It’s a new year, and another trip around the sun exploring Mars. Emilee Speck & Brendan Byrne return to the show to continue a new tradition of covering the year that passed and the year that will be. From robotic exploration of Mars rovers and spacecraft to the endless saga of NASA’s human spaceflight program, we take a step back and examine everything going on.

Miss last year’s Sate of Mars 2017? Check it out here!

We discuss Mars, Robotic, Human and Otherwise

• Methane Bursts on Mars (The Verge)
• Opportunity survives 8th winter (Space.com)
  • Recommended Episode to learn more: Episode 29: A Teenage Rover (feat. Mike Seibert)
• Curiosity’s Wheels Breaking Down (Space.com)
• Curiosity celebrates 5 years, rock drill still out (Space.com)
  • Recommended Episode to learn more: Episode 28: Five Years of Being Curious (feat. Emily Lakdawalla)
• InSight launching in 2018 (nasa.gov)
• SLS Delayed (The Verge)
• Mars is very expensive (Ars Technica)
  • Recommended Episode to learn more: Off the Cuff “Should SLS Be Cancelled?” (for $1+ Patrons)
• Deep Space Gateway Plans Announced (Ars Technica)
  • Recommended Episode to learn more: Off the Cuff “NASA’s Roadmap to Mars” (for $1+ Patrons)
• NASA Pivots to the Moon (Inverse.com)
  • Recommended Episode to learn more: Episode 34: From the Moon to Mars (feat. Laura Forczyk)
• National Geographic’s MARS series renewed (Deadline.com)

Follow Emilee and Brendan

• Emilee on Twitter (@EMSpeck)
• Emilee’s Space Coverage (ClickOrlando.com)
• News 6 WKMG Facebook (Facebook.com)
• Brendan on Twitter (@SpaceBrendan)
• Are We There Yet Podcast on Twitter (@AWTYMars)
• WMFE Space (wmfe.org)

Follow Jake & WeMartians

• Website (www.wemartians.com)
• Patreon (www.patreon.com/wemartians)
• WeMartians Shop (shop.wemartians.com)
• Twitter (@we_martians)
• Facebook (@wemartians)
• Instagram (@wemartians)
• Jake’s Twitter (@JakeOnOrbit)

WeMartians music is “RetroFuture”, “Electrodoodle”, and “On My Way” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/