Astronaut

Hitting the trails at the new Karst Canyon Preserve

Williamson County is making changes to avoid the chaotic scene that unfolded last month on primary Election Day. The new change is going back to the ways things were before the most recent election. We’ll dig into why it happened and how the county is trying to avoid a repeat.

The Karst Canyon Preserve is offering new public access to trails and open space in Hays County. The property near Jacob’s Well was previously slated for residential development.

Plus, the region needed this weekend’s rain showers — both to help with drought and to clear cars of springtime green tint from oak pollen. Why does the pollen get everywhere? We’ll get to the answer today.

Jason Mellard from The Center for Texas Music History at Texas State University goes over Ronald Shannon Jackson records ‘Texas’ LP in Dallas from the the late 80s.

Onboard the Artemis II spacecraft right now are three Americans and one Canadian, including someone set to be the first woman in history to journey beyond low Earth orbit and travel around the Moon. Texas Standard Host, David Brown, asked Mission specialist Christina Koch what it felt like to be selected for the Artemis mission.

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What the Artemis II liftoff means for the future of space exploration

Control of Artemis II has been handed over to Houston: we’ll hear about the launch and what appears to be a big boost in interest in the space program. But it’s getting a little tight up there above the air: concerns about orbital traffic jams after a second Starlink satellite breaks apart. Texas prisons without air conditioning: a test case over cruel and unusual punishment. Also, a new documentary turns a spotlight on the role of Jewish Women in the story of Texas.

Texas Standard is a listener-supported production of KUT & KUTX Studios in Austin, Texas. You can help make this podcast happen by donating at supportthispodcast.org.

Texas Extra: Talking with NASA ‘Spacewoman’ Eileen Collins

It’s not everyday you meet someone who has been to space — let alone someone who led a mission and broke barriers for women who might want to do the same. Still, not everyone knows about Eileen Collins and her accomplishments. A new documentary aims to change that. Here’s an extended conversation with Collins and film director Hannah Berryman.

Meteor over Texas leaves debris, questions

A secretive project to build a long water barrier in the Rio Grande is revealed as letters go out to landowners to build a Big Bend border wall. We’ll hear what locals are thinking.

Look up to the sky: It’s a boom, it’s a flash… and a crash through a roof north of Houston. A UT geosciences professor helps us understand the meteor fragment impact that occurred this past weekend.

We’ll also dig into the somewhat surprising findings of a new report from the Brookings Institution on the costs of higher education.

And with March Madness in the air, the Sweet 16’s set in another bracket competition — the best Texas movie.

Encore presentation: Houston’s rise to become a global city

We’re bringing you a special rebroadcast from the studios of our partners at Houston Public Media, the November destination in our yearlong waltz across Texas marking 10 years on the air.
Today, we’ll explore Houston’s rise to become the nation’s newest global city.
Also, a mission to tell the true story of the first female astronauts, the Houston Chronicle with a new list of the top Houston restaurants, a take on Texas zydeco, and a whole lot more.
Texas Standard is a listener-supported production of KUT & KUTX Studios in Austin, Texas.
You can support this podcast at supportthispodcast.org

A special broadcast from Houston

No matter where you are, you’re in for a treat as we broadcast from the biggest city in the Lone Star State.
We’re coming to you from the studios of our partners at Houston Public Media, the latest destination in our yearlong waltz across Texas marking 10 years on the air.
Today, we’ll explore Houston’s rise to become the nation’s newest global city.
Also, a mission to tell the true story of the first female astronauts, the Houston Chronicle with a new list of the top Houston restaurants, a take on Texas zydeco, and a whole lot more.

Texas Standard is a listener-supported production of KUT & KUTX Studios in Austin, Texas.

You can support this podcast at supportthispodcast.org

Texas Standard: December 23, 2020

Read any good books lately? We sure have. As we fast approach the end of the year, and a certain holiday known for gift giving we hit the stacks. They served on the front lines of a revolution in Mexico that revolutionized Texas, too. A new book reclaims the often overlooked stories of revolutionary women. Also, living the dream: the Texas author who’s writing the books she wished she’d been able to read as a kid. And a how-to book with a Texas twist you won’t find stashed away in the tool shed: how to be an astronaut and much more as we chat with authors about some memorable books of 2020 on todays Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: September 15, 2020

No other state has shown as many cracks in its system of counting COVID-19 cases as Texas. Now the numbers are set to shift again. Why is Texas having such trouble with Coronavirus case counts? Edgar Walters of the Texas Tribune has the latest. Also, a plan for affordable housing gets slammed as a tax windfall for developers, we’ll hear why. And an indigenous tribe pushes the University of Texas to hand over Native American remains. Plus the ultimate how to book for those ready to leave it all behind: How to Astronaut. Those stories and so much more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: July 26, 2019

After an unofficial moratorium, a revival of the federal death penalty. The protocol they plan to use mirrors the Texas model, we’ll have more. And: Texans with ties to Puerto Rico ask what’s next after the resignation of the territorial governor. Many are wondering where the movement that led to his ouster goes from here. Also: UT San Antonio gets tapped to boost research on battlefield trauma care in hopes of helping veterans. Plus: The week in Texas politics and a whole lot more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: July 19, 2019

From what was once the furthest frontier of the west, a mission to the furthest frontier of humankind. On July 20th 1969, the world held its breath as astronauts from the United States did something nearly unimaginable. But the pathway to the first moon landing ran through Texas, and the marks of that journey have left deep and lasting impressions on the lunar surface, and on the Lone Star State. And they might serve as waymarks for our future, too. The Texas Standard special, Highway to the Moon: How Texas Paved the Way for Apollo:

Apollo 11 (50th Anniversary)

July of 2019 marks the 50th Anniversary of man’s first steps on the moon. It’s an accomplishment many still can’t fully comprehend. That was the inspiration for this Typewriter Rodeo poem.

Texas Standard: May 29, 2019

If another Harvey sized storm hit the Texas coast, could the state’s economy weather the hit ? A warning to Texas officials about the need to do something to protect the Galveston bay before the next so called 500 year storm event, we’ll take a look. Also a plan to get teachers to transfer to low performing schools, how’s it going? Plus how is it that a small texas town of 400 people is bankrolling projects statewide? We’ll explore. And has Texas government debt really risen 40 percent in 5 years? Politifact checks the numbers and more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: January 25, 2017

From sea to shining sea, or something else? The White House order goes out today to build that wall. Also, Governor abbott issues a threat to a central Texas sheriff over her sanctuary city plan: if she doesn’t back down, we’ll remove her from office, we’ll have more. Also, more than 300 thousand in bondage in Texas. The first hard numbers on what’s been called modern day slavery. Plus, something special in the air? Fight attendants at a major Texas based airline say their uniforms are making them sick. And a new focus for space researchers: what’s happening to astronauts’ eyesight? All that and lots more today on the Texas Standard: