The John Batchelor Show

Dallas the Dog Welcomes Skittish Sparrows. Jeremy details Dallas's affinity for birds, noting that usually skittish common garden sparrows are now drinking and eating from the dog's bowls. The destructive cockatoos, while still present and stripping pine trees, have thankfully avoided attacking the damaged roof. Crows remain cautious, staying distant to avoid aerial "dogfights" with the aggressive magpies. PURPLR FINCH

Ashes Cricket: Injury Risks and Unknown Opponents. Jeremy Zakis discusses the upcoming Ashes contest, noting both Australia and England are good teams with unknowns. Australia aims to match England's power but faces risks from older, injury-prone players, including captain Pat Cummins. The series outcome depends heavily on the English team's strategy (fast, slow, power, or spinning). 1898

Snakes in Pools and Magpie Attacks on Cyclists. Jeremy discusses the prevalence of snakes, noting that it is illegal to kill them, and they are frequently attracted to swimming pools, seeking water and warmth in filters or motors. He warns that even libraries are not safe from brown snakes. He also highlights an experiment examining why magpies aggressively attack cyclists more than other people. Retry

Australian Weather: Four Seasons in a Week. Jeremy describes Australia's weather as an "eclectic cacophony," experiencing four seasons in one week, including 80°F days and brutally cold winter-like maximums. Severe storms and reported nighttime funnels hit Queensland. The rapid growth of foliage due to this erratic weather is a dangerous omen, potentially creating extra fuel for future summer fires. SPRINGER SPANIELS

4. When Politicians Panicked: The New Coronavirus, Expert Opinion, and a Tragic Lapse of Reason. The discussion critiques the indiscriminate government funding of the Payroll Protection Program (PPP), which subsidized well-endowed institutions and missed future innovators, thereby slowing the natural process of working out what is "good and what's bad." Government lending programs inevitably come with strings attached and impair credit. John Tamny suggests that individuals possess a protected "right to contract" and work, regardless of state mandates, citing Lochner v. New York. Ultimately, the sources stress that economic growth and freedom are the strongest defenses against disease, highlighted by the rapid success of private enterprise (like Pfizer) in vaccine development. Freedom must be the readymade answer to future pandemics. 1918 Retry

3. When Politicians Panicked: The New Coronavirus, Expert Opinion, and a Tragic Lapse of Reason. This excerpt examines the federal government's response, characterized as a partial command economy imposed after state lockdowns. John Tamny contends that Washington threw trillions of dollars at the collapse it subsidized, delaying recovery. He refutes the premise that cash handouts stimulate growth, stressing that economic dynamism comes from investment, not consumption. Attempts by commentators to nationalize investment and "freeze the economy" by propping up failing businesses were ultimately destructive. Tamny argues that had politicians done nothing, Americans would have adjusted naturally, allowing the resulting capital formation and investor trust to facilitate a rapid, organic recovery. 1918

2. When Politicians Panicked: The New Coronavirus, Expert Opinion, and a Tragic Lapse of Reason. The conversation reviews the governors' initial promise of two-week lockdowns, noting that centralized power is rarely relinquished. The economic crisis deepened as epidemiologists and experts supplanted the collective knowledge of the marketplace, resulting in central planning, mass unemployment, and debt. John Tamny contrasts the COVID-19 response with the 1968 Hong Kong flu pandemic, which caused the equivalent of 250,000 modern deaths but elicited virtually no political or market reaction. The difference lies in technology: 50 years ago, without Zoom or delivery services, lockdowns would have caused mass discomfort and riots, preventing politicians from acting. Lockdowns happened because they could, not because they had to.

1. When Politicians Panicked: The New Coronavirus, Expert Opinion, and a Tragic Lapse of Reason. John Tamny discusses the severe economic contraction initiated by mandated lockdowns, such as Governor Cuomo's March 20, 2020, order in New York. Tamny argues that politicians caused the crisis by forcing successful businesses to cease operations. These sudden actions by major economies forced global investors to fundamentally rethink the future value of businesses. Although early market signals from China suggested the virus was not highly lethal, pivotal political decisions, like the cancellation of South by Southwest, triggered panic, leading markets to realize that political action, not reality, was the primary threat. Markets digested these fears and corrected before rebounding. 1918

8. The Trans Earth Injection, Lovell's Navigation Error, and the Successful Reentry. Bob Zimmerman discusses how the Trans Earth Injection (TEI) was the mission's second moment of highest risk, requiring the non-redundant SPS engine to fire on the backside of the moon to propel them back to Earth. Susan Borman had been most anxious about this burn, knowing failure meant certain death in lunar orbit. When they reacquired signal, Jim Lovell famously declared, "I want to report that there is a Santa Claus," signaling success. On the return journey, Lovell, the navigator, accidentally cleared the navigation data in the computer (the gimbal), causing the spacecraft to lose orientation. Lovell was forced to correct the craft's position by manually using a sextant and taking readings from stars like Rigel and Sirius, proving the value of the backup system. Finally, they successfully executed the complex "double skip trajectory" reentry at 25,000 mph, landing within three miles of the recovery ships, though the capsule temporarily flipped upside down. 1618

7. The Iconic Earthrise Photo and the Genesis Reading Broadcast. Bob Zimmerman discusses how while orbiting the moon, the crew captured the now-iconic "Earthrise" photographs. A dispute over who took the famous color picture was resolved by transcript analysis: Frank Borman quickly took a black-and-white image, and Bill Anders subsequently captured the celebrated color image after scrambling to change the film. For their Christmas Eve television broadcast, Frank Borman sought guidance for a message that would match the "majesty and the significance" of the moment, as NASA's public relations chief refused to dictate the content. Borman's friend, Joe Leighton, struggled to find suitable, non-sectarian text. Leighton's wife suggested starting at the beginning of the Old Testament. Leighton realized the opening verses of Genesis were perfect, as they were fundamental to the world's major religions and fit the theme of beginning a new era of exploration. Anders, Lovell, and Borman read the verses, surprising the world, concluding with Borman wishing "God bless all of you, all of you on the good Earth." 1790 GREEENWICH

6. The Cold War Context and the Tragedy of a Government-Controlled Space Program. Bob Zimmerman discusses how the Apollo 8 mission was embedded in the global Cold War and the extreme chaos of 1968, marked by political turmoil and assassinations. The space race was intended as a demonstration that America, as a free society, could achieve great things better than the Soviet top-down system. While the astronauts were military veterans, the author disputes the notion that NASA was a military operation, emphasizing that it was run by civilian engineers and managers. Ironically, despite the goal of celebrating freedom, President Kennedy adopted a centralized, top-down, government-run structure—a "Soviet style" program. This centralized approach proved to be a tragedy, as the mission became viewed as a singular stunt. Once the moon landing was achieved, the program lost political and financial support, resulting in a "dead end" for future solar system exploration. 2014 GOLDEN MOON

5. Lunar Orbit Insertion and the Disappointment of the Moon's Surface. Bob Zimmerman discusses how on Christmas Eve, Apollo 8 approached the moon. The critical moment was Lunar Orbit Injection (LOI), requiring the firing of the Service Propulsion System (SPS) engine. This burn had to occur while the craft was behind the moon, resulting in a dramatic Loss of Signal (LOS) for Earth. Susan Borman particularly dreaded this moment because the SPS engine, which had no redundancy, was their only way into and out of lunar orbit. NASA believed firing the engine would clear any potentially problematic bubbles in the fuel lines, adding another risk. Once in orbit, the astronauts were visually disappointed, with Frank Borman describing the moon's surface as looking like a "skull" or a lifeless sandbox. Their direct observation settled the debate among scientists, confirming that the moon's craters were the result of impacts, not volcanic activity. 1962

4. The Failure of the Soviet Zond Program and the Decision to Gamble on Apollo 8. Bob Zimmerman discusses the fierce moon race with the Soviet Union's Roscosmos, which utilized the Zond capsule for circumlunar missions. Zond 5 and 6, launched in late 1968, suffered critical failures (guidance system and atmosphere loss, respectively), forcing the Soviets to cancel their planned manned December flight. Watching this, NASA manager George Low realized the Lunar Module (LM) for Apollo 8 was behind schedule. To maintain the initiative and potentially win the space race, Low and Sam Phillips made the aggressive decision to send Apollo 8 to the moon without the LM "lifeboat." They informed NASA boss James Webb after the decision was finalized. Webb, though initially upset, accepted the decision, betting that the engineering was sound enough to risk the mission in order to prove the US was superior. 1965 APOLLO 1

3. Launch Mechanics, Primitive Technology, and Trans Lunar Injection. Bob Zimmerman discusses how Apollo 8 launched on December 21, 1968, the first day of its window, following a smooth ride on the powerful Saturn 5 rocket. Engineers had mitigated the "pogo" vibration effects that plagued earlier test flights. After one Earth orbit to verify systems, they performed the Trans Lunar Injection (TLI), firing the upper stage Saturn engines to accelerate toward the moon. This moment marked the first time humans were visibly leaving Earth orbit, an experience Jim Lovell described as the Earth shrinking rapidly, like the exit of a tunnel. The Apollo capsule's onboard computer system was highly primitive, inferior to a simple digital watch calculator. Astronauts had to manually enter long strings of numbers dictated by ground control to execute maneuvers, although Borman maintained the use of a manual override for absolute precision. 1966 APOLLO 1

2. The Apollo 8 Crew, Cold War Context, and Reliance on the Saturn 5 Booster. Bob Zimmerman introduces the Apollo 8 crew—Commander Frank Borman, Jim Lovell, and rookie William Anders—set against the backdrop of the intense global Cold War in late 1968. Borman was selected for his honesty and dedication to duty, ensuring the mission's success after his role in investigating the Apollo 1 tragedy. Lovell was known as a "space cadet" eager to explore, and he and Borman had proven human endurance in space during Gemini 7. The mission was a high-risk endeavor, utilizing the Saturn 5 rocket, which had only flown twice before, with the second flight experiencing problems. Wernher von Braun's team fixed these issues, and NASA decided to proceed, confident they could demonstrate that free people could achieve success better than the top-down Soviet system. The astronauts' wives accepted the mission despite the widely believed 50/50 chance of return. 1945

1. Apollo 1 and Soyuz 1 Disasters: Rushing the Space Race. Bob Zimmerman discusses the major setbacks suffered by both nations in 1967. In January, the Apollo 1 fire occurred during a launchpad rehearsal, killing astronauts Grissom, White, and Chaffee. The cause was carelessness: a spark ignited flammable materials in the pure oxygen atmosphere, trapping the crew because the hatch could only be opened externally. Frank Borman led the honest investigation, which resulted in major safety fixes, including a quick-opening hatch and nonflammable materials. Concurrently, in April 1967, the Soviet program suffered a disaster when cosmonaut Komarov died during the descent of Soyuz 1 after his parachute lines tangled. Both nations realized they had been rushing. The Russians, however, adopted a conservative rule: no manned mission would proceed unless an unmanned test was 100% successful, a standard the Zond missions failed to meet, giving the Americans a decisive edge for Apollo 8.

4. Post-Apollo Budget Cuts and the Rise of Robotic Mars Exploration. Matthew Shindell discusses how following the success of Apollo, NASA proposed extending the human space program to Mars. However, President Nixon, recognizing shifting political priorities, chose to divert funding toward domestic issues like civil rights and poverty. As a result, NASA's post-Apollo budget levels dropped significantly, forcing space exploration to compete with other national needs. This led to the expansion of highly successful robotic exploration programs. Mariner 4 and 9 provided increasingly detailed images, and the Viking landers in the mid-1970s allowed scientific operations directly on the Martian surface. After a two-decade pause, exploration returned with greater vengeance via rovers like Sojourner, Spirit, Opportunity, and the recent Perseverance and Ingenuity helicopter. While technological capabilities have grown, a human mission to Mars remains incredibly ambitious due to the persistent challenges of ensuring human safety, providing shelter from radiation, and managing life support for the long duration of the trip. 1956 Retry

3. From Newtonian Physics to Canals: Projecting Life onto Mars. Matthew Shindell discusses how the shift from ancient cosmology to modern science was a slow process, with figures like Galileo and Newton developing new observations and physics. Enlightenment thinkers, including Buffon and Laplace, began searching for a natural (rather than divine) origin for the solar system, establishing that the planets are related and obey universal laws. This led to speculation about life elsewhere. Astronomer William Herschel believed that all planets, especially the Earth-like Mars, were likely inhabited, as it was common Enlightenment belief that God would not create empty space. By the late 19th century, Richard Proctor and Giovanni Schiaparelli intensified focus on Mars. American astronomer Percival Lowell popularized the idea of Martian "canals" and interpreted Mars as a glimpse into Earth's eventual desert-like future. This vision influenced authors like H.G. Wells, who used the idea of alien Martian invaders in War of the Worlds as a satire of the British Empire's destructive colonial actions. 1960

2. The Islamic World's Scientific Contributions and Mars in Medieval Thought. Matthew Shindell highlights an intellectual renaissance in the Islamic world—specifically Baghdad and Damascus—between the 10th and 16th centuries, which was vital while Europe was experiencing its "Dark Ages." Through translation and original work, Islamic scholars built upon ancient knowledge, fueling a great intellectual transformation. In the medieval period, Mars was widely associated with vices like war, violence, and disaster. However, the renowned poet Dante Alighieri, in The Divine Comedy, transformed this negative association into the virtue of fortitude. Since Dante was charting a path through the heavens, where all planets had to represent virtues, Mars was designated as the sphere housing martyrs and those who died in holy war, becoming a highly important symbol for Christian Europe. 1920 JOHN CARTER

2. The Islamic World's Scientific Contributions and Mars in Medieval Thought. Matthew Shindell highlights an intellectual renaissance in the Islamic world—specifically Baghdad and Damascus—between the 10th and 16th centuries, which was vital while Europe was experiencing its "Dark Ages." Through translation and original work, Islamic scholars built upon ancient knowledge, fueling a great intellectual transformation. In the medieval period, Mars was widely associated with vices like war, violence, and disaster. However, the renowned poet Dante Alighieri, in The Divine Comedy, transformed this negative association into the virtue of fortitude. Since Dante was charting a path through the heavens, where all planets had to represent virtues, Mars was designated as the sphere housing martyrs and those who died in holy war, becoming a highly important symbol for Christian Europe. 1962