This Week in Space 184: Space is Scary!

Recorded: October 31, 2025
Hosts: Rod Pyle (Editor in Chief, Ad Astra Magazine), Tarek Malik (Editor in Chief, Space.com)

Episode Overview

In this special Halloween edition, "Space is Scary!", Rod Pyle and Tarek Malik embrace the spooky season by diving into:

• The latest headlines in space news, including NASA’s internal turmoil and SpaceX’s Artemis 3 updates.
• Sightings of Halloween comets in the night sky.
• An entertaining deep dive into the scariest and most memorable space-themed horror and sci-fi movies, from the 1950s to today.

Throughout the episode, the hosts mix real space news with a spirited, tongue-in-cheek look at what makes both real space—and space fiction—so terrifying.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

[04:10] Headlines: NASA’s Internal Turmoil

Topic: NASA Facing Criticism Over Science Center Shutdowns During Government Shutdown

• Space.com journalist Josh Dinner wrote a 9,000-word exposé on NASA’s controversial moves to shutter science centers (notably the New York GISS climate center) due to budget cuts and government impasse.
• Allegations include staff layoffs, reduction of climate science priority, and possible illegal actions as claimed in a Senate report, though NASA strongly disputes these.
  • Tarek: “[The story] is one of our longest stories, if not the longest story we’ve ever written... puts things in perspective.” [06:17]
  • Rod: “Other than pushing back on that... what about these massive layoffs during a shutdown, when people are already furloughed?” [08:14]
• The report details a culture where discussing “climate” is taboo due to administration sensitivities.
• Union disputes complicate the picture (NASA’s union rights were limited by a prior Executive Order).
• Legacy databases and Earth science resources at Goddard are being lost or endangered.

[12:36] SpaceX’s Artemis 3 “Streamlining” Pledge

Topic: SpaceX Releases Vague Update on Artemis Moon Landing Vehicle

• SpaceX claims it will “streamline” its Starship human landing system for Artemis 3, after criticisms from NASA’s Acting Administrator about program delays.
  • Rod: “They... said absolutely nothing about what they’re going to streamline.” [12:36]
• Despite meeting 49 milestones, the two major gaps remain: achieving orbit and developing orbital refueling.
• Unclear and shifting numbers of required Starship refueling flights (from 8 to 24).
  • Tarek: “They said 15 to 18!” [15:32]
• NASA’s visible frustration with press conferences lacking clear technical answers.
• SpaceX’s PR focus has been on Starlink, not Artemis; NASA wants more transparency.
• Computer renderings and PR statements aren’t enough: “If cool computer renderings would get us to other planets, NASA certainly would have had us to Mars in the 2010s.” —Rod [18:09]

[18:20] Halloween Night Sky: Spooky Comet Sightings

• Two comets are currently visible: Comet 3I (Alice), an interstellar visitor (not naked-eye visible), and Comet Lemon (circumpolar, visible with binoculars/telescope in the Northern Hemisphere).
  • Tarek: “I don’t think that Comet Lemon is going to be back for like another thousand years...” [19:17]
• For detailed viewing info: “Go to space.com and look up ‘how to see Comet Lemon’.” [20:35]

[20:40] Tribute: Buzz Aldrin Bereavement

• Sincere condolences extended to Buzz Aldrin for the recent passing of his wife, Anka Faur, from cancer.
  • Rod: “Sincerest condolences going out to Buzz because that’s hard anytime... just got to be the absolute worst.” [21:41]

Main Feature: Scary Space Movies Through the Decades

Hosts enthusiastically swap stories, critiques, and nostalgia, moving through iconic space-themed horror and sci-fi classics.

[22:29] 1950s/60s Classics & Cult Favorites

It! The Terror from Beyond Space (1958)

• Proto-Alien story: Astronaut accused of murdering crew; real culprit is a monster lurking in the ship.
  • Rod on 1950s space movies: “If you’re flying to Mars or the moon in the 1950s, you’re a white male with a .45 by your right side... What could be smarter?” [24:37]

The Thing from Another World (1951)

• Howard Hawks classic adapted from John W. Campbell.
  • Rod: “...James Arness of Gunsmoke fame in his first movie role, where he was so ashamed... he refused to eat with the rest of the actors.” [25:44]
  • Memorable for its “giant carrot” alien and tongue-in-cheek tone.

Invaders from Mars (1953)

• Creepy for its paranoia and sense of no escape as adults are taken over by aliens.
  • Rod: “When you see this as a kid, it was really creepy... military guys who you have the most faith in get taken over.” [31:14]

War of the Worlds (1953)

• Big-budget, Technicolor Martian invasion epic. Signature scenes include LA’s destruction.
  • Rod: “If you’ve never seen it, you owe it to yourself.” [35:44]
• Heavy religious overtones provoke debate:
  • Tarek (re: class screening reaction) “Everyone cheers—they’re like, happy the priest got it!” [37:14]

Quatermass and the Pit / Five Million Years to Earth (1967)

• Blends sci-fi and horror as ancient Martian influences awaken primal instincts, suggesting humanity’s roots are alien.
  • Rod: “Some of the smartest science fiction writing I’ve seen in a movie ever.” [46:21]

[46:46+] Horror Evolves: 1970s–2000s

Alien (1979) / Aliens (1986)

• Ridley Scott’s "haunted house in space" horror, and James Cameron’s intense action/horror sequel.
  • Tarek: “Alien...is because the stuff was just there and they found it, and then it’s just out there.” [50:27]
  • Rod: “Aliens – the only movie in that franchise that comes close to reaching its full potential... I felt like I’d been grabbed, smashed against the ceiling, squeezed there for about two hours, and then dropped wrung out and wet on the floor.” [51:53]
  • Notable lines: “Game over, man!” – Hudson (Bill Paxton) [52:08]

Event Horizon (1997)

• Space rescue turns into supernatural horror as a lost ship returns, bearing psychological terror.
  • Tarek: “It was so scary to me, the first sci-fi film and horror movie where I wanted to know what happened in all the things they hinted at.” [59:09]

Apollo 18 (2011)

• Found footage “secret mission” on the Moon is beset by deadly alien “rock ticks.”
  • Rod: “The hardware, the size of the sets, astronauts—the transmissions...They nailed it across the board, I thought. And it was pretty spooky.” [64:32]

Other honorable mentions:

• Day of the Triffids: Carnivorous, mobile plants threaten a blinded humanity.
• Life (2017): ISS-based horror with surprising twist and high-fidelity sets.
• Pandorum: Generation ship horror, “successor” to Event Horizon.
• Sunshine, Pitch Black, Andromeda Strain, The Blob: Each brings fresh takes on isolation, infection, and the unknowable in space.

[68:27] Memorable Moments and Quotes

• Space Hardware Accuracy:
  Rod: “I have to say, I think Apollo 18 nailed the hardware and the interaction with the hardware better than First Man did.” [68:27]
• The Power of the Unknown:
  Tarek (on “Alien”): “As long as I get that, I’m not disappointed. I wanted for ‘Life’, I wanted for ‘Apollo 18’, high-fidelity depictions of the actual vehicles and the life and stuff. I got that.” [68:42]
• Playful Banter:
  Rod: “If we do have a real life horror story like that, I think the scariest yet to come would be an extended voyage with you and me heading off to Mars in a small spacecraft...” [70:27]
  Tarek: “I am a delight, Rod. I am a delight to be with.” [70:49]

[75:47] Final Thoughts and Audience Callout

• The “scariest” movies never mentioned:
  Tarek: “We skipped two of the most seminal space horror movies...Leprechaun 4: Leprechaun in Space and Jason X—The Friday the 13th where they go into space!” [75:47]
• Audience question:
  “Tell us—what’s your favorite scary space movie?” [76:05]

Episode Timestamps for Key Segments

| Timestamp | Segment | |------------|----------------------------------------------------------------| | 04:10 | NASA’s science center controversy & layoffs | | 12:36 | SpaceX’s Starship update & Artemis 3 contract discussion | | 18:20 | Halloween night sky & comet viewing tips | | 20:40 | Condolences to Buzz Aldrin | | 22:29 | Start of scary space movie discussion | | 46:46 | Transition to modern (1970s–2000s) space horror films | | 59:09 | Event Horizon deep-dive | | 62:33 | Apollo 18: Found footage lunar horror | | 67:10 | “Life” (2017) and science fiction realism | | 69:50 | Real-life space terror: "Apollo 13" as ultimate space drama | | 75:47 | Wrap-up, audience question on favorite scary space movies |

Podcast Tone and Energy

• Tone: Playful, witty, engaging, full of nostalgia and good-natured ribbing.
• Dynamic: Hosts blend authoritative knowledge with personal anecdotes, balancing space news gravity with Halloween-spirited fun.
• Rod’s dry, historian’s humor complements Tarek’s excitable “fan” energy.

Further Resources and Shout-Outs

• Find Tarek at space.com, @TarekJMalik on socials.
• Find Rod at pylebooks.com, astromagazine.com.

Memorable Quotes

• “Space is scary.” (show anthem & running joke, [43:26])
• “We didn’t talk about the green slime or The Blob!” (Rod, [71:35])
• “I am a delight, Rod. I am a delight to be with.” (Tarek, [70:49])
• “Tell us—what’s your favorite scary space movie?” (Tarek, [76:05])
• “Thank God we skipped [Leprechaun in Space and Jason X].” (Rod, [76:03])

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