The Space Pundit

Déjà Vu All Over Again

NASA has announced a grand vision for colonizing the moon. Grand visions rarely succeed.

Mar 30 • Stephen C. Smith

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Congress in Space

NASA sent two members of Congress to space aboard the Space Shuttle in the mid-1980s. Here's why.

Mar 17 • Stephen C. Smith

Lipstick on a Pig

NASA's new Project Artemis launch cadence relies on the Space Launch System suddenly becoming more efficient. Here's why that's unlikely to happen.

Mar 6 • Stephen C. Smith

February 2026

Judgment Day

The world's richest person, who has long worried about the rise of Skynet, is now building one.

Feb 12 • Stephen C. Smith

The Cold War

Congress mandated in 2010 that NASA use liquid hydrogen as the fuel for its next heavy-lift rocket. Here's why.

Feb 4 • Stephen C. Smith

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January 2026

What is Project Artemis?

NASA plans to send four astronauts around the moon sometime this spring. The mission traces back to an Obama-era program cancelled by Trump.

Jan 19 • Stephen C. Smith

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Return to Launch: A Preview

Preorder by January 31, 2026 to receive a one-third discount. See below.

Jan 14 • Stephen C. Smith

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Is NASA Obsolete?

Project Apollo's crewed lunar program was a political response to the mistaken perception that Soviet space technology was superior to the United…

Jan 11 • Stephen C. Smith

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Talk is Cheap

New NASA administrator Jared Isaacman promises the moon and more, but doesn't say how to pay for it. That's the same failed recipe that's doomed NASA…

Jan 1 • Stephen C. Smith

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December 2025

The Ups and Downs of Gravity

Is it possible to turn off gravity while on Earth? Not yet. You still have to leave the planet to float.

Dec 22, 2025 • Stephen C. Smith

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November 2025

The Bottom Falls Out

Russia's orbital capability is in question after a collapse at its Soyuz launch pad in Baikonur.

Nov 28, 2025 • Stephen C. Smith

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September 2025

The State of NASA

Nearly eight months after Donald Trump resumed the presidency, the space agency still has no permanent administrator, no direction, and no discernable…

Sep 8, 2025 • Stephen C. Smith

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