George Noory welcomed historian Robert Zimmerman to discuss the future of space exploration. Zimmerman argued that NASA should not send astronauts on the Artemis II mission, noting the agency is repeating the same cultural mistakes that led to the Challenger and Columbia disasters, prioritizing schedule over engineering caution. He explained that Artemis II will use the SLS rocket and Orion capsule in a 10-day lunar flyby, but key systems raise red flags. Most concerning to him is Orion's heat shield, which behaved unexpectedly on its 2022 uncrewed test flight. NASA believes it understands the cause and plans to reduce stress by altering the reentry trajectory, but Zimmerman stressed this fix is based on modeling, not real-world crewed testing.
His second major concern is that Orion's life support system has never been tested with astronauts in space. Unlike Apollo, which conducted long Earth-orbit missions to qualify systems fully, Artemis II plans only a short test period before heading toward the Moon. He said NASA would never allow a private company to fly a crew with an unproven system or a questionable heat shield. Yet, it is permitting it internally because the program is expensive and slow, making repeated uncrewed tests politically difficult. Zimmerman contrasted this with companies like SpaceX, which he reported rely on frequent flight testing and will not risk crew until systems are proven. He called for Artemis II to fly uncrewed, arguing it would not meaningfully delay the overall lunar program and would improve safety culture.
Zimmerman also spoke about aging risks on the International Space Station, noting some modules are over 25 years old and one Russian module has developed hull stress fractures, though mitigations are in place. He supported NASA's decision to transition to commercial space stations, noting that multiple private stations are under development and could enable new business models, such as manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, and data centers in orbit. In addition, he highlighted ongoing discoveries from the Mars rover missions, emphasizing how different Martian terrains are and how each mission reshapes scientific understanding of the solar system.
------------------------------------------
Open Lines followed in the latter half of the program. Joe from Boston phoned in to discuss NASA and his belief that the agency is covering up evidence of extraterrestrials. He claimed Neil Armstrong saw a UFO on the Moon and that recordings of it were destroyed. Joe agreed with other guests who suspected secrecy and wished that NASA would be more open. He also wondered why Buzz Aldrin's website is essentially inaccessible and said he has long wanted to view the full video of the Moon walk since, according to him, additional footage should exist.
Michael from Oregon talked about his lifelong interest in the space program, noting that the Apollo 11 Moon landing happened just after his 16th birthday. He mentioned enjoying books about NASA's 1960s missions and recommended Shoot for the Moon. He asked George about two long-standing rumors he had heard: one about a large explosion in Siberia shortly before Apollo 11 that some believed was a failed Soviet Moon attempt, and another claim that Apollo astronauts may have encountered unidentified flying objects during their trip to or from the Moon, wondering whether there is any truth to either story. George said some believe an unknown craft may have followed Apollo astronauts, but he thinks the Siberian explosion was more likely a meteor event than a failed Soviet spacecraft.
The last half hour featured a replay from 6/18/2020 when researchers Kenney Irish and Gary Robusto reported on their Bigfoot investigations.
News segment guests: Heidi Hollis / Kevin Randle