Drek Meln

The podcast that I chose to listen to was StarTalk directed by astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson posted on Spotify, YouTube, and Apple Podcasts. Topics that are discussed on this podcast include science, pop culture, and comedy. The episode that I chose to dive into specifically was “What's Up With the Militarization of Space?” posted on February 28, 2024, and as of March 1, 2024, already has 97k views on YouTube. In this episode, Neil breaks down the structure of international politics relating to space and to what extent the military will be able to intervene. He mentions space satellites and how important they are to humans. Examples of their importance include sending weather signals down to earth, so we can better understand future trends in climate change, and wealthy industries such as the delivery industry using GPS, including Uber, Lyft, and DoorDash. Neil talks about the Space Force and how it was officially named a separate branch of the United States Military under the Trump administration, and how the role of this faction has increased, as more satellites and space hardware is transported into the atmosphere. “So you would want a space force not only to protect our assets in space but to make sure we always have access to space so that we will not be denied that access by any adversary.” This is the primary responsibility of the space force as it continues to grow and expand. There is no specific episode number for this episode. However, you can find it on YouTube and listen and watch Neil break down the militarization of space. This is my favorite episode of the StarTalk Podcast which I would rate a 5 out of 5 stars, as Neil does a superb job at keeping my attention as he carefully explains his astrophysicist perspective in a way that is easily understandable to people unfamiliar with the topic. This is the main reason why I picked this episode to talk about and why it’s my favorite one on the podcast.