Today on something you should know why you should tip your hotel maid at the beginning of your stay and not the end and some other great travel tips plus fascinating mysteries. That baffle science, like the placebo effect, is there alien life, and do we really have free? Will the idea that you make your own decisions and that your body is under your control? as a note with your finance, even though it's the view of every day, the idea that we have free will then why it's a good idea to always carry a pack of gum and on the sixtieth anniversary of nasa, a peek behind the scenes of us space exploration, including, crazy red tape they have to deal with. If you want to go to mars, you have to give it government light and yes, reproduced in the birth rate, or signed by the pre astronaut pain, depart florida destination, return, hawaii cargo

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explaining how podcasting worked in. If you like a podcast, you can subscribe to it. So you get the the episodes delivered right here device and they said well, how much does it cost to subscribe and it occurred that in a most people, when you think of subscription you think of paying for it, if you have a subscription, newspaper or to netflix or whatever you pay a subscription fee, but not so with podcast. Typically, if you get your podcast from itunes or google players teacher or tune in or wherever their free, so it it? Isn't really a subscription in the sense that you pay for it cause you don't pay for it, but it says, christian in the sense that you get it delivered to you. So if you ve ever, not subscribe to a podcast, because you thought it costs money generally, does not first up today, too, we'll tips? I love good travel tips and these are some really good ones from the travel experts at men's journal, dot com. First choice

seeing the lowest airfare is losing proposition. When you see a cheap air fare that you can live with, you should take because it's almost impossible to predict when airfares, be at their lowest, so, sir with what you can afford and live to fight another day, one better traveller has ruled that many people follow, and that is if it costs ten dollars, is to fix or improve a problem. Pay. It travel, dress can ruin your trip saving a few ox with a slow shuttle that makes multiple stops price. Public doesn't make sense. If a taxi or an upper is available by food on board, a plane is usually pretty expensive, but it still better than arriving hungry dollars or even twenty dollars can save you. A lot of stress packing. Less is better. carry on bag will meet the needs of most travellers on nearly every trip like the ten dollars problem, rule

it really worth a hassle to pack for every possible eventuality, it's better to just pay the hotel to do your laundry it may appear expensive, but it's probably cheaper than checking and extra bag and its death. The easier than carrying everything around with you, Also a mistake. Many people make get hotels. Is they tipp too late? Acknowledge the door man and the housekeeper when you arrive rather than when you leave, and you will get better service for the rest of your stay in that something you should know. Science is good at explaining a lot of things, but there are plenty of things. Science can't explain not with our current technology It's really fascinating to look at some of the things that we know exists that are there, but there No explanation for why or how Michael

looks is a science writer who has a pretty good reputation for explaining complicated things. So so people me, can understand them one of his book is called thirteen things. They don't make sense. The most baffling scientific mysteries of our time, I Michael welcome sown, tell me one of these baffling mysteries. One of the things is that ninety six percent of the universe is missing and that scientists than what most of the universe is made. What do you mean it's missing? They know that there's something out there that has mass, but I can't see it so when you gather up all the information about stars and planets and all the stuff that's made out of ordinary stuff. It turns out that that can only account for about four percent of the universe and the rest of it seems to be in some form of invisible matter that we just called dark matter and there's some kind of energy in the universe that we can't see. God get our heads around and and

if I do anything about and that's known to scientists as dark energy. Well, that concerns me a little bit it's a big subject actually in in cosmology. At the moment, the people who study the universe are just scratching their heads about this, and they think that the dark matter must be out there. The dark energy is more of a puzzle in the day it's causing the universe to expand faster and faster, but nobody really knows What this stuff is that that's causing this to happen so to call it dark energy and mean that name is like a placeholder it until you figure out what it is exactly we'll just a dark energy. But, as I said, somebody has suggested that you might call dark matter pink space blancmange, because it's just enough so completely out there that nobody has idea. What is it all, but in human experience, if you have something that nineties? Percent of it is missing. Wool. The missing part could be anything so maybe

all this universe that they can't see me could be anything it could be anything and one of the things that it might be is an optical illusion or the equivalent of an optical illusion. It may be that scientists have actually got their equations wrong and have just kind of missed something about the the the mental nature of the universe, and that can be ruled out and the longer we fail to find this stuff? That's missing, then the better. The assumption becomes that somehow this just something that we need to fundamentally re address. But I wonder if it could just be that some beyond human comprehension like when we talk about the universe, expanding but what could possibly be expanding into. We can't conceive that may be weak and can see this. That's a very good point. It is very possible that we will never know the answer to these things, which is what so frustrating when your scientists to study this- and you know, you've studied the universe and realizes that almost all of it is

could be completely beyond our understanding. So let's pick something a little more down to earth and closer to home. The play bebo effect, which You say really can be explained. There are people who study the peseta effect and can induce the peseta effect, but there are other people who say that when they look through all the scientific literature, they can't see any evidence that the placebo effect actually have any any effect whatsoever. it's one of the things that that seems to be there, but scientists can't agree on whether it actually is that the funny thing is. I went to one of these groups that researches the placebo effect and actually had them induced in me, and they gave me a series of electric shocks and managed to make me think that the shocks were actually very mild when actually they were quite severe. So for me it's there is something there, but scientists can't to get a grip on at all. But doesn't it seem as if you should be able to test the placebo effect? Pretty act? firstly, that you give

You know one group: pills and tell him it does something, and you give another group sugar pills and tell him he doesn't do anything else and see what happens I mean it seems like there ought to be some way to definitively determine if there really is something there yeah. It seems that way, except that the any place where you see the saber effect it actually when people are reporting that the state of mind, if you like that

in pain. You can give them a pill and they'll say: oh, that's better! It's not hurting so much anymore, but you can equally give them a sugar pill and they might say that you can give them a real pill that that might might do that, and we like to think of the drugs and pharmaceuticals that we do, that we take as actually producing a chemical affecting our bodies and helping us. But it turns out that it may just all be an illusion, our minds and you can do tests to actually show that some of these chemicals don't work when people unless people know that they're taking them there's a classic study of diazepam, which is a volume that shows that it doesn't do your anxiety level, unless you see now you're taking it when people get it in a hidden those, they say there stood the banks as if they were, but what about more physical diseases like cancer and lung disease will what about the placebo effect in those if the procedure that Israel and it works on the thing, but

It doesn't seem to have any effect on on things like lung disease or cancer. The power of positive thinking in that respect doesn't seem to be able to help you. So if you're, given a pill that you're told will you know, will help your cancer It just won't why. I think that comes as a surprise to a lot of people, because there is this idea that attitude and positive outlook will help with physical diseases, you're saying that that the belief that a pill is working, if it doesn't doesn't do anything, but there are plenty of other ways that if the peseta Israel and we can get a handle on it that we will be able to help people I mean. Is it an american

cars are already using this quite considerably. Actually, there's something like forty: five percent of doctors are saying that they they kind of give people pills that aren't necessarily going to work exactly for the condition that got, but they will help the patient to to feel better enough and they will get better because of it. So it's not like we can't use it, but that we I a little about it at the moment that we're really struggling to learn how to use it properly. There has to be, though, some theory underlying theory or belief as to how this works, that the placebo effect in some cases does seem to work, and

it does seem to work. I mean it's not magic, so what is it? It seems to be that the placebo effect seems to kind of help your body to help itself in some ways. It's like yeah. You raise your hope. Then you raise your expectations and something chemical goes on the that in some cases, seemed to have a positive medical effect. I guess our bodies have have learned how to fight lots of things and may be good help with a bit of hope? Then they they fight even better, but it sounds like you're saying two opposite things that it works, but it doesn't. Work will bear that because there is a kind of split in scientific opinion on this, that there is very strong evidence that so. no effective policy by whatsoever. When you look at all the scientific literature and yet individual case by case basis. That does seem to be a lot of evidence that placebo or the idea of helping somebody can feel more positive and active

does have an effect yeah, it's kind of like those studies that say that sugar has no effect on hyperactivity in kids, but you ask any mother and now tell you you're, crazy. That's and I see no studies on the sugar and and I ve also carried away and study the man till the things that they have an effect. He is I have some fun it's football season after all, and it is a great time to play some daily fantasy sports and one maybe you haven't played before is prize picks. I play it and what's cool about price pixies, you aren't playing, against the thousands zillions of other people, it's just you against the numbers specifically you pick more than or less stan on to this player, stat projections and then to see if your right and if you are you, watch the winnings role in it is so cool this policies and price picks. It is the most exciting way to play daily fantasy sports and, if you're good at it, you can

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Sports made easy Labour strikes, climate change, your crappy his printer. What are they all have in common wealth, about the money economic is everywhere and everything fuelling our lives, even where you least expected but if you're a fan of something you should know, and your curious to learn something new and exciting about money and economics. Each week I recommend you listen to the planet, money podcast from npr. What you will enjoy are born I enjoy about planet money. Is it makes the topic of money and economics. It makes its simple interesting, humanizes it and makes it very accessible. They recently had an episode about taking vacations and why we, in the? U s, take so little vacation was really interesting. planet money answers some of life's burning questions. Light

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go. What's another mystery, the baffled science free? Will? The idea that you make your own decisions in the old buddy is under your control? It actually not the might the view of fires, even though it is the view of us every day. The idea is that we have free will that we can choose what to do away making decisions over time near. I scientists a thing that actually ready witches brain machine and our brains are kind of making these decisions well before, where conscious of any intention to do something very few perform a measurement in somebody's brain to see when the the arm is about to stop moving or something like that and compare that to. When the person said, I'm gonna move my arm. You find that the brain has already started the movement well before the person has made the conscious decision to move, which is quite scary, but how is that possible, and how can your arm start to move before you ve made the decision to move it? Well, it seems that the brain

and then the guy, interestingly, the guy, who did it, did this experiment from the guy called Benjamin live at. He hated the result that he got so much that he spent the rest of his life trying to find ways out of it, but it seems that our conscious will and not conscious intention or something it's kind of almost like a trick of the pools on us and it kind of gives us the illusion that we're in control, but actually we just seem to be working as as machines controlled by something going on in our brain. That isn't necessarily all conscious. Well explain it and it goes against every kind of everyday experience that we have. But actually you know a scientific finding like that, and there was a more recent study that found that up to seven seconds could occur between the brain, starting, a movement and the person becoming aware of it. So it seems a lot to explore there in terms of. Are we responsible for our actions? what now wait a minute wait, let's say let's say I have an ich,

and my inclination would be to reach over and scratch the itch. But let's say I consciously decide not to scratch the itch, but if you say is true, then maybe seven seconds before sir Thing decided that I should scratch the edge, and I stopped it. I didn't scratch the edge is that free will, whether to the advice and one of them is that what this guy Benjamin lebed came up with, which he called the power of veto in the ok, your brain of thought. They think account of welcome. Stop them. The other argument at around this is actually working your own will to prove that you have free will is another sign that you don't have free will you're. Using your concept will just the kind of death to be difficult and prove that you too have proved that you do have freewill but actually mean, that something that you, your brain, is kind of already doing so what

you think I mean you ve looked at the research closer than most. Do you think we have free? Will I don't believe we do? I think you can defend the idea of free will scientifically the examples given in the eighteenth century, in fact with when you got in the morning, and you can be lying there under your. Do they and kind of trying to get us out of bed, but actually what happened? Did you just tell you that I don't really want to go to bed and then you'll find and try to tomorrow morning, you find that somehow you actually have but you didn't really not really aware of having issued a command to get up, but I to europe. in europe- and this is kind of you to the first example of the lack of free will I see there's something going on that kind of bypasses our conscious decision making, and although we have this general kind of feeling that we should get up the fact that when we do get up, it can only take us by surprise. It's a it's a show that our buddies are kind of a bit more out of

control them we like, but we ve all been told since as Is we can remember that we are responsible for our choices. We are the ones who choose to do what we do we can choose, of crime or we can become a priest or these are out. Choices to make. This is why the subject is actually becoming quite important. Now, because neuroscience is fighting these things about people's choice,

and intentions, and some of them are being asked to some euro scientists are being asked to testify in court that somebody couldn't have chosen to do anything else. You know they they they effectively didn't choose to to do whatever is landed them in coal and is becoming a very difficult area. I think that is one thing, and this is why I described in the book of making my only conclusion about any of these anomalies that we should ignore really is that our society is kind of set up to deal, as you say, with with people who make their own choices, and people have to be held accountable and responsible for their choices and even if near a science is telling us that not really accountable. Then I think we can afford as a society to take that to literally, but it may not be all or nothing it may not be. All our decisions are free will or none of our decisions are free will mean

b we make some of them may be. Other decisions are made in some other way. I think there must be some that we do make. I find it very hard to believe that that will not making any choices. The question we have to ask is which took his. Are we making an, though the famous case of a man who had a tumor in the front of his brain and he actually found that the all of a sudden he had sexual feelings towards the younger children, inappropriate sexual feeling and when this chamber was cut out his brain that went away completely now that suggests that something in his brain chemistry, o the physical for the sake of his brain with this tumor, actually changed everything to

with his personality and then we're getting into the science of you know, are we making choices or are we just a function of what our brains do to us? Another one of the unexplained mysteries you talk about is the wow signal. What is what is that this was a signal that was received by a telescope. In ohio in nineteen seventy seven- and it looks exactly like a signal that you would that we were expecting from aliens in the nineteen. Fifty scientist worked out what Adrian signal might look like in how they might communicate what kind of frequency of radio signal and how long it would. Last and and and older aspect like that, and that this signal that we received in a nineteen seventy seven turned out to be exactly that and

because it has been the only signal of its kind, but nothing else like it has ever been found or thing. We might have this one contact with alien on foot we ve never had another one, and We don't know what to make of this, but it seems that the other well signal- and it was called the while signal, because the guy who saw it on the print out right well beside it, because he was so amazed that were eating and this has never been resolved and that people have lived for all kind. Other explanations- maybe it was reflections of our own radio signals that were broadcasting from earth or or something from space rock, so space debris or spacecraft or aircraft and nobody's ever been able to find any other explanation other than that, then it came from some alien civilization. So what do you think? Do you think this was aliens? Do you think there are aliens? Do I believe that your question?

don't see any reason why they shouldn't be something else living somewhere in the universe. I find it hard to believe that we, the only thing in the whole universe, that's kind of conscience, conscious and intelligent am opposite caught one. said either the we're alone in in the universe we're not an either way it staggering, though, if you I think that we are alone, then that seems inexplicable, that they should just be this one planet in the whole universe that is inhabited by intelligent beings. On the other hand, if you think there are other intelligent beings out there, wouldn't it be the greatest thing in human history to make contact with them. As for me, I think there must be other civilizations out there somewhere. The universe is a vast place, and I find it hard to believe that the conditions for life and intelligent life has only here on earth. Well, but those are two different arguments. There may well be other intelligent life somewhere in the universe, but doesn't necessarily mean they ve tried to contact us over

It may mean I mean we have sent a signal doubt from the air thabo telescope, import eureka. For instance, we sent a signal, our interests, hoping that somebody, my antiseptic and be the another race done, the same thing: if we wouldn't know if anyone is intercepted our signal, just as this other civilization might not know whether we intercepted there is a possibility, one of the most important things The science contact with another civilization in the universe would actually proved to us a lot about the nature of life and and and what it means to be alive and whether this life another If so, it would be an illness thing to to be able to say we have made contact with another civilization at the time on this podcast, we try to answer questions and explain things, but but you've answered no questions and explain nothing. You ve, just is more questions but they're, really interesting ones, michael

has been my guest. He is a science writer and his book. One of several he's written is thirteen thing, that don't make sense, the most baffling scientific mysteries of our time is linked to book in the show notes, thanks Michael if belong to a team or a group. How you can Kate, with each other on that team, is really important, which why I want you to try glib and you can what for free with glare, you can share, and collaborate on files screen share, manage tasks. To deliver projects faster and get unlimited: access to tee messaging, number of users, storage, creating in assigning tasks and, more and again it's free we are now using glib to communicate, between something you should know tee members. Why was sixty four per? and of glib users deliver projects faster than before. Eighty eight percent of gloom Users are more informed about their organizations projects

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the digital landscape and for a smarter start to the school year? U s. Cellular is also offering a free basic phone on new eligible lines, providing alternative to a smartphone for children. So, smarter, with u s, cellular viz U s cellular dot com, slash built for us to find out more restrictions, apply I visit: u s cellular dot com for terms. throughout the nineteen sixtys and seventys, and even into the eighties nasa and space launches were a big deal when Neil Armstrong set foot on the moon, now is a huge deal. but today it all seems to have died down now there space x and other private organizations that are launching rockets into space and selling tickets to the moon and seems maybe that nasa has just become less relevant. In fact, maybe,

Space exploration has become less relevant, but the fact is that with all this, talk of private come he's going into outer space. Nasa is still the only organization in the u s that has actually launched people into space. No one else in full: to date, NASA has put four hundred and sixty people into space and all the other organizations collectively combined have put exactly zero this year, is nasa's sixtieth anniversary and there's a new book out called the penguin book of outer space exploration from paris? publishing and the book was ended by john logs did John founded this this policy instituted george washington university, which he directed until two thousand and eight. He is a former or of the nasa advisory council, and he said two on the columbia shovel accident investigation board in two thousand and three these basically been watching nasa work from the very

beginning agent, welcome, so it's good that nasa is celebrating its sixtyth anniversary and no one can refute the incredible occur. Punishment that have been made in those sixty years. But it does that things have died down an and why do you suppose that is well we're not launching people and haven't been since we retired the shuttle in twenty eleven, the? Hopefully, that's gonna change in the next twelve eighteen months, and so the wrote, the launch of the robotic spacecraft don't get the kind of public attention kennedy space center between PA nasa, military and private launches is talking about a hundred want, is the sheer there's plenty going on it's just not of the character that we got used to during that mercury, gemini and apollo, and even space shuttle periods. But do you think that you know when you talk to people who were around during a mercury, gemini and apollo? You know everybody

crowded around the tv set, you know school stop what they were teaching and brought television sets in. Do you think that that we just kind of become a little more whole home about it. Well, I think it's hard to sustain public attention to anything attention span is notoriously short, and thirdly, the shuttle was supposed to be routine that, once you say, spaceflight is going to be routine. It's hard to get excited. When I did about it happening. That's true, you know the people that attend a launch with people aboard still are very excited, but you you're not going to assist, in a space programme on public excitement and have to have substantive value as somebody who's been involved in looking at in watching what's been going on at nasa almost the entire time. If, if not the entire time, what do you think or some of the big key

moments? What are the one of the important things whether we're may be found you're with them or not that you really think changed everything? Well, I think the first was the decision to create nasa. There was a debate in his hide the eyes and our administration of how to organise for space and ivan hours. Hearse inclination is to let the department of defense run everything and his take orders from the scientists. Further scientific undertaking, the decision by president Kennedy to you. The space programme is an instrument of national leadership as an element in the cold war competition with the soviet union. There were some of that under eyes now, but much more under kennedy, and I think it set the tone for almost everything followed in a negative sense. The decision I,

by richard Nixon that winning the space race with enough we didn't have to continue a fast pace, space exploration programme and so turning down the priority, trimming, NASA's budget and settling for keeping people in lower earth orbit where they ve been since team stern and left the moon and nineteen. Seventy two, you see me various president, George w bush ronald reagan, even rhetorically, but MR bush, after him, george w bush, two thousand and four a bomb in two thousand and ten and now a donald trump say we're going to go explore. So I mean there's a long history of of ambition and vision that is fuelled the pro

I am in hasn't been matched with resources since kennedys time, which must be frustrating for the people who work there and eight does it seem to you like it might seem to some one that with all the private space for, it's going on elon, musk and all that that nasa is perhaps a little less relevant than it used to be well, I mean, when you're the only game in town and hard, not to be the relevant game in time. So you know you say a little less relevant sure, but is still relevant. I think certainly, first of all, nasa? No, no private company is going to carry out the robotic exploration program that nasa executes of the moon, going to visit all the planets and and peer into the universe, and only nafta can do that. I think masses reservoir eggs

areas with, with all aspects of space widened cute, including human spaceflight. Neither space act, no blue origin, or anybody else has put anybody in space. Yet they are say, have put four hundred and sixty different individuals, space. So I don't think we give up on answer yes or no, and I would agree with that and that's it. That's an inn same thing? To point out that nasa is the only one that puts people in space so far that that is, you know, that's a feat that no one has touched yet an end and now is the reason that,

we haven't been back to the moon in so long- is just lack of interest in resources? Or did we learn everything we needed to learn and it would just be redundant? Certainly not the latter. The the moon is basically unexplored territory, and I mean they have the six apollo landings were basically demonstrations of the engineering capability with a little well science thrown in. So there are people that think that there are valuable resources on the moon, water and accessible deposits of water that we could use for rocket fuel. But we don't know that we have to going split back and explore and find out whether that's real or not. I think there are perfectly good reasons to go back to the moon and, and mars is a fascinating object. So we go there to find out whether there was every life there. and yet- and I may be wrong about this- but it doesn't seem like there's much going on in terms of getting us to mars, getting

person on mars, and you would think that all the time the logical advancements that have happened since we put a person on the moon that we be further along. That there'd be some more momentum to go to mars. I don't think a leader since John Kennedy, with one exception, I'll put it in the foot. Had been willing to a number of the president's. Have what I have heard talk the talk about going back to the moon, but have not been willing date back up their rhetoric with adequate resources: george w bush back and nineteen. Eighty nine called for a return to the moon this time his day and began the build up to do that. But then he was defeated in its bid for reelection so and dinner to speculate. What would have happened if Mr Bush had a second term will that brings up something interesting, and you mentioned that a couple of times that nets

seems to blow in the presidential wind that, whatever the current president wants it to do, it does but no other federal agency operates that way. Why? Why does nasa of seem too form at the whim of the president, because Kennedy made it a presidential instrument by choosing to enter and win the space re. So it it becomes a presidential issue of what you're gonna do with nafta human exploration. At least government human exploration is pretty much a discretionary activity and in how it

close to the discretion of the president and congress, whether we're just going to mouth the words or actually put adequate resources? And that may be changing and we will for ever. Since George w Bush said in two thousand and four we're going to resume exploration, we been very slowly putting several billions of dollars a year into preparing for exploration spending, excruciatingly slow, but we're moving in the direction of building the capabilities to go once again beyond earth orbit without some grand presidential declaration or warlike mobilization. So, let's see whether over five to ten years, we end up we're building the systems we gotta use a moon. If we use them, we can end up on the moon. Is it excruciatingly slow, because that's the nature of the work or is it excruciating least slow cause, there's not

if money or or wa- oh, I think, because there's not enough money in one of the things Nixon did would say that the space program has to compete for budget priority with everything else and in that competition. Nasa has gotten still a fairly significant amount of resources year by year, but not enough to match its ambitions on a, I would say, a reasonable pace, and so it's been m an a I used to play it excruciatingly, slow, paced, but still moving forward. If you had to guess when do you think we'd get to mars, we could be in mars orbit by twenty thirty three, that does not require the very expensive job, figuring out how to land on mars

probably the late. Twenty thoroughly thirty's early twenty forties. How long does it take to get their eight or nine months each way with current chemical rockets? In again, if we had a sensible programme, we develop nuclear propulsion for space systems, which could cut the travel time down to a couple of months, but there's there this kind of negative or about nuclear and the whole harm nuclear that stands as a barrier to developing that form of propulsion. Is there within nasa a kind of longing for the good old days like that that the mercury and apollo and the gemini programmes that those were the glory days of nasa and and it's kind of a longing for that. Well, I think there's a a kind of institutional culture of nostalgia, there's nobody laughed or virtually nobody left in NASA that dates back to those days I mean that was a long time ago. It's been forty six years,

the last mission to the minute. So there we ve been through two generations of engineers since then, but I think the institutional cultured views that is the good old days in advance that the barrier, her a barrier to partnering with the private sector, with these brash entrepreneurs who, who dare to invade masses area of expertise, are there Are there any laws that that restrict people trying to what nasa does or or is it all up for grabs anybody can go anywhere? You need a licence from the government to launch because international treaty- the? U S, government is responsible for any damage occurred that that is the result of launching into space folk. If, if you want to go to mars, you have to give a government licence to leave, but once you're

the earth, I think it's pretty much open season or or wild west frontier, with the exception again by international law. You can't claimed territory, you can't go up and and plant a a a space ex and say this is not now MIKE. Beneath the back yard. I remember I thought I read read something in your booker in their material, but the book that another of this a gimmick or a joke that that the when there s I came back from the moon. They had to fill out. Customs forms you going into space even the territorial boundaries of the united states. Every satellite have to get an export licence, even if it's not coming back and yes, reproduced in the book, with customs form signed by the three astronauts same departure.

order, a destination moon return, hawaii cargo moon rocks I'd love to know where the original of that document is all about. That's worth something: it'd be worth something indeed. So are you? How are you hopeful for the future of nasa? I am guardedly optimistic. I may I have that phrase down very carefully that that if we can stay on the what path we will resume travel beyond earth orbit in the next five to ten years. We will be back to the moon a and then on to mars, and that nasa will continue to be the lead in doing that at least for the next generation. Is it your sense when you look at the people at nasa? Does NASA still attract the cream of the crop or are those people, those brash

four per nor is trying to do at themselves. Well, NASA certainly have to compete with the blue origins in space axes and the other smaller entrepreneurial firms for technical talent. I dont think it has to be the cream of the crop by the way. I think it has to be people who are good enough and have the motivation to excel by what their being asked to do, but distance one example. I mean it's. It's kind of facetious example math named recently, twelve new astronaut They had eighteen thousand application. There are a lot of people are gonna be associated with with what's going on and if you're a new astronaut at nasa. What can you hope to do given the fact that the risen a lot of people being launched into space. There are two nath astronaut and one partner astronaut on the space station.

Now there's all right ran rum, american living and working in space on a constant basis for since the year two thousand we don't need is many, astronauts, as we did during the shuttle era, but we're we're planning to send a crew on a mission around the moon in twenty twenty, two, twenty twenty three, which did not that far away goes on at this international? space station these days. What are they doing up? There: research, a variety of both government funded and privately the research across a whole range of disciplines. Meanwhile, that's not camera worthy, I mean a person Ernie knobs on an experiment is not something that's gonna be on the evening news. So if you see anything at all, you see the the

floating around in zero gravity sort of stuff, but there's no whole line of of research. The contents, what the space station is, is a research laboratory lotta that research is learning things we need to know if we're going to commit people it's to go to mars. Will you have been watching nasa following nasa? You been involved with nasa from the beginning, and I know you said your cautiously optimistic for the future. But what? What for thoughts were where to you: what you're in your heart? What do you see? Well, I think we're at the cost of a new era of space exploration were building the momentum to once again travel beyond the immediate vicinity of the home planet, and I hope it's a start of something that, unlike apollo, is sustained and and leaders into an exciting future? Well, we shall see. John lodged in has been my guest, who

is the editor of a new book out that is celebrating nasa's, sixtieth anniversary. It's the penguin book, of outer space exploration, nasa and the incredible story of human space flight. There's a linked book in the show notes. Thanks for joy, me, John ok, they care The next time you get stressed out, you might want to grab some gum and start chewing. It seems um chewing is a fast way to reduce stress a harder you chew. The more relief you get in fact, just the minutes of sustained gum chewing lower hormones associated with stress. According to a study, people had their saliva tested after chewing gum. They were looking for the compounds associated with stress that our easy to measure in saliva, and the results were pretty conclusive. Now, Exactly why chewing gum relieve stresses not so certain there are set

Theories is to what's going on from increased heart rate is too high insulin production which could affect the brain, but it does seem that gum chewing cuts, stress quickly and That is something you should know, we're on facebook, twitter, din followers. There and you'll get more interesting information and intel that you don't hear in the show I micro There's thanks for listening today does something you should know. packing benjamin's with Joe and his good friend oji. Not only has great financial insight, its lay back with humour to the le pen's, oh say much survey I wanted to know: was it really cheaper to around bag it every day or was it cheaper to go through the school lunch? The most expensive sandwich of all forty six percent increase is the first time a sandwiches ever touched five bucks before anybody gags on at them. It's a great sandwich find out more by searching the stacking benjamin's pie cast wherever you listen.