The Obsolete Astronaut?
A Provocative Question for Commercial Spaceflight's New Era
This Week In Space, the weekly podcast from Space.com, recently dropped Episode 199 with a title that cuts to the heart of a genuine tension in modern spaceflight. The episode grapples with a question that's becoming increasingly relevant as private companies like SpaceX and Blue Origin push human spaceflight into commercial territory.
What happens to the professional astronaut when the spacecraft no longer requires a crew?
About the Podcast
This Week In Space has been running for years under the Space.com banner. The show brings together hosts to dissect the week's most significant developments in space exploration, technology, and policy.
Episode 199 extends that familiar format into philosophical territory, using a single question mark as its thesis statement. Rather than focusing on launch dates or technical specifications, the episode invites listeners to consider something more fundamental about humanity's relationship with space.
The Core Debate
The central question dividing the episode's discussion: Are human astronauts becoming relics of a bygone era, or are they evolving into something new?
Possible futures explored include:
- Supervisors — managing automated systems rather than piloting manually
- Scientists — focusing on research objectives while spacecraft handle navigation
- Reluctant passengers — present more for symbolic than functional reasons
The days when "astronaut" meant a highly selected government employee piloting a national vehicle are fading. What's replacing that model remains contested.
The episode title captures a real shift in how we think about who belongs in space. Listeners can find the full episode through Space.com's podcast feed.
Based on: "The Obsolete Astronaut?"; Space.com; This Week In Space Podcast, Episode 199, 2025.