In the first half, space author and journalist Rod Pyle discussed the latest developments in the new space economy and humanity's movement into space, including the recent Space X test flight, Boeing Starliner test flight, the Chinese robot on the "far side" of the Moon, and NASA Mars samples. China, he announced, may conduct a crewed mission to the Moon in 2029, in tandem with the anniversary of the People's Republic of China, though America may also have a mission there in that time frame. SpaceX and Boeing were given money starting about 2010 to create privately built rockets and operate missions to the space station (ISS). While SpaceX has had much success in that regard, Boeing has run behind, and their recent Starliner capsule, which is currently docked at the space station, has encountered mechanical issues that have delayed the return of two NASA astronauts.
Zero gravity's effect on the human body, particularly for men, is a concern in long-duration space missions, Pyle pointed out. Problems include vision failure, cardiovascular issues, and bone density loss. Regarding Mars exploration, it will take several decades for humanity to establish a significant presence on Mars, and just to get there is a six to seven month trip. Most observers, he added, think it may not be till the mid to late 2030s at the earliest when humans first arrive on the Red Planet. Pyle also reported on a Florida family suing NASA as debris from the space station hit their house, narrowly missing their sleeping child.
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In the latter half, author Marc Hartzman took us on a journey through some of his favorite weird history stories. From Flat Earth theories and Victorian spiritualists to the ghost stories that have shaped our modern conception of the spirit world, each story was a fascinating tale. In 1921, an Illinois school principal named Wilbur Glenn Voliva preached his Flat Earth theory to a thousand grade school and high school students, along with the idea that the sun was actually much smaller and located only a few miles away from our planet. Hartzman then recounted the tale of Hugh Mansfield Robinson, a British doctor who claimed to be in telepathic communication with a Martian woman named Oomaruru, and how he tried to send her a telegram from a London radio tower in 1926.
He recalled the 1960 presidential campaign of UFO contactee Gabriel Green, who ran against Nixon and Kennedy on the "Space-Age" ticket. Hartzman delved into the "Great Moon Hoax" of 1835 when the New York Sun newspaper ran a series of articles about living creatures on the Moon that had been supposedly seen through an astronomer's telescope. The articles featured illustrations of "man-bats" and other exotic flora and fauna. He also spoke about the discovery of a never-before-seen scrapbook of the Rubber Skin Lady, a 1930s-era sideshow star.
During the last half-hour, George featured a replay from 2011 with author Brad Steiger discussing alien mysteries.
News segment guests: John Truman Wolfe, John M. Curtis