The Orbital Debrief
A weekly transmission from low Earth orbit.
Join Zack as he beams down cosmic insights, science headlines, and out-of-this-world pop culture commentary straight from his orbiting ship (DB-1) above Earth. Each episode, Zack is joined by TOD, his lovable, wisecracking sidekick with a new quirky obsession every week (think TARS meets trivia night).
From the latest space missions and scientific breakthroughs, to the most mind-bending sci-fi movies, The Orbital Debrief explores where science fiction meets science fact; With a healthy dose of curiosity, humor, and cinematic flair.
Strap in! It’s smarter than your average podcast… but way more fun.
Episodes
10 episodes
10 - Exomoons and Alien Oceans: The Wettest Places Not on Earth
Jupiter and Saturn’s icy moons (like Europa, Enceladus, and Titan) might just be hiding alien oceans, hydrothermal vents, and life beyond Earth. So, grab your pressurized wetsuit and let’s dive in.TOD’s Episode Obsession: Launchin...
•
28:57
09 - Space Billionaires, Explained: Why the Rich Keep Launching Rockets
We break down why the richest humans on Earth are all looking up, how private spaceflight is reshaping exploration, and what it means for the rest of us mere mortals stuck in coach.TOD’s Episode Obsession: Luxury Spac...
•
39:29
08 - Aliens, Probability, and the Fermi Paradox: Are We Alone?
Why haven’t we found alien life yet? Let’s talk probabilities, paradoxes, telescopes, weird math, wild theories... and maybe even simulate a first contact.TOD’s Episode Obsession: Alien Etiquette This week, T...
•
23:33
07 - Rogue Planets: Drifters of the Cosmic Wasteland
Planets with no sun. No warmth. No orbit. Just eternal darkness and the cold embrace of nothing. So… could we live on one?TOD’s Episode Obsession: Cosmic Loner AestheticsHe’s designing a line of “Roguecore...
•
19:44
06 - Faster Than Light: Warp Drives, Wormholes, and Sci-Fi
FTL... We’re breaking physics (politely) to ask the biggest question in space travel: Can we go faster than light? From warp bubbles to wormholes, let’s explore the engines of tomorrow, and the science that might make them real....
•
22:37
05 - Black Holes: Nature's Middle Finger
They’re mysterious, monstrous, and utterly indifferent to your hopes, dreams, or molecular cohesion. In this episode, we dive headfirst into the cosmic enigma of black holes; How they form, what they do, why they haunt physicists’ dreams, and w...
•
35:09
04 - Terraforming 101: How to Ruin Another Planet
Terraforming: the ultimate cosmic home renovation. In this episode, we dig into what it is, how it might work (if science fiction politely becomes science fact), and whether reshaping entire planets is visionary… or just interst...
•
26:19
03 - Quantum Weirdness: Why Reality is Probably Broken
Superposition. Entanglement. The Observer Effect. Let’s unpack the strangest facts of quantum physics... and what it might mean for space, time, and our fragile understanding of reality.TOD’s Weekly Obsession:...
•
35:39
02 - The Moon is not boring: Why everyone’s racing back.
From Apollo nostalgia to futuristic moon bases, we explore the revival of lunar ambition; and why our dusty, crater-packed neighbor is suddenly the hottest real estate in the solar system.Between NASA’s Artemis program, China’s long-term...
•
36:18
01 - How to Not Die in Space: The Real Dangers of the Final Frontier
In our debut episode, Zack (your host) and TOD (his sardonic, protocol-obsessed companion) explore the very real dangers of the final frontier: vacuum exposure, cosmic radiation, rogue wrenches, microgravity meltdown, and the existential horror...
•
31:09