This Week In Space podcast: Episode 188 — A New NASA Leader Rises?

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On Episode 188 of This Week In Space, Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik discuss Jared Isaacman, the billionaire entrepreneur, philanthropist, and private astronaut, who took to Capitol Hill this week for his second confirmation hearing as President Trump's pick for NASA's next leader. Here's what it could mean, plus:

A Russian cosmonaut got kicked off a SpaceX flight for allegedly trying to steal spacecraft secrets, China's 1st reusable rocket Zhuque-3 reached orbit, but crashed and burned (and exploded) during landing, and Russia accidentally wrecked the only launch pad it has for astronauts with Thanksgiving's new ISS crew launch.

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Space news of the week

• Cosmonaut removed from SpaceX's Crew 12 mission for violating national security rules: report

• Russian Launch Site Mishap Shows Perilous State of Storied Space Program

• Damaged launch pad: How long before Russia can send astronauts to the ISS again?

• China's 1st reusable rocket explodes in dramatic fireball during landing after reaching orbit on debut flight

• The US must beat China to moon, Trump pick for NASA chief Jared Isaacman tells Senate: 'If we make a mistake, we may never catch up'

• Was Elon Musk in the room where it happened? This senator still wants to know

• Trump pick for NASA chief Jared Isaacman pledges to move space shuttle Discovery to Houston, lawmaker says

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About This Week In Space

This Week in Space covers the new space age. Every Friday we take a deep dive into a fascinating topic. What's happening with the new race to the moon and other planets? When will SpaceX really send people to Mars?

Join Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik from Space.com as they tackle those questions and more each week on Friday afternoons. You can subscribe today on your favorite podcatcher.