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Reading: This Week In Space podcast: Episode 199 — The Obsolete Astronaut?
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Stay Current on Political News—The US Future > Blog > Space > This Week In Space podcast: Episode 199 — The Obsolete Astronaut?
Space

This Week In Space podcast: Episode 199 — The Obsolete Astronaut?

Sophia Martin
Sophia Martin
Published February 28, 2026
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The obsolete astronaut? – And a new report on manned missions to Mars – YouTube
The obsolete astronaut? - And a new report on manned missions to Mars - YouTube

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In episode 199 of This Week In Space, Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik talk to Dr. Pascal Lee, who has ideas about how and when robots can perform better (and safer) than humans in space.

In this era of rapid advancements in AI and robotics technology, do we still need to send humans into space? It has long been argued that people can do things better and faster outside of Earth, but the changing face of robotic technology suggests otherwise.

Tariq and Rod worry about how our mechanical masters might take our place in the cosmos. Pascal also reports on his recent experience with the National Academies’ report on human exploration of Mars. Join us!

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Space news of the week.

Falcon 9 model!

Lastly, did you know you can launch your own SpaceX rocket? Rocket model maker Estes Impressive scale model of a Falcon 9 rocket that you can purchase now. The launchable model is a detailed recreation of the Falcon 9 and sells for $149.99. You can save 10% by using code IN-COLLECTSPACE at checkout, courtesy of our partners CollectSPACE.com.

About this week in space

This Week in Space covers the new space age. Every Friday we delve into a fascinating topic. What is happening with the new race to the moon and other planets? When will SpaceX actually send people to Mars?

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

Breaking space news, the latest updates on rocket launches, skywatching events and more!

Host of This Week In Space on TWiT
Rod Pyle
Host of This Week In Space on TWiT
Rod Pyle

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Author and space historian.

Rod Pyle is an author, journalist, television producer and editor-in-chief of advertisement-astra magazine. He has written 18 books on space history, exploration and development, including Space 2.0, NASA-style innovation, Interplanetary robots, Blueprint for a Battlestar, Amazing stories from the space age, first on the moonand Destination Mars

In a previous life, Rod produced numerous documentaries and short films for The History Channel, Discovery Communications and Disney. He also worked on visual effects on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and the Galactic Battlestar reboot, as well as several sci-fi television pilots. His most recent television credit was with the NatGeo documentary about Tom Wolfe’s iconic book. The right thing.

This Week in Space Co-Host
Tariq Malik
This Week in Space Co-Host
Tariq Malik

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Space.com Editor-in-Chief

Tariq Malik, responsible for Space.com’s editorial vision, has been editor-in-chief of Space.com since 2019 and has covered space news and science for 18 years. He joined the Space.com team in 2001, first as an intern and soon after as a full-time spaceflight reporter covering human spaceflight, exploration, astronomy and the night sky. He became editor-in-chief of Space.com in 2009. As an on-air talent, he has presented space stories on CNN, Fox News, NPR and others.

Tariq is an Eagle Scout (yes, he earned the Space Exploration merit badge), a veteran of Space Camp (four times as a child, once as an adult), and has last taken a “voke comet” trip while reporting on zero-gravity fires. Before joining Space.com, he served as a reporter for the Los Angeles Times covering city and education issues. He has journalism degrees from the University of Southern California and New York University.

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Space news of the week.Falcon 9 model!About this week in space
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