpisode 203 - 20 Tree and Me - YouTubeThe largest Mars meteorite on Earth has sold for $4.3 million | SpaceCongress passes budget reconciliation bill with $10 billion for NASA - SpaceNewsSenate Appropriators Poised to Reject Proposed NASA Budget Cuts, But… – SpacePolicyOnline.comHouse Appropriators Also Reject Trump-Proposed NASA Cuts, Fund National Space Council – SpacePolicyOnline.comCongress moves to reject bulk of White House’s proposed NASA cuts - Ars TechnicaHere’s why Trump appointed the secretary of transportation to lead NASA - Ars TechnicaNASA Research Shows Path Toward Protocells on Titan - NASA ScienceBuilding the future of SpaceNews - SpaceNewsFollow Off-NominalSubscribe to the show! - Off-NominalSupport the show, join the DiscordOff-Nominal (@offnom) / TwitterOff-Nominal (@offnom@spacey.space) - Spacey Spac

Anthony is joined by Adrian Beil of NASASpaceflight to talk about the recent mayhem at Starbase, and to kick around European space policy topics in the run up to the ESA Ministerial later this year.TopicsOff-Nominal - YouTubeEpisode 202 - Rapidly Adjusting (with Adrian Beil) - YouTubeFollowing the Loss of Ship 36, SpaceX now Focuses on Rebuilding Masseys - NASASpaceFlight.comJack Beyer on X: “Close up slow motion footage of the unexpected event(s) during Northrop Grumman’s BOLE DM-1 stb test today.”Northrop Grumman tests SLS Block 2 BOLE booster in Utah; nozzle issue seen - NASASpaceFlight.comESA studying impacts of proposed NASA budget cuts - SpaceNewsESA moving ahead with ‘resilience from space’ satellite imaging program - SpaceNewsFollow AdrianAdrian Beil (@BCCarCounters) / TwitterAdrian Beil, Author at NASASpaceFlight.comFollow Off-NominalSubscribe to the show! - Off-NominalSupport the show, join the DiscordOff-Nominal (@offnom) / TwitterOff-Nominal (@offnom@spacey.space) - Spacey SpaceFollow JakeWeMartia

Anthony is joined by Casey Dreier, Chief of Space Policy at The Planetary Society, and Eric Berger, Senior Space Editor at Ars Technica, to talk about the NASA 2026 budget proposal, the Jared Isaacman saga, and all the space policy storylines you could imagine.TopicsOff-Nominal - YouTubeEpisode 201 - Bad Ass, But Also Bad (with Casey Dreier and Eric Berger) (with Casey Dreier and Eric Berger) - YouTubeNASA's disastrous 2026 budget proposal in… | The Planetary SocietyThe Space Review: How NASA’s proposed budget cuts are felt across the AtlanticThe Space Review: NASA’s 2026 budget in brief: Unprecedented, unstrategic, and wastefulThe Planetary Society’s NASA Data DashboardsIsaacman’s bold plan for NASA: Nuclear ships, seven-crew Dragons, accelerated Artemis - Ars TechnicaThe administration’s anti-consensus Mars plan will fail - SpaceNewsSpaceX’s next Starship just blew up on its test stand in South Texas - Ars TechnicaShe was a Disney star with platinum records, but Bridgit Mendler gave it up to change the worl

Jake and Anthony are joined by Matt Gjertsen, founder of Better Every Day Studios, to talk about leadership and management development in the space industry (and elsewhere!).TopicsOff-Nominal - YouTubeEpisode 200 - On the Interstages of Giants (with Matt Gjertsen) - YouTubeBetter Every Day StudiosFollow MattEasily listen to Leadership Launchpad – Team Development, & Performance Improvement for Aerospace & Technology Managers in your podcast app of choiceEasily listen to A VC, a Headhunter, and a Trainer Walk into a Bar in your podcast app of choiceFollow Off-NominalSubscribe to the show! - Off-NominalSupport the show, join the DiscordOff-Nominal (@offnom) / TwitterOff-Nominal (@offnom@spacey.space) - Spacey SpaceFollow JakeWeMartians Podcast - Follow Humanity's Journey to MarsWeMartians Podcast (@We_Martians) | TwitterJake Robins (@JakeOnOrbit) | TwitterJake Robins (@JakeOnOrbit@spacey.space) - Spacey SpaceFollow AnthonyMain Engine Cut OffMain Engine Cut Off (@WeHaveMECO) | TwitterMain Engine Cut Off

It returns. Hot drama. Also a moon lander is happening right now. Also Twitter fights break out. Also a moon lander doesn’t happen.TopicsOff-Nominal - YouTubeEpisode 199 - The Thing That We Grow Plants - YouTubeIsaacman: people with ‘axes to grind’ about Musk caused withdrawn NASA nomination - SpaceNewsWhite House to withdraw Isaacman nomination to lead NASA - SpaceNewsNASA Copes with Details of $6 Billion Budget Cut, Leadership Uncertainty – SpacePolicyOnline.comNASA withdraws support for conferences - SpaceNewsCommercial space companies to fund launch range upgrades under $4 billion contract - SpaceNewsChinese launch startup conducts vertical takeoff and splashdown test - SpaceNewsKaitlan Collins on X: “As their blowup escalates, Trump suggests terminating Musk’s federal contracts.”Eric Berger on X: “This would both end the International Space Station and simultaneously provide no way to safely deorbit it.”Elon Musk on X: “This just gets better and better

Jake and Anthony figure out if we should panic about Starship, or just Starship Block 2, or not.TopicsOff-Nominal - YouTubeEpisode 198 - Gotahm - YouTubeStarship’s Ninth Flight Test - SpaceX - LaunchesNorthrop Grumman Invests $50 Million in Firefly Aerospace to Advance Medium Launch Vehicle Named Eclipse™Introducing the new Northrop Grumman logo. | Northrop GrummanRocket Lab's Neutron tapped for U.S. military cargo test - SpaceNewsFollow Off-NominalSubscribe to the show! - Off-NominalSupport the show, join the DiscordOff-Nominal (@offnom) / TwitterOff-Nominal (@offnom@spacey.space) - Spacey SpaceFollow JakeWeMartians Podcast - Follow Humanity's Journey to MarsWeMartians Podcast (@We_Martians) | TwitterJake Robins (@JakeOnOrbit) | TwitterJake Robins (@JakeOnOrbit@spacey.space) - Spacey SpaceFollow AnthonyMain Engine Cut OffMain Engine Cut Off (@WeHaveMECO) | TwitterMain Engine Cut Off (@meco@spacey.space) - Spacey SpaceAnthony Colangelo (@acolangelo) | TwitterAnthony Colangelo (@acolangelo@jawns.club) - jawns.

Anthony is in his new studio! He and Jake catch up on his recent trip to Marotta Controls, Anthony shares the good news about valves, and they try to figure out what the hell is going on with VIPER.TopicsOff-Nominal - YouTubeEpisode 197 - Valves and Cranberries - YouTubeT+302: A Tour of Marotta Controls - Main Engine Cut OffControls Engineering | Control System Company | MarottaSpace Controls | Spacecraft Control Systems | MarottaMarotta’s post with photos of my tourBrian’s photo of a thruster firingNASA backtracks on VIPER commercial partnership - SpaceNewsBlue Origin updates work on ‘transporter’ for Blue Moon lunar lander - SpaceNewsGilmour Space on X: “

Jake and Anthony talk about Firefly’s latest spectacular Alpha failure, and the skinny budget request.TopicsOff-Nominal - YouTubeEpisode 196 - ❌ Lady Telescope ❌ - YouTubeTrump Proposes $6 Billion Cut to NASA – SpacePolicyOnline.comNASA scrambles to cut ISS activity due to budget issues - Ars TechnicaFirefly Alpha launches FLTA006 Message In A Booster mission but fails to reach orbit - NASASpaceFlight.comAlpha FLTA006 "Message In A Booster" - YouTube (Timestamped to anomaly, also lol at 1969-12-31 timestamp)Follow Off-NominalSubscribe to the show! - Off-NominalSupport the show, join the DiscordOff-Nominal (@offnom) / TwitterOff-Nominal (@offnom@spacey.space) - Spacey SpaceFollow JakeWeMartians Podcast - Follow Humanity's Journey to MarsWeMartians Podcast (@We_Martians) | TwitterJake Robins (@JakeOnOrbit) | TwitterJake Robins (@JakeOnOrbit@spacey.space) - Spacey SpaceFollow AnthonyMain Engine Cut OffMain Engine Cut Off (@WeHaveMECO) | TwitterMain Engine Cut Off (@meco@spacey.space) - Spacey SpaceAnthony Colang

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.TopicsOff-Nominal - YouTubeEpisode 195 - Dirtiest Thing in the Cleanroom (with Dante Lauretta) - YouTubeDante Lauretta | Lunar and Planetary Laboratory & Department of Planetary Sciences | The University of ArizonaNASA's OSIRIS-REx Mission to Asteroid BennuAbundant ammonia and nitrogen-rich soluble organic matter in samples from asteroid (101955) Bennu | Nature AstronomyAn evaporite sequence from ancient brine recorded in Bennu samples | NatureContamination monitoring of the OSIRIS-REx ISO5 asteroid sample cleanroom - NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)NASA’s Asteroid Bennu Sample Reveals Mix of Life’s Ingredients - NASASurprising Phosphate Finding in NASA’s OSIRIS-REx Asteroid Sample - NASANASA’s Bennu Asteroid Sample Contains Carbon, Water - NASANASA’s First Aste

Jake and Anthony are joined by Roman Chiporukha, founder of SpaceVIP, a travel agency for space.TopicsOff-Nominal - YouTubeEpisode 194 - St. Bart’s on a Tuesday (with Roman Chiporukha) - YouTubeSpaceVIP | Your Gateway to the CosmosSpace PrizeBlue Origin’s First All-Female Spaceflight Stunt - The New York TimesRadian Aerospace – World’s First Single-Stage-to-Orbit SpaceplaneFollow Off-NominalSubscribe to the show! - Off-NominalSupport the show, join the DiscordOff-Nominal (@offnom) / TwitterOff-Nominal (@offnom@spacey.space) - Spacey SpaceFollow JakeWeMartians Podcast - Follow Humanity's Journey to MarsWeMartians Podcast (@We_Martians) | TwitterJake Robins (@JakeOnOrbit) | TwitterJake Robins (@JakeOnOrbit@spacey.space) - Spacey SpaceFollow AnthonyMain Engine Cut OffMain Engine Cut Off (@WeHaveMECO) | TwitterMain Engine Cut Off (@meco@spacey.space) - Spacey SpaceAnthony Colangelo (@acolangelo) | TwitterAnthony Colangelo (@acolangelo@jawns.club) - jawns.club

Jake and Anthony talk about Jared Isaacman’s confirmation hearing, and the apocalyptic NASA science budget.TopicsOff-Nominal - YouTubeEpisode 193 - The Secretary of Land - YouTubeIsaacman Insists NASA Can Pursue Moon and Mars Goals Simultaneously – SpacePolicyOnline.comIsaacman’s “Golden Age of Science & Discovery” on Shaky Ground – SpacePolicyOnline.comTrump White House budget proposal eviscerates science funding at NASA - Ars TechnicaPlanetary Science Caucus Co-Chairs Bacon & Chu Statement on White House’s Proposed Budget Cuts to NASA Science | U.S. Representative Don BaconNOAA budget proposal would affect weather satellite, other space programs - SpaceNewsFollow Off-NominalSubscribe to the show! - Off-NominalSupport the show, join the DiscordOff-Nominal (@offnom) / TwitterOff-Nominal (@offnom@spacey.space) - Spacey SpaceFollow JakeWeMartians Podcast - Follow Humanity's Journey to MarsWeMartians Podcast (@We_Martians) | TwitterJake Robins (@JakeOnOrbit) | TwitterJake Robins (@JakeOnOrbit@spacey.spac

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.TopicsOff-Nominal - YouTubeWatch Alcohol in Space - The Movie | Prime VideoThe Music of Space: Scoring the Cosmos in Film and Television: Carberry, Chris: 9781476688978: Amazon.com: BooksAlcohol in Space: Past, Present and Future: Carberry, Chris: 9781476679242: Amazon.com: BooksSummit | Explore MarsDEMO: Bay Bridge (2021) - IMDbEP-32 The Show with Mike Rowe – Dan CarlinFollow Off-NominalSubscribe to the show! - Off-NominalSupport the show, join the DiscordOff-Nominal (@offnom) / TwitterOff-Nominal (@offnom@spacey.space) - Spacey SpaceFollow JakeWeMartians Podcast - Follow Humanity's Journey to MarsWeMartians Podcast (@We_Martians) | TwitterJake Robins (@JakeOnOrbit) | TwitterJake Robins (@JakeOnOrbit@spacey.space) - Spacey SpaceFollow AnthonyMain Engine Cut OffMain Engine Cut Off (@WeHaveMECO) | Twitt

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.TopicsOff-Nominal - YouTubeEpisode 191 - It’s 5 O’Clock Somewhere…at a Rocket Lab Facility (with Richard French) - YouTubeRocket Lab | The Space Company | Rocket LabMars Sample Return | Rocket LabNASA Installs Heat Shield on First Private Spacecraft Bound for Venus - NASANASA selects seven companies for MSR studies - SpaceNewsNASA awards Rocket Lab study contract for Mars Sample Return - SpaceNewsVarda Space capsule lands in Australia with critical data for hypersonic vehicles - SpaceNewsRocket Lab to expand into laser communications with Mynaric acquisition - SpaceNewsRocket Lab on X: “Stage 2's qualification campaign tests…”Follow RichardDick French (@DFRocketScience) / XFollow Off-NominalSubscribe to th

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 with Jason friggin’ Snell.TopicsOff-Nominal - YouTubeEpisode 190 - Poolonauts (with Jason Snell) - YouTubeAnthony on CNN Last WeekMomentum seems to be building for Jared Isaacman to become NASA administrator - Ars TechnicaWhite House nominates Autry to be NASA’s chief financial officer - SpaceNewsTrump White House drops diversity plan for Moon landing it created back in 2019 - Ars TechnicaEpisode 128 - These Were Bad Movies - Off-NominalFollow JasonJason Snell (@jsnell@zeppelin.flights) - The IncomparableSix Colors – Apple, technology, and other stuff by Jason Snell & Dan MorenUpgrade - RelayLiftoff - RelayThe Incomparable - Smart, funny pop culture podcastsNow

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.TopicsOff-Nominal - YouTubePixxel | Hyperspectral Imagery and Space Data CompanyGoogle leads $36 million funding round for Pixxel - SpaceNewsSpaceX launches 131 payloads on Transporter-12 rideshare mission - SpaceNewsFlatland - WikipediaFollow AwaisAwais AhmedAwais Ahmed (@awaisahmedna) / XFollow Off-NominalSubscribe to the show! - Off-NominalSupport the show, join the DiscordOff-Nominal (@offnom) / TwitterOff-Nominal (@offnom@spacey.space) - Spacey SpaceFollow JakeWeMartians Podcast - Follow Humanity's Journey to MarsWeMartians Podcast (@We_Martians) | TwitterJake Robins (@JakeOnOrbit) | TwitterJake Robins (@JakeOnOrbit@spacey.space) - Spacey SpaceFollow AnthonyMain Engine Cut OffMain Engine Cut Off (@WeHaveMECO) | TwitterMain Engine Cut Off (@meco@spacey.space) - Spacey SpaceAnt

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.TopicsOff-Nominal - YouTubeEpisode 188 - Barry Up the Street (with Jonathan McDowell) - YouTubeFundraiser by Jonathan McDowell : Fund Jonathan's Space Report Library TransitionJonathan's Space ReportThe edge of space: Revisiting the Karman Line - ScienceDirectFollow JonathanJonathan McDowell (@planet4589.bsky.social) — BlueskyJonathan McDowell (@planet4589) / XFollow Off-NominalSubscribe to the show! - Off-NominalSupport the show, join the DiscordOff-Nominal (@offnom) / TwitterOff-Nominal (@offnom@spacey.space) - Spacey SpaceFollow JakeWeMartians Podcast - Follow Humanity's Journey to MarsWeMartians Podcast (@We_Martians) | TwitterJake Robins (@JakeOnOrbit) | TwitterJake Robins (@JakeOnOrbit@spacey.space) - Spacey SpaceFollow AnthonyMain Engine Cut OffMain Engi