Phil Plait (“The Bad Astronomer”) was back on my show this afternoon, but this time in the studio and for a whole hour.
On his website, Phil has been talking about the controversy at NASA over a 24-year-old political appointee (George Deutsch) who was sticking his nose where it didn’t belong — namely, science — until he was forced to resign. Phil explained that in depth this afternoon, and revealed other attacks on science by those with a political agenda, both within NASA and elsewhere.
We also discussed plans for another manned trip to the moon, the impact of that decision on other missions at NASA, and whether private industry can really play a lead role in future space exploration. Listen to our conversation here.
Phil’s book, “Bad Astronomy: Misconceptions and Misuses Revealed, from Astrology to the Moon Landing ‘Hoax’,” is a great read (you’ll love the scientific explanations for all those things that science fiction movies get wrong in space).