Plotting the overthrow of the space colonies! Left: Dr Alice Gorman. (Photo: Simon Royal/ABC) Right: Rami Mandow. (Photo: Supplied; Post-processing: Stilgherrian)

Happy New Year. It’s time for another look at space news, I reckon, so once more my special guests are space archaeologist Dr Alice Gorman aka Dr Space Junk from Flinders University, and astrophysicist and founder of SpaceAustralia.com Rami Mandow.

In this episode we talk about Mars, including its role as both a source of aliens and as a potential new home for humans. That does mean we dissect Elon Musk’s comments about colonising Mars.

We also talk about the space debris that fell on Kenya earlier this month— or was it something else? And we discuss Blue Origin’s New Glenn launch vehicle which failed to launch on Monday, the future of human civilisation, early science fiction, O’Neill cylinders, and the pronunciation of Uranus.

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Episode Links

01. Alice Gorman - Wikipedia

Alice Gorman (born 1964) FSA is an Australian archaeologist, heritage consultant, and lecturer, who is best known for pioneering work in the field of space archaeology and her Space Age Archaeology blog.
02. CosmicRami ????????? (@cosmicrami.com) — Bluesky

Astronomer, driving The Dish? to study pulsars in my PhD. Also, founded SpaceAustralia.com. Also, love a bit of astrophotography. Also, do everything with my little mate, Max. Also, Ultra-Gay. He/Him.
03. Massive mysterious metal ring crashes into Kenyan village | REUTERS - YouTube

[3 January 2025] A metallic object, likely space junk, crashed in Kenya's Mukuku village. The massive ring, weighing approximately 1100 lbs and about 8 feet in diameter, is believed to be from a rocket launch vehicle. The Kenya Space Agency is investigating its origin and impact.
04. Space junk metal ring baffles residents and sparks concern in Kenya village

[12 January 2025] A massive round metal object had plummeted from above landing on farmland near a dry riverbed - and it was piping hot.
05. Expert Not Convinced Mysterious, 8-Foot Ring of "Space Junk" in Kenya Actually Came from Space

[11 January 2025] What the hell is it?
06. Jonathan McDowell | Bluesky

[6 January 2025] Well, my skepticism about the Kenya space debris may have been wrong. I reviewed the data again, concluding that Space Force estimates of the Ariane V184 upper stage reentry are unreliable; an association with this object can't be ruled out.
07. Skylab: The Space Station That Fell on Australia - IEEE Spectrum

[30 April 2023] On 14 May 1973, a modified Saturn V rocket launched from the Kennedy Space Center carrying Skylab, the United States’ first space station. Six years later, in the early hours of 12 July 1979, Skylab reentered Earth’s atmosphere in a fiery blaze, spreading debris across the Indian Ocean and Western Australia.
08. List of spaceflight launches in July–December 2024 - Wikipedia

This article lists orbital and suborbital launches planned for the second half of the year 2024, including launches planned for 2024 without a specific launch date. [That said, it does give the actual launch times down to the second.]
09. Fourth piece of SpaceX debris found in NSW Snowy Mountains, near Tumbarumba - ABC News

[23 August 2022] It appears another piece of space debris has been found in the NSW Snowy Mountains believed to belong to SpaceX. A few pieces have been found so far, including two pieces near Dalgety and one near Jindabyne, after residents in the region heard a loud bang on July 9. The latest fragment has been discovered near Tumbarumba, which cattle farmer Jordan Hobbs encountered while feeding his livestock on August 13.
10. Tom Lehrer - Wernher von Braun - YouTube
11. Pole of inaccessibility - Wikipedia

The oceanic pole of inaccessibility, also known as Point Nemo, is located at roughly 48°52.6?S 123°23.6?W and is the place in the ocean that is farthest from land. It represents the solution to the "longest swim" problem.
12. The Eve of the War - YouTube

The Eve of the War · Jeff Wayne · Liam Neeson · Gary Barlow from Jeff Wayne's Musical Version of The War of The Worlds - The New Generation (2012).
13. Jeff Wayne's Musical Version of The War of the Worlds - Wikipedia

Jeff Wayne's Musical Version of The War of the Worlds is a studio double album by American-born British musician, composer, and record producer Jeff Wayne, released on 9 June 1978 by CBS Records. It is...