When the James Webb Space Telescope launches into space later this year to succeed the Hubble Space telescope, it will symbolize the culmination of over two decades of work by NASA, but it will also represent the very beginning of a new era of deep space observation. Join Nate Ray and guest Amber Straughn, astrophysicist and Deputy Project Scientist for the James Webb Space Telescope, to discover the marvel and significance of the forthcoming space observatory.

Nate reviews The Mission and is joined once again by its author, David W. Brown - a science journalist who has written for The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The New Yorker, Scientific American, Vox, and Smithsonian. In Part 2 of the conversation, David reveals the writing process behind his new book, makes the case for getting excited about Europa (one of Jupiter's icy moons) and considers the ethics of eating alien fish.

What influence do presidents have over NASA? How has Mars shaped American objectives in space? Are we really going back to the moon? Join Nate Ray for Part 1 of his two-part conversation with David W. Brown, a science journalist and author who has written for The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The New Yorker, Scientific American, Vox, and Smithsonian. Also, check out David's most recent book, The Mission, which is in stores now.