This Week In Space podcast: Episode 169 — The Day Mars Died
On Episode 169 of This Week In Space, Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik are joined by Rob Manning, JPL's Chief Engineer Emeritus, to look back at the Mariner 4 Mars mission 60 years later.
Six decades ago this week, the Mariner 4 probe sped past Mars, the first to succeed in this then-brash undertaking. The technology was unbelievably primitive, yet effective, sending back 22 low-resolution video frames of the Red Planet. On that day, the wee hours of July 15 at JPL in Pasadena, the Mars of the romantics died. What had long been viewed as a slightly colder, somewhat drier, near-twin of Earth ended up having just a trace of an atmosphere and looked more like the moon--bone dry and pummelled by craters.
Download or subscribe to this show at: https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-space.Get episodes ad-free with Club TWiT at https://twit.tv/clubtwit
Space news of the week
50 years after a historic handshake in space, the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project's legacy still resonates
'Doghouse' days of summer — Boeing's Starliner won't fly again until 2026, and without astronauts aboard
The largest Mars rock on Earth is up for auction in NYC — it could be yours for $4 million (or more)
Biggest chunk of Mars on Earth! Take a tour at Sotheby's
Mars Probes
Five Ways Mariner 4 Changed Mars Exploration
Hand-Colored Mars Photo from Mariner 4
John Casani, Former Manager of Multiple NASA Missions, Dies
Model Falcon 9!
TOP TELESCOPE PICK:
Looking for a telescope to see planets and comets? We recommend the Celestron Astro Fi 102 as the top pick in our best beginner's telescope guide.
Finally, did you know you can launch your own SpaceX rocket? Model rocket maker Estes' stunning scale model of a Falcon 9 rocket that you can pick up now. The launchable model is a detailed recreation of the Falcon 9 and retails for $149.99. You can save 10% by using the code IN-COLLECTSPACE at checkout, courtesy of our partners collectSPACE.com.
About This Week In Space
This Week in Space covers the new space age. Every Friday we take a deep dive into a fascinating topic. What's happening with the new race to the moon and other planets? When will SpaceX really send people to Mars?
Join Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik from Space.com as they tackle those questions and more each week on Friday afternoons. You can subscribe today on your favorite podcatcher.
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Ovarian Cancer Risk Rises Soon After IBS Diagnosis
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Medscape
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Benzene in Acne Products: What to Know Now
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The FDA has taken action, although some contend the agency has not done enough, and experts involved are better focused — and sometimes in closer agreement — on how to move forward to increase safety for the products, considered one of the most effective topical acne treatments and the only effective remedy for many patients. Medscape Medical News reached out to John S. Barbieri, MD, MBA, assistant professor of dermatology at Harvard Medical School and director of the Advanced Acne Therapeutics Clinic at Brigham and Women's Hospital, both in Boston, and David Light, president and co-founder of Valisure, the independent laboratory in New Haven, Connecticut, that filed the petition, asking for an update of what they've found out in recent months (they both have published research recently), what they believe needs to be done moving forward, and their advice on how clinicians should be talking to their patients about the products. 'Right now, to me, it's a nonissue clinically,' said Barbieri, who has researched and written about the issue extensively. 'I don't worry about this in my day-to-day practice.' However, he's adamant that more needs to be done to maximize the safety of the products, that patients need to be educated about precautions they can take, and that manufacturers need to focus on getting the benzene levels in their products to what he and others say is achievable — zero. Product Heterogeneity Researchers have found a wide range of levels of benzene in products. That's good news, so to speak, in regard to fixing the problem. As Barbieri and Christopher Bunick, MD, PhD, associate professor of dermatology at Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, wrote in a recent Viewpoint in JAMA Dermatology, 'there has been considerable heterogeneity observed between brands and product lines, suggesting opportunities to improve formulation, production, and distribution practices to maximize the safety of benzoyl peroxide-containing products.' The range of benzene found, for instance, in the Valisure analysis leading to the citizen's petition was sometimes over 800 times the FDA's conditional limit of 2 parts per million. The JAMA paper also cites a study, published in May 2025, by Bunick, Light, and others, finding that cold storage may reduce benzene formation, and a study co-authored by Barbieri, which found that leave-on benzoyl peroxide products contained lower concentrations of benzene, possibly because they are often manufactured in smaller batches than washes 'and thus may cool more quickly,' they wrote. Recent Recalls In March 2025, the FDA alerted the public and industry to the results of its testing of 95 acne products with benzoyl peroxide for possible benzene contamination, following the receipt of the Valisure test results. As a result of the FDA alert, six companies voluntarily recalled some of their products, and another company voluntarily recalled its product after its own testing. FDA Input? Under nonbinding FDA guidance issued in December 2023, benzene levels in products using carbomers (thickeners) should not exceed 2 parts per million. Medscape Medical News reached out to the FDA, asking if the agency had any other information pertaining to developments in the manufacturing of benzoyl peroxide acne products. A spokesperson referred only to the March 2025 information about recalls and its finding that more than 90% of the benzoyl peroxide acne products it tested had undetectable or very low levels of benzene. Manufacturers' Mission Manufacturers need to do more, Light and Barbieri agreed, to monitor benzene levels and reduce them. 'I'm quite supportive of the paper they wrote,' Light told Medscape Medical News , referring to the JAMA update co-authored by Barbieri and Bunick. 'I appreciate their push on the manufacturers' side,' a stance Light has taken from the start. Information on exactly what the product manufacturers are doing, even after the March recalls and the FDA testing, is scarce, Light and Barbieri agreed. (Light's analyses have previously been the target of some criticism, contending he is mostly interested in winning lawsuits against companies and boosting profits. He has filed patents related to, among other areas, the prevention of the formation of impurities, including benzene, in drug products such as benzoyl peroxide-containing products. In response, Light said his goals have always been focused on public health and consumer protection. 'Our analyses have not only been rigorously reviewed through the peer-review process in multiple journals,' he said, 'but each of our five FDA Citizen Petitions on benzene contamination in major consumer product categories has been followed by testing and validation by regulators and companies that confirmed unacceptably high levels of benzene and initiated recalls.') The Consumer Health Products Association, a trade group that many of the benzoyl peroxide product manufacturers belong to, posted the following statement on its site after the citizen's petition was filed last year: 'Benzene is not intentionally added to any consumer product, and it is important that proper quality control measures are in place to both detect impurities and reduce potential contamination during the manufacturing process.' But it offered no more specific information about individual manufacturers' procedures or attempts at improvements. Beyond quality control measures, manufacturers must pay attention to shipping and distribution, which can affect benzene levels as temperatures rise, Barbieri said. 'Consumer confidence is really important here,' he added. Manufacturers should also transparently share their benzene data, Barbieri and Light agreed. Besides acne products, according to the FDA, hand sanitizers, aerosol antiperspirants, and sunscreen sprays have been recalled because of benzene concerns. Empowering Patients Meanwhile, clinicians can advise patients to take a number of steps to minimize the risk for benzene exposure, according to Barbieri and Light. Discarding expired products or those that have been exposed to high temperatures — such as being left in a hot car — is one recommendation. Replacing products every 10-12 weeks is also probably wise, Barbieri said, but he concedes that more data is needed about the stability of the products at room temperature. Whether refrigerating the products is better than keeping them at room temperature hasn't been fully researched, he noted. Lowering the temperature does help with benzene formation, Light said. 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Barbieri said those who use leave-on products should consider sun protection, which, he added, is a useful general recommendation for acne management in general. Looking Forward: Getting to Zero While progress has been made, and awareness of the risks has increased, there's work to be done, experts agreed. 'It's still an important and relevant issue,' Barbieri said. 'We want to be doing as much as we can to mitigate the risk as much as possible. Even if the risk is 0.00001, if we can make it zero, we should make it zero.' Barbieri and Bunick have reported no relevant disclosures. Light has filed patents related to the prevention of the formation of impurities, including benzene, in drug products, such as benzoyl peroxide products. The Journal of Investigative Dermatology study published in May 2025 was funded by Valisure.
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(Richard Tribou/Orlando Sentinel) NASA astronaut and pilot Michael Fincke cracks a joke causing JAXA astronaut Kimiya Yui to break into laughter after they and their fellow Crew-11 crewmates, NASA astronaut and commander Zena Cardman and Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov, arrived to Kennedy Space Center on Saturday, July 26, 2025 ahead of their planned launch this week to the International Space Station. (Richard Tribou/Orlando Sentinel) The four members of Crew-11 arrive to Kennedy Space Center on Saturday, July 26, 2025 ahead of their planned launch this week to the International Space Station. From left to right are NASA astronaut and commander Zena Cardman, NASA astronaut and pilot Michael Fincke, JAXA astronaut Kimiya Yui and Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov along with his translator. (Richard Tribou/Orlando Sentinel) The four members of Crew-11 arrive to Kennedy Space Center on Saturday, July 26, 2025 ahead of their planned launch this week to the International Space Station. From left to right are NASA astronaut and commander Zena Cardman, NASA astronaut and pilot Michael Fincke, JAXA astronaut Kimiya Yui and Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov along with his translator. (Richard Tribou/Orlando Sentinel) Show Caption1 of 6NASA astronaut Michael Fincke, right, raises some bunny ears behind the head Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov while posing for photos with their Crew-11 crewmates, NASA astronaut Zena Cardman and JAXA astronaut Kimiya Yui, after arriving at Kennedy Space Center on Saturday, July 26, 2025 ahead of their planned launch this week to the International Space Station. (Richard Tribou/Orlando Sentinel)Expand Endeavour is making a record sixth trip to space, the first of SpaceX's fleet of five Crew Dragons to hit that mark as NASA looks to stretch their utility beyond the original five flights for which they have been certified. 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'I'm personally looking forward to going back up to the space station. I helped build it, and now I get to see it in its full maturity with six other crewmates,' Fincke said. NASA looks to decommission the station after 2030. 'I know it's coming near its time, but this is something that I think that humans should just really remember of all the cool things we can do when we work together constructively,' Fincke said. Solve the daily Crossword
