Date: 08-05-12 Host: George Noory Guests: Richard C. Hoagland, Dr. John Brandenburg, Robert Zubrin, David Livingston C2C Science Advisor and head of the Enterprise Mission, Richard C. Hoagland, who discussed the successful landing of NASA’s Curiosity Rover on the surface of Mars. Over the course of the program, he was joined by other space experts, who shared their reaction to the historic touchdown. “This is probably the most important night in NASA’s history,” Hoagland mused, “since Neil and Buzz landed on the moon.” In light of the advanced technology aboard the rover as well as his own analysis of the current political landscape, Hoagland surmised that the arrival of Curiosity on Mars may set the stage for revelations about past or present life on the Red Planet. “My prediction is that this is the beginning of some amazing things,” he said, contending that a revelatory announcement about Mars could constitute an “October surprise” by the Obama administration prior to the election. In the second hour, plasma physicist Dr. John Brandenburg joined the conversation. Regarding the research to be done by Curiosity on Mars, Brandenburg was particularly interested in getting more information about what he believes to be a previous nuclear event on the planet. Citing evidence which suggests a radiation scar as well as a radioactive hot spot on Mars, he suggested that a natural nuclear reactor may have broken down on the planet in the past. Although his hypothesis has been …