Planetary Radio: Recent Episodes
Mat Kaplan
Planetary Radio is the weekly adventure on the final frontier produced by the Planetary Society and it's CEO, Bill Nye the Science Guy. Listen to host Mat Kaplan's conversations with the scientists, engineers, dreamers and leaders at the forefront of space exploration. You'll also hear our regular segments with Bill, "Planetary Evangelist" Emily Lakdawalla, and Director of Science and Technology Bruce Betts. Enter the weekly space trivia contest for your chance to win out-of-this-world prizes!
Justin Spilker and his colleagues at Texas A&M University have detected the oldest and most distant organic molecules in the known Universe using the James Webb Space Telescope. Justin joins Planetary Radio to talk about the discovery and what it means for our understanding of star formation in the early Universe. We also share what to spot in the night sky this week and pay homage to the first women in space in this week’s What’s Up.
Discover more at: https://www.planetary.org/planetary-radio/2023-oldest-organic-molecules See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Sarafina El-Badry Nance joins Planetary Radio to discuss her new book, Starstruck: A Memoir of Astrophysics and Finding Light in the Dark. We share a beautiful poem about exploration that will soon be on its way to Europa and let you know how you can put your name on the upcoming Europa Clipper mission. Then we check in with Bruce Betts for What's Up and an update on this week's night sky.
Discover more at: https://www.planetary.org/planetary-radio/2023-starstruckSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Would meeting an extraterrestrial civilization be good or bad for humanity? Astronomer Dr. Jacob Haqq Misra argues that knowing the outcome in advance is fundamentally impossible, which results in a range of policy implications. Should we camouflage Earth's technosignatures or pour money into perhaps the most transformative event in human history? Should we fear the dark or embrace the unknown?
Discover more at: https://www.planetary.org/planetary-radio/2023-spe-policy-implications-of-active-setiSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
The Planetary Society has just announced the latest awards in its Science and Technology Enabled by the Public (STEP) Grant program. With regular host Sarah Al-Ahmed on vacation, Mat Kaplan returns to introduce the principal investigator for a project that will prepare us to grow food on the Moon and Mars. Another PI and his team plan to analyze extreme life in super salty lakes. Planetary Society Chief Scientist Bruce Betts heads the STEP Grant program. He’ll give us an overview, and a quick look at the satisfying success of the previous projects. Stick around as Mat joins Bruce for this week’s What’s Up. Discover more at: https://www.planetary.org/planetary-radio/2023-step-grant-principal-investigatorsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
This week on Planetary Radio, Shubham Kanodia, the lead on a paper about a so-called“forbidden planet,” TOI 5202 b, joins us to talk about this strange world and why it's upending our understanding of planetary formation. Then Bruce Betts and Sarah Al-Ahmed will team up for What's Up, a look back at this week in space history, and a preview of the upcoming night sky. Discover more at: https://www.planetary.org/planetary-radio/2023-forbidden-planetSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
In this week's episode of Planetary Radio, we're honoring the educators who inspire young, curious minds to explore the marvels of the Cosmos. We’ll speak with guests from The Planetary Academy, the Griffith Observatory School Program, and Mt. Wilson's STEM Education program, all of whom are paving the way for the next generation of space enthusiasts and explorers. Then we'll check in Bruce Betts for What's Up so you know what to watch for in the upcoming night sky.
Discover more at: https://www.planetary.org/planetary-radio/2023-inspiring-the-next-generationSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
NASA's VERITAS mission to Venus is currently on an indefinite hold. Darby Dyar, Deputy Principal Investigator for the mission, joins Planetary Radio to share the human story behind the spacecraft. She provides an insightful overview of the mission's background, its intended scientific contributions, and how listeners can help advocate for the mission. Then Bruce Betts guides us through upcoming night sky events and looks forward to asteroid Apophis' close flyby of Earth in 2029.
Discover more at: https://www.planetary.org/planetary-radio/2023-the-case-for-saving-veritasSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Prior to Starship's inaugural launch, environmental policy expert Eric Roesch was outspoken about the possibility of catastrophe. As the rocket launched, it kicked up massive clouds of dust and decimated its launchpad, scattering large chunks of concrete into delicate marine and coastal sanctuaries nearby. Eric blames both SpaceX and its regulatory body, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), for allowing the company to skirt responsibility in its environmental reporting and mitigating its impact on its surrounding wilderness. He joins the show to discuss the proper role of environmental regulations, why he believes the FAA was irresponsible in approving SpaceX's launch licenses, and how you can simultaneously protect the environment and local wildlife while still pursuing an ambitious path to space.
Discover more at: https://www.planetary.org/planetary-radio/spacex-starship-vs-the-environment See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Planetary Radio creator Mat Kaplan shares a look behind the scenes at the 2023 Planetary Defense Conference in Vienna, Austria. You’ll hear exclusive interviews with planetary defense specialists from around the planet as they gather to push the boundaries of asteroid and comet deflection technologies. Stick around for What’s Up with Bruce Betts, an update on the night sky, and a look forward to the upcoming Eta Aquarid meteor shower.
Discover more at: https://www.planetary.org/planetary-radio/2023-planetary-defense-conferenceSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Join us as we celebrate the successful launch of the European Space Agency's Juice mission! Our special guest, project scientist Olivier Witasse, shares the thrilling details about the launch and the next steps for this groundbreaking mission to explore Jupiter’s icy moons. We'll also recap the inspiring events of last week's Planetary Society Digital Day of Action, where space enthusiasts and advocates united to make an impact on the future of space exploration. Don't miss our resident astronomer, Bruce Betts, as he guides us through the upcoming night sky in What's Up.
Discover more at: https://www.planetary.org/planetary-radio/2023-juice-mission-liftoffSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Phil Plait, the Bad Astronomer, joins Planetary Radio to discuss his new book, “Under Alien Skies: A Sightseer’s Guide to the Galaxy.” The book takes the reader on an imaginary journey to 10 spectacular locations in space and shares the strange and beautiful experience visitors would have if they could witness it for themselves. Stick around after the break for What’s Up with Bruce Betts and a chance to win a copy of “Under Alien Skies” in our space trivia contest. Discover more at: https://www.planetary.org/planetary-radio/2023-under-alien-skiesSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Join us as we delve into the heart of LA's 2023 Yuri's Night party, a celebration commemorating Yuri Gagarin's pioneering 1961 voyage into space. We'll bring you exclusive interviews and insights from a stellar lineup, including Star Trek cast members, NASA's Jet Propulsion Labs Director Laurie Leshin, and astronaut Jessica Watkins. Together, they'll celebrate the future of space exploration and what it means to be SpaceKind. Don’t miss our What’s Up segment for the latest stargazing opportunities and info on the upcoming rare hybrid eclipse on April 20th.
Discover more at: https://www.planetary.org/planetary-radio/2023-yuris-night See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
For over a decade, Jean Toal Eisen drafted legislation directing billions of dollars to NASA as senior staff on the Senate Appropriations Committee. She joins the show to unveil the crucial roles played by committee staff like herself, how decisions and priorities are made behind closed doors, and the motivations and drivers of the people who control the fates of billions of dollars of taxpayer funding for the U.S. space program.
Discover more at: https://www.planetary.org/planetary-radio/how-congress-funds-the-final-frontierSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Join us as we celebrate the accomplishments of a truly inspiring space mission - the United Arab Emirates' Hope probe, which has spent two amazing years orbiting Mars! Our guest, Mohsen Al Awadhi, Director of the Space Missions Department at the UAE Space Agency, shares insights into the mission's journey and teases the next exciting chapter: observing Mars' mysterious moon, Deimos. We're also counting down to the launch of the European Space Agency's highly anticipated JUICE mission, set to explore the enigmatic moons of Jupiter. We update you on NASA's VERITAS mission to Venus and share how you can contribute to the campaign to save this crucial exploratory mission. We'll wrap up the episode with our favorite stargazer, Bruce Betts, who'll guide us through a sneak peek at the upcoming night sky in What's Up.
Discover more at: https://www.planetary.org/planetary-radio/2023-two-years-of-hopeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Is Venus hiding volcanic secrets beneath its shroud of clouds? Robbie Herrick and Scott Hensley, the minds behind a new paper on recent potential volcanic activity on Venus, join Planetary Radio to discuss their discovery and what it means for the future of Venusian exploration. Then we turn to the night sky with our resident stargazer, Bruce Betts, for What's Up and our space trivia contest.
Discover more at: https://www.planetary.org/planetary-radio/2023-volcanic-venusSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
NASA’s Psyche mission to explore a metallic asteroid will launch later this year. Lindy Elkins-Tanton, the principal investigator for Psyche, joins Planetary Radio to share the mission’s status and look forward to the wonders that await when the spacecraft reaches its heavy metal target. We also keep you updated on exciting news from Venus, and let you know what to catch in the upcoming night sky in What’s Up.
Discover more at: https://www.planetary.org/planetary-radio/2023-getting-psyched-for-psycheSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Kim Arcand from NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory joins Planetary Radio to share her team’s new album “Universal Harmonies.” It’s a beautiful collection of sonified observations taken by the space telescope that aims to make space images more accessible to people with low or no vision. The Planetary Society team celebrates the release of their new member community app and shares an update on the Boeing Starliner. Stick around for a chance to win a vinyl version of “Universal Harmonies” in this week’s space trivia contest.
Discover more at: https://www.planetary.org/planetary-radio/2023-universal-harmoniesSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Planetary Radio’s creator Mat Kaplan guest hosts for this look back at the Jet Propulsion Lab’s celebration of the 45th anniversary of the Voyager mission. Stick around for his conversation with Ann Druyan, creative director for the Golden Record carried by the probes. Mat and Bruce Betts reunite for this week’s What’s Up and space trivia contest.
Discover more at: https://www.planetary.org/planetary-radio/2023-voyager-45th-anniversarySee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Humanity is on the cusp of attempting permanent settlement on other worlds. But who gets to go? How will we govern ourselves or enforce laws off Earth? How can you have property rights, labor rights, or even individual rights when the very air you breathe is limited and potentially controlled by your employer? Dr. Erika Nesvold, astrophysicist and author of the new book “Off-Earth: Ethical Questions and Quandaries for Living in Outer Space” explores the ethical challenges facing our species as it dips its toe into living beyond our home planet.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
In this week’s episode, Director of Canadensys West Peter Visscher fills us in on the upcoming Canadian lunar rover. Visscher has been working on the rover for years. Bruce Betts also returns to the show for another installment of What's Up. Discover more at: https://www.planetary.org/planetary-radio/2023-canadian-lunar-rover-peter-visscherSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Meenakshi Wadhwa, principal scientist for Mars Sample Return at NASA JPL, updates us on the missions that will bring bits of the red planet back to Earth.
A new volunteer SETI science project to search for alien technosignatures has launched! Two of its creators tell you how to sign up.
Mars expert Tanya Harrison shares the details on some of the newest discoveries about Mars’ history, including potential megatsunamis and the discovery of opals in Gale Crater.
Dr. Matt Daniels of the White House's Office of Science and Technology Policy joins the show to discuss the White House’s new cislunar space strategy, its ambitions, and implications for the future of lunar exploration and development.
We celebrate the James Webb Space Telescope's first confirmed exoplanet discovery this week on Planetary Radio. Jacob Lustig-Yaeger, one of the leads on the team that made the detection, joins us to discuss the details.
Dive into the latest discoveries about Jupiter’s moons, Ganymede, Europa, and Io, with Scott Bolton, the principal investigator for NASA’s Juno mission.
Jason Achilles, a musician who partnered with NASA’s JPL to help put one of the first microphones on Mars, shares his journey and the joy of listening to the sounds of the red planet.
Jeremy Graeber, the assistant launch director at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, joins Planetary Radio to recount his experience on the night of Artemis I’s historic launch.
Jet Propulsion Lab director Laurie Leshin joins the Planetary Society's Casey Dreier for a conversation about challenges faced by the famous lab and the entire aerospace industry.
New host Sarah Al-Ahmed bids a fond farewell to Mat Kaplan, Planetary Radio’s former host, in a special interview as Mat shares stories from his two decades as creator and producer of the show.
For his last episode as host, Mat Kaplan welcomes many of his Planetary Society colleagues for a review of a spectacular year of space exploration.
Host Mat Kaplan greets the Orion capsule that has just returned from the Moon, and then presents some of the best of Planetary Radio’s 20 years.
Outgoing Planetary Radio host Mat Kaplan realizes a dream by getting Rob Manning and Andy Weir together for one of the most entertaining conversations in our show’s two decades.
Astrophysicist, former astronaut and NASA associate administrator John Grunsfeld on human exploration of space and the science we will do there.
What is NASA’s return on investment? NASA chief economist Alex MacDonald and University of Illinois Chicago professor Joshua Drucker provide revealing answers from a new economic impact report.
Join the Planetary Society’s CEO, its co-founder Louis Friedman and others as we mark Planetary Radio’s entry into its third decade.
Join us for a tour of the University of Arizona’s Mirror Lab where they use a giant, spinning oven filled with molten glass to create the primary mirrors for the Giant Magellan Telescope.
Cassini Mission Project Scientist Linda Spilker has now taken on the same job for the Voyager Interstellar Mission.
Bethany Johns of the American Astronomical Society talks with Planetary Society Chief Advocate Casey Dreier about how changes in Washington after the midterm elections may affect support for science.
Celebrate Carl Sagan’s birthday with his longtime collaborator and life partner Ann Druyan.
A special Space Policy Edition featuring a recent policy and advocacy webcast that gave Planetary Society members the opportunity to query Chief Advocate Casey Dreier and Society CEO Bill Nye.
The Double Asteroid Redirection Test was a brilliant success. The leaders of NASA’s Planetary Defense Coordination Office tell us what’s next in the quest to protect Earth.
20 years after its creation, Mat Kaplan is ready to introduce the great new host of Planetary Radio. We also join an assembly of astrophysicists as they toast each other and the cosmos.
Meet leaders of two of the most successful Earth-based searches for asteroids, including many that could threaten Earth.
Join us at the 2022 NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) Symposium for a taste of projects that just might change the world.
How will nations react if (when?) humanity detects the presence of an alien intelligence or civilization? That’s the topic Planetary Society Chief Advocate Casey Dreier takes up with his guest, astrophysicist Jason Wright.
Director of SOFIA Science Mission Operations Margaret Meixner joins us to lament the end of the giant flying observatory and to celebrate its tremendous successes.
Listen as the Double Asteroid Redirection Test spacecraft closes in on asteroid Dimorphos, followed by a triumphant conversation with DART Coordination Lead Nancy Chabot, and a visit with space image processor Judy Schmidt.
The DART spacecraft’s impact on asteroid moonlet Dimorphos is days away, so we’ll check in with Mission Coordination Lead Nancy Chabot as well as Simone Pirrotta, program manager for the LICIACube probe that will be watching the smackdown.
Leaders of several major, international space agencies talked with host Mat Kaplan during the first attempt to launch the Artemis 1 Moon mission.
Join Mat Kaplan and Planetary Society colleagues in Florida for the first attempt to launch the Space Launch System rocket on a mission to the Moon.
Former NASA Associate Administrator Mike Gold shepherded the Artemis Accords, a set of bilateral agreements for collaboration in human space exploration. Casey Dreier spoke with him in Florida as we awaited the launch of Artemis 1.
It’s a party for Voyager and the team of scientists, engineers and others who have followed it across our solar system. Then we’ll visit with Ann Druyan, creative director for the Voyager Golden Record.
Getting precious Mars rocks into Earthbound labs is an unprecedented challenge. We’ll hear how a lander, a rocket, a big solar-powered transfer vehicle and two helicopters will take on this challenge.
Delightful astronomer Jane Greaves is back with the latest evidence for phosphine gas in the atmosphere of Venus.
Scientists have found a menagerie of complex organic compounds on the comet visited by the Rosetta spacecraft that connect it with the birth of our solar system.
Former NASA deputy administrator Lori Garver returns for a deep conversation with Casey Dreier about her fight to turn the agency toward commercial partnerships and away from the expensive Constellation program.
Scientists need your help identifying clouds high above the surface of the red planet. The goal is figuring out where Mars’ water went.
Laurie Leshin has just become the tenth director of JPL and the first woman to run the fabled center for space science and robotic exploration.
The former director of NASA’s Planetary Science division, Jim Green, retired as the agency’s chief scientist in January. This episode opens with a special announcement from host Mat Kaplan.
NASA and its partners have revealed the first stunning images from the new space telescope. We’ll talk about them with Bill Nye and members of the JWST team.
Lori Garver went up against powerful forces inside and outside NASA to create the hugely successful commercial cargo and crew programs.
Space exploration historian Michael Neufeld traces the fascinating history of one of NASA’s most successful programs of planetary exploration.
A co-founder of the annual, worldwide event, and the leader of the European Space Agency’s planetary defense program mark the 114th anniversary of the Tunguska near-Earth asteroid disaster and the progress we’ve made toward avoiding another impact.
Celebrate the third anniversary of LightSail 2’s launch with Bill Nye and other leaders of The Planetary Society.
Psyche asteroid mission principal investigator Lindy Elkins-Tanton returns with her excellent new memoir, “A Portrait of the Scientist as a Young Woman.”
Mat Kaplan helped host the Humans to Mars Summit in Washington D.C., where much of the community that is working to get us to Mars gathered.
Professor Bethany Ehlmann served on the steering committee for the new planetary science and astrobiology decadal survey that will steer future exploration of the solar system.
We were there when the spacecraft ended 13 years of exploration and revelation at Saturn.
Britney Schmidt is preparing us for the day when a submarine will slip into the seas of an ocean world like Europa to search for life.
The Mars 2020 rover has rolled into an ancient river delta on the Red Planet. Will we find evidence of past life there?
International space policy and sustainability expert Mariel Borowitz explores with Casey Dreier how the war in Ukraine reaches beyond Earth in ways that are chilling and surprising.
Suit up for a clean room encounter with the Psyche spacecraft that will soon launch toward the asteroid belt.
Britain’s Astronomer Royal Martin Rees and science writer Don Goldsmith question the value of putting astronauts in harm’s way at great expense in their new book.
Thousands celebrated the 51st anniversary of the first human voyage into space. We’ll take you to the Los Angeles party under the Space Shuttle Endeavour.
Fred Haise takes us on board the mission that almost didn’t make it home from the Moon and shares many other stories.
A healthy $26 billion has been proposed for NASA next year, but there are at least a couple of troubling factors we’ll discuss as Congress begins its review.
Leaders of the Neptune Odyssey study for the next planetary science and astrobiology decadal survey share their team’s exciting approach for an ice giant-orbiting spacecraft.
X-ray astronomy is vital to solving some of the universe’s biggest mysteries. Martin Weisskopf’s brand new space telescope has joined the effort.
A fascinating conversation with a space science and policy leader who is still hard at work in her 10th decade.
A special Planetary Radio presentation of the Voyager Golden Record produced by our friends at Twenty Thousand Hertz.
The Planetary Society’s new Science and Technology Empowered by the Public (STEP) grant program will let citizens join the search for ET and enable astronomers to discover the nature of hundreds of near-Earth asteroids.
Water may have flowed on Mars for a billion more years than was previously thought, giving possible life an extra billion years to thrive.
Casey talks with experts about the 50th anniversary of the Pioneer 10 launch toward Jupiter and beyond, and why most outer planets missions since then have been so costly.
MIT’s Michelle Kunimoto heads the TESS Faint Star Search that has revealed over 1,600 of the more than 5,000 TESS-discovered exoplanet candidates in our galaxy.
Astrobiologist and author David Grinspoon shares his thoughts about the search for life, where we might find it and how planetary science works.
Meet three of the just-announced recipients of Planetary Society Gene Shoemaker NEO grants. They search the skies for asteroids and comets that could threaten our planet.
Johanna Vos watches the weather on brown dwarf worlds while her colleague, Sam Grunblatt, finds giant planets spiraling toward their doom.
Science historian Robert Smith describes how NASA's new flagship space observatory came to be.
JWST senior project scientist John Mather has been looking forward to the new space telescope’s first light for more than 30 years. He joins us with an exciting preview.
New research shows that the giant plumes of Saturn’s moon Enceladus may not be coming from the warm ocean deep below the icy surface.
The Curiosity rover’s lead researcher reviews the latest findings and images from Mars’ Gale Crater.
A spacecraft has penetrated the Sun’s corona for the first time, revealing unprecedented data and capturing a mind-blowing video.
Planetary Society chief of D.C. operations Brendan Curry returns for a look ahead at what to expect in 2022.
Building the next spacesuit for Moon walkers, and a shipboard update on how the Artemis 1 Orion capsule will be recovered from the Pacific Ocean.
Seven Planetary Society experts and enthusiasts celebrate 2021’s many space science and exploration milestones.
“Discovering Mars” is the new chronicle of humanity’s long relationship with the Red Planet, assembled by space historian William Sheehan and Mars explorer Jim Bell.
Three astronomers share what they hope the James Webb Space Telescope will reveal about our universe after its launch this month.
Director Adam McKay and planetary defense expert Amy Mainzer join us for a conversation about the film and the science behind it.
Veteran astronomer Heidi Hammel discusses how the new astrophysics decadal survey lays the groundwork for decades of exciting science.
NASA’s Jim Green and Mary Voytek want the science community to develop tools that will help us evaluate potential evidence of life beyond Earth.
Into the Anthropocosmos is MIT Space Exploration Initiative director Ariel Ekblaw’s collection of innovations that will improve life in space and on Earth.
The DART mission begins its journey that will end when it smashes into an asteroid, demonstrating how we might save Earth from a devastating impact.
Spacecraft need a navigation and communication infrastructure to carry out their missions. Learn how NASA does it and what’s in store for the future.
The head of NASA’s planetary defense program discusses how the DART mission represents a new era for defending our planet from dangerous asteroids.
The head of the United Arab Emirates space agency announces a new mission to explore seven asteroids.
A first-ever encore of our wonderful conversation with the first American woman in space.
Here’s our sampling of the leading edge research presented by NIAC Fellows at NASA’s 2021 virtual gathering.
Principal investigator Hal Levison and colleagues prepare us for the launch of NASA’s Lucy spacecraft in an exclusive interview.
The ion engine-powered Dawn spacecraft will orbit Ceres for many years. Could it have touched down on the surface of the dwarf planet?
Brandon Curry, The Planetary Society’s chief of Washington operations, helps us untangle the fast-changing and complex machinations underway in the US capitol. What does it mean for NASA?
Highlights of the annual gathering of leaders and experts who are building toward humans walking on the Red Planet.
Director Clare Lewins and NASA astronaut Cady Coleman discuss the new documentary “The Wonderful: Stories from the Space Station.”
Flying a spacecraft through geysers spewing from Saturn’s moon Enceladus might reveal the building blocks of life or even life itself.
Can NASA send robotic explorers to Mars for a tiny fraction of what most missions cost?
Space outreach expert and social scientist Linda Billings talks with host Casey Dreier about the language space advocates use to share their message.
New research indicates that what appeared to be liquid water hiding under Mars’ polar ice may actually be a form of clay.
Mission system manager Al Cangahuala says the robotic explorer of Jupiter’s ocean moon is making steady progress toward a 2024 launch.
Cassini mission project scientist returns with new science from ocean moon Enceladus and anniversaries to celebrate with the Voyager mission.
NASA’s Bhavya Lal returns to explain the challenges and big advantages of nuclear propulsion in space.
Planetary scientist and New Horizons principal investigator Alan Stern says great science will ride on Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo and Blue Origin’s New Shepard.
Space historian and author of A Man on the Moon Andy Chaikin returns as we celebrate Apollo 15’s 50th anniversary.
NASA has approved development of the NEO Surveyor space telescope. Project lead Amy Mainzer will share her hopes for this vital planetary defense tool.
Leaders of the DAVINCI and VERITAS missions tell us what their spacecraft will reveal about the planet that is so much like Earth and yet so terribly different.
Host Mat Kaplan visits the James Webb Space Telescope in California to see the observatory before it launches and speak with project leaders.
The Pentagon has released its assessment of Unidentified Aerial Phenomena. Casey Dreier and science journalist Sarah Scoles talk about what’s behind the renewed interest in UFOs and Sarah’s book, They are Already Here.
University of Glasgow chemist Lee Cronin believes he and his collaborators have found a way to recognize life as we know it and as we don’t know it.
Atmospheric scientist Mark Lemmon discusses the beautiful clouds on Mars imaged by NASA's Curiosity rover.
Planetary Society grants have enabled amateur astronomers to discover and track asteroids that cross Earth’s path. We’ll meet two of them.
A fascinating conversation with Brian Keating, director of the Simons Observatory that will search for our cosmic origins from a mountaintop in Chile’s Atacama region.
The White House’s proposed 2022 NASA budget is almost entirely great news, as is the announcement that two complementary orbiters will explore Venus.
The Juno mission will continue its exploration of Jupiter till 2025, thanks to a four-year extension granted by NASA. Principal investigator Scott Bolton brings us up to date.
Astrophysicist Grant Tremblay describes how four proposed space telescopes could reveal our solar system and the universe as never before.
The leader of the Mars Helicopter test mission celebrates her team’s success and explores the daunting challenges they overcame.
Six planetary defense leaders report on progress toward protecting Earth from near-Earth objects.
NASA chose SpaceX’s Starship as the sole winner of its human lunar lander development contract in a move that may also take us closer to Mars.
The author of The Martian introduces us to his terrific new novel and shares his thoughts about the current state of space exploration.
Jim Gunn co-created and led the Sloan Digital Sky Survey that has revealed the universe as never before.
NASA’s Ingenuity Mars Helicopter makes a successful first flight on the Red Planet, while two researchers offer new insights on the first interstellar object discovered in our solar system.
Gerard K. O’Neill envisioned vast, magnificent human settlements in space. His followers, including Jeff Bezos, are working to turn his vision into reality.
Robert Crippen and John Young became the first humans to fly a space shuttle into orbit when Columbia launched on April 12, 1981.
It looks like former senator Bill Nelson will be NASA’s next administrator. Casey Dreier and Mat Kaplan talk about his nomination and other developments in Washington D.C., including The Planetary Society’s very successful Day of Action.
Exoplanet hunter and artist Natalia Guerrero of MIT reveals the discovery of many more possible new worlds by NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite.
Perseverance rover deputy project scientists Katie Stack Morgan and Ken Williford share the latest developments from Mars’ newest robot resident.
Hayabusa2 project manager Yuichi Tsuda shares the exciting success of Japan’s sample return mission ti asteroid Ryugu.
NASA engineer and scientist Troy Hudson shares the sad but ultimately inspiring story of a two-year attempt to dig deep beneath the surface of Mars.
Elon Musk’s SpaceX nearly failed 15 years ago as it struggled to launch its first rocket. Eric Berger has written about this challenging early era and how it helped create today’s successful, innovative company.
We examine a few of the thousands of technologies and innovations developed by NASA that are making lives better around our planet.
The Mars 2020 rover is on Mars. We have collected the most thrilling moments from the landing and the revelations that followed, including the first sounds recorded on the Red Planet. Bill Nye congratulates the entire Perseverance team and explains why this audacious mission is so important. Then Bruce Betts and Mat Kaplan welcome special guests as they read the winners of the What’s Up Mars poetry contest. There’s more to discover at https://www.planetary.org/planetary-radio/perseverance-landing-highlights
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The Planetary Society’s Planetfest ’21 celebrated Mars and the newest visitors to the Red Planet. Mat Kaplan shares some of his Planetfest conversation with Andy Weir, author of The Martian. We also sit down with the leader of the United Arab Emirates’ Hope mission that entered Mars orbit a few days ago. Planetary Society contributing editor Andrew Jones provides an update on China’s Tianwen-1 spacecraft that arrived within hours of Hope. We’ll also join preparations for the landing of NASA’s Mars 2020 rover Perseverance as we hear a media briefing from mission leaders. There’s more to discover at https://www.planetary.org/planetary-radio/planetfest-andy-weir-omran-sharaf-andrew-jones
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Mars has commanded our attention and stimulated our imaginations for millenia. Now, as 3 more spacecraft arrive, we talk with author Marc Hartzman about his new book that documents the fascination and fancy generated by the Red Planet. Planetary Society Chief Advocate Casey Dreier gives us a taste of the Society’s recommendations for the Biden administration regarding space exploration. Bruce Betts provides one more opportunity to win a Planetfest ’21 t-shirt! There’s more to discover, including a link to Planetfest ’21, at https://www.planetary.org/planetary-radio/marc-hartzman-big-book-of-mars
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Matt Hourihan is perhaps the world's most knowledgeable expert in how the U.S. government funds basic science and development activities. He joins the show to talk about the big picture of where the money goes, how the focus has changed over time, and the consequences of budget cuts to critical science investments. Discover more here: https://www.planetary.org/planetary-radio/0205-2021-spe-matt-hourihan
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How astronomers at California’s Palomar Observatory revolutionized our understanding of the cosmos.
Is interstellar object ‘Oumuamua an alien artifact? Harvard professor Avi Loeb explores his theory in a new book and in a fascinating conversation with Mat Kaplan.
JPL engineer Gregory Villar prepares us for the perilous descent and landing of the 2020 Mars rover on February 18th.
Casey Drier and our special guest, former National Space Council chief of staff Jared Zambrano-Stout, consider the troubling events at the U.S. Capitol in this special episode.
Composer Amanda Lee Falkenberg is joined by Cassini project scientist Linda Spilker and retired astronaut Nicole Stott as she shares excerpts from The Moons Symphony.
NASA has given the green light to Principal Investigator Les Johnson and his team for construction of a solar sail that dwarfs all that have come before.
In spite of everything, 2020 was a good year for space exploration according to five of The Planetary Society’s experts.
18 astronauts on the Artemis Team have a shot at walking on the Moon, and Stephanie Wilson is one of them.
Making oxygen from the Martian atmosphere will be essential if humans are ever to visit and work on the Red Planet, and the MOXIE experiment will soon show us how.
Bill Nye helps us welcome the Planetary Society’s new president who also leads a new Moon mission, while China’s lunar sample return spacecraft is headed home.
Space historian Teasel Muir-Harmony argues in her fascinating new book that the Apollo lunar program was promoted as a triumph of, not for, all mankind.
Host Mat Kaplan talked with the Arecibo Observatory director just hours before the giant radio telescope came crashing down.
Astronomer Jane Greaves returns with an update on the phosphine gas floating above Venus, before Casey Honnibal takes us through her team’s discovery of water right out under the Sun on Earth’s Moon.
Two pioneering Mars orbiters are still doing great work above the Red Planet, while the first operational Crew Dragon spaceship has delivered four astronauts to the International Space Station.
With the United States election over, Casey Dreier and Mat Kaplan welcome back Planetary Society Chief of D.C. Operations Brendan Curry for a review of what may be in store for the U.S. space program.
A distant, lonely planet has been discovered as it wanders the galaxy, while Bill Nye helps us celebrate selection of a radically-simple sample collection system for trips to the Moon and Mars’ moon Phobos.
Joel Sercel believes we are entering an era in which asteroid mining and other commercial development of space are imminent, but he’s concerned about how we will avoid the mistakes of past eras of human expansion.
The leader of the OSIRIS REx asteroid sample return mission shares more details of last week’s encounter in an exclusive interview, while we also learn about the proposed mission to look for life on Saturn’s moon Enceladus.
The OSIRIS-REx spacecraft appears to have collected its first sample from asteroid Bennu, while a team led by Jane Greaves has discovered what could be evidence of life in the clouds of Venus.
Creators of an outstanding new collection of poems about spaceflight and exploration join Mat Kaplan to talk about the book as Bill Nye and other notables read selections.
NASA’s planetary protection officer joined Mat Kaplan’s Humans to Mars summit panel for a great conversation about protecting worlds throughout the solar system from what could be devastating contamination.
Where would a Biden Administration take US space policy and NASA? Casey Dreier and space journalist Jeff Foust synthesize a best guess based on the available evidence.
Astronomer and planetary scientist Heidi Hammel’s AURA shines bright across our solar system and beyond.
Planetary Society Solar System Specialist Emily Lakdawalla makes a big announcement, and share stories from her long history with the organization.
It could be a profound and historic discovery made on Earth’s nearest planetary neighbor.
The National Space Council’s Scott Pace talks with Casey Dreier about the current administration’s sweeping new strategy that integrates all elements of space development and exploration.
Former Dawn mission director Marc Rayman of JPL reveals the secrets of the bright spots on dwarf planet Ceres, and we celebrate his 10 years as Planetary Society CEO with Bill Nye.
Georgetown University planetary scientist Sarah Stewart Johnson chronicles the long history of our fascination with Mars and the possibility of life there, culminating with Perseverance, the new rover now headed there.
How will the universe end? That’s the question explored by cosmologist Katie Mack in her very entertaining new book.
New research reveals why Earth is on its own in this solar system’s habitable zone where liquid surface water flows, but the same isn’t true across the galaxy.
SuperCam principal investigator Roger Wiens shares how his new and improved laser-based spectrometer will help look for past life in Jezero Crater, while its microphone lets us listen to the Red Planet.
The Coalition for Deep Space Exploration’s Mary Lynne Dittmar talks with Casey Dreier about how and why spacefaring nations prioritize funding for space development and exploration.
Splashdown! An astronaut and former leader of Dragon capsule development at SpaceX is back to celebrate the spacecraft’s successful mission, as a Planetary Society co-founder looks back.
Our special guests are the leaders of the Emirates Mars Mission whose Hope spacecraft is now headed for the Red Planet.
The United Arab Emirates is headed for Mars as comet NEOWISE speeds back to the outer reaches of the solar system, and three white papers address the future of planetary science and defense.
Join a Perseverance mission deputy project scientist to learn how the rover will search for past life on the Red Planet.
Principal Investigator Alan Stern returns on the 5th anniversary of the New Horizons encounter with Pluto to tell us about the wealth of knowledge the spacecraft is still sending home from across the solar system.
How big is the space economy, and how big might it grow? Space policy expert Dr. Bhavya Lal brings the numbers down to Earth in a great conversation with Casey Dreier.
The leader of the Mastcam-Z team talks about how the best cameras ever on the surface of Mars will help us explore a region that could once have supported life.
China has big plans for a space station, exploration of the Moon and Mars, and possibly a mission that will follow Voyager beyond the edge of the solar system.
Sail on! Leaders of the LightSail 2 mission join 50,000 supporters in celebration of a year in space.
The safe arrival of SpaceX’s Crew Dragon at the International Space Station is a huge success for NASA and policymakers who gambled years ago on the value of commercial partnerships for the agency.
After a special message we present highlights of the successful arrival at the International Space Station of the Crew Dragon spacecraft, followed by a visit to chilly Mars with planetary scientist Edgard Rivera-Valentin.
Astrophysicist and former astronaut John “Hubble Repairman” Grunsfeld looks back over three decades of beautiful science and inspiration delivered by the Hubble Space Telescope.
Former astronaut Garrett Reisman helped lead development of the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft that is about to carry astronauts to the International Space Station.
JPL scientist Kevin Hand is endlessly fascinated by the possibility of life in the hidden oceans of the outer solar system’s moons, and now he has written a great book about the quest to discover it.
American astronauts are about to fly from Florida to the International Space Station for the first time in nine years, thanks to the commercial space development initiative advocated for years by Lori Garver.
Philosopher James Schwartz shares his thoughts about the ethics of space exploration and settlement.
Celebrating the 200th anniversary of the Royal Astronomical Society and the life of the late astronomer Margaret Burbidge.
The U.S. space agency’s leader describes how NASA is responding to the pandemic crisis as it works to keep projects and missions on track.
One of Earth’s lowliest creatures has inspired and guided a team of scientists toward an improved model for the distribution of galaxies and dark matter across the cosmos.
Join The Planetary Society’s policy team, including Bill Nye, for highlights of a members-only live briefing that shared our analysis of how the coronavirus pandemic may affect space exploration.
Our look ahead at the near-future of solar system exploration continues with Mars, the giant outer worlds, and the smaller bodies that can be found throughout the neighborhood.
Six scientists give us a preview of where planetary science may be taken in the next 10 years by a new NASA decadal survey.
Civil engineer Peter Carrato believes we know how to use what’s available on Mars to build the human structures that will be needed by the first explorers.
Cosmos has returned under the steady hand of Ann Druyan. We’ll talk with her about the third season of the television series and her companion book.
NASA’s fiscal year 2021 budget request contains lots of good news along with a few disappointments. How will Congress weigh in?
The founder of Astronomers Without Borders brings the organization’s leader in Nigeria to the Planetary Radio microphones.
The search for worlds like our own is underway, but the challenges are enormous according to astronomers Debra Fischer and Joe Llama.
Physicist and author Paul Davies returns to talk about his new book that explores the defining role information plays in life on Earth and perhaps elsewhere.
Another near Earth-sized planet has been found in the habitable zone around a distant star, discovered by a powerful space telescope named TESS.
Casey and his guest discuss a bill working its way through the US House of Representatives that challenges the Artemis plan adopted by NASA for human exploration of the Moon and Mars.
Leaders of the just-ended Spitzer Space Telescope mission help us celebrate sixteen years of discoveries about our solar system, exoplanets and galaxies nearly as old as the universe itself.
Juno mission principal investigator Scott Bolton provides an enticing taste of the Jupiter orbiter’s mind-bending discoveries.
OSIRIS-REx mission leader Dante Lauretta takes us to mysterious asteroid Bennu where a first sample collection site has been selected.
Planetary scientist Jim Bell and space entrepreneur Lon Levin are founders of a new non-profit that aims to make robotic space exploration much more achievable by institutions around the world.
Legislation signed by President Trump in December formally established the 6th branch of the U.S. armed services, the first such expansion in 72 years. What exactly will the new Space Force do?
Host Mat Kaplan and Planetary Society solar system specialist Emily Lakdawalla go inside NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory clean room to see the Mars 2020 rover.
Planetary Society experts Jason Davis, Casey Dreier and Emily Lakdawalla join host Mat Kaplan to recap the big space moments of 2019 and explore what's ahead in 2020.
Planetary Society board member and Caltech/JPL research scientist Bethany Ehlmann discusses how the Mars 2020 mission will search for life on the Red Planet.
We talk with two of our 2019 Shoemaker NEO Grant winners, who received funding to help find, track, and characterize potentially hazardous asteroids.
Get ready for season 4 of The Expanse with Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck, who write the books and co-produce the shows under the name James S. A. Corey.
Organizations are using the microgravity environment of the International Space Station to develop unique new products,
Looking for the perfect space book or gift for your favorite space fans? We’ve got the lists.
A feisty, fun conversation with the leader of the Cassini imaging team, and an audio tour of the transit of Mercury with astronomer Jay Pasachoff.
Astrophysicist Javier Peralta takes us deep into the thick, fast-moving clouds of the world that is still called Earth sister by some.
Planetary scientist Briony Horgan and her team want to know how long liquid water flowed on the surface of the Red Planet before that world froze.
Mat Kaplan visits with NIAC Program Executive Jason Derleth, seven leaders of funded studies, and astronaut Mae Jemison.
Brendan Curry, The Planetary Society's Chief of D.C. Operations, joins the show to discuss the latest political developments in Washington, good news for planetary defense, and how the funding delay could spell trouble for the space agency's 2024 lunar goal.
Astronomer and astrophysicist Michel Mayor has just been awarded the 2019 Nobel Prize for physics.
Planetary scientist Vishnu Reddy shares the status of our effort to avoid the fate of the dinosaurs.
The biannual Starship Congress attracts starry-eyed believers in humankind’s destiny among the stars.
The Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico gave the Voyager spacecraft their power sources, is building nuclear generators for future Martians, and accidentally invented the field of High Energy Astrophysics.
As NASA struggles to return humans to the Moon by 2024, it's worth asking: why did it stop in the first place?
Update on the Mars Helicopter, and a top-level review of the amazing science sent home from comet 67P by Rosetta.
Astrobotic is one of several companies that are building small, robotic landers to take commercial payloads to the surface of the Moon.
Host Mat Kaplan in a long and fascinating conversation with Nicholas de Monchaux, author of Spacesuit: Fashioning Apollo
Join Planetary Society CEO Bill Nye and host Mat Kaplan as they visit Oklahoma City’s outstanding public science museum.
Join Planetary Society CEO Bill Nye and host Mat Kaplan as they visit Oklahoma City’s outstanding public science museum. You’ll meet University of Oklahoma researchers who are exploring Mars and learning how solar systems form across the universe. And we’ll hear about the Sooner state’s huge role in our exploration of the final frontier. Learn more about this week’s guests and topics at: http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2019/0807-2019-planetary-radio-live-science-museum-oklahoma.html Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Did the public support Project Apollo? Dr. Emily Margolis joins the show to explore the domestic politics and cultural impact of the space age throughout the 1960s. Despite the success of the lunar landings, there was more opposition to Apollo than we generally remember. Chief Advocate Casey Dreier also provides an update on some important developments in the U.S. Congress on the eve of their August recess—including some potentially good budget news for NASA. More resources about this month’s topics are at http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2019/space-policy-edition-40.html Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
It will be the first flying machine on another world. Mars Helicopter Project Manager MiMi Aung shares her plans. There’s big news about The Planetary Society’s LightSail 2! You’ll hear it from embedded reporter Jason Davis and from LightSail Program Manager Bruce Betts, along with Bruce’s regular What’s Up look at the night sky. Learn more about this week’s guests and topics at: http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2019/0731-2019-mars-helicopter-lightsail-2-success.htmlLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Join us as the little cubesat successfully unfurls its solar sail. You’ll hear from members of the LightSail 2 mission team on the morning of July 23, 2019, when the critical command was sent to the spacecraft. Then we’ll congratulate Kris Zacny of Honeybee Robotics on the selection by NASA of the radically-simple PlanetVac sample collection system for a trip to the Moon. Learn more about both of this week’s topics at: http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2019/0724-2019-lightsail2-deployment-kris-zacny-planetvac.htmlLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Poppy Northcutt was a pioneer—the first woman to work as an engineer in Apollo Mission Control. The program she helped to create got the astronauts back to Earth. Fifty years later, she sits down with Mat Kaplan for a look back. They are joined by JPL planetary scientist Rosaly Lopes who was inspired to become a STEM professional by Poppy. You’ll also hear Apollo moonwalkers Buzz Aldrin and Charlie Duke at a 50th anniversary celebration, along with Casey Dreier’s introduction to The Planetary Society’s comprehensive Apollo at 50 resource. And we’ll get a LightSail 2 update from Bruce Betts. Learn more about all of this week’s topics at: http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2019/0717-2019-poppy-northcutt-apollo.html Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
NASA has given the go-ahead for Dragonfly, a flying rotorcraft that will explore Saturn’s mysterious moon Titan. Mission Principal Investigator Elizabeth “Zibi” Turtle helps us celebrate. Troy Hudson tells us about the ongoing effort to rescue the Mole on Mars lander InSight. And Bruce Betts provides the latest on LightSail 2’s attempt to sail on the light of the sun. Learn more about all of this week’s topics at: http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2019/0710-2019-troy-hudson-zibi-turtle-ls2.html Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Half a century has passed since Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin imprinted humanity's first footsteps upon another world. Apollo 11 was the culmination of a decade's worth of fervent activity in which the United States marshaled resources and manpower at a pace not seen outside of warfare. Space historian Dr. Roger Launius joins the show to explain why Apollo happened the way it did, how a moonshot briefly became a solution to a national security problem, and why it is unlikely to happen again. Casey Dreier also provides a space policy update. More resources about this month’s topics are at http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2019/space-policy-edition-39.htmlLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
A giant SpaceX Falcon Heavy lifted off in the early hours of June 25th. One week later, the LightSail 2 solar sail was released to begin its epic mission. You’ll join the thrilling launch, meet LightSail team members and leaders of other missions, and get a solar sail update in this very special episode. You’ll also get the chance to win an ISS Above system in the What’s Up space trivia contest! Learn more about all of this week’s topics at: http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2019/0703-2019-light-sail-2-launch.html Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
It has been many months since the great Cassini spacecraft plunged into Saturn’s atmosphere and fiery death. Yet the mission lives on as the reams of data and images reveal much more of this beautiful world, its rings and its moons. Project Scientist Linda Spilker is back with Mat to provide a fascinating update. We close with Bruce Betts and and a What’s Up segment that anticipates the mission of LightSail 2. Learn more about all of this week’s topics at: http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2019/0626-2019-cassini-update-spilker.htmlLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The day is almost here. With the launch of a Falcon Heavy rocket, The Planetary Society will begin its mission to prove that a tiny, orbiting spacecraft can be propelled by the light of the Sun. Society Chief Operating Officer Jennifer Vaughn provides a passionate history of our efforts and reviews the opportunities for everyone to get involved. Then LightSail Program Manager Bruce Betts and Digital Editor Jason Davis will dig into this amazing mission and spacecraft. Society CEO Bill Nye will make the basics of solar sailing fun in his special presentation, right after this week’s What’s Up segment. Learn more about all of this week’s topics at: http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2019/0619-2019-lightsail-2-preview.html Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Even though his own work led to it, Albert Einstein never cared for quantum mechanics concepts like entanglement, which he called “spooky action at a distance.” While there’s no doubt it is real, could something even more mysterious be hiding under it? We’ll talk with three eminent physicists and physicist/science fiction author David Brin about the Nova documentary on this subject. Planetary Society Chief Advocate Casey Dreier analyzes President Donald Trump’s recent tweet about the Moon and Mars, and Senior Editor Emily Lakdawalla introduces a new edition of The Planetary Report, now available to all. You can learn more about all of this week’s topics at: http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2019/0612-2019-quantum-riddle.htmlLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The U.S. won the space race in July of 1969 with the success of Apollo 11. But was the Soviet Union even racing? How close were they to beating the United States to the Moon? Soviet space historian Dr. Asif Siddiqi discusses the other side of the space race as we kick off our multi-part series of interviews celebrating the 50th anniversary of the first Moon landing. Planetary Society Chief of Washington Operations, Brendan Curry, also joins the show to catch up on the latest news about the White House proposal to return to the Moon by 2024. More resources about this month’s topics are at http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2019/space-policy-edition-38.htmlLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jay Pasachoff visits Planetary Society headquarters for a conversation about the latest edition of his and Alex Filippenko’s monumental textbook The Cosmos. But that’s just the start of a discussion that explores solar astronomy, art and science, the history of astronomy and Jay’s nearly 60-year history of total solar eclipse observations. The Planetary Society’s LightSail 2 may look like LightSail 1, but Jason Davis tells us there are important differences between these spacecraft, beginning with their missions. What’s Up brings another opportunity to win Alan Stern’s great book, Chasing New Horizons in the space trivia contest. You can learn more about all of this week’s topics at: http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2019/0529-2019-jay-pasachoff.htmlLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
This year’s Humans to Mars Summit in Washington DC once again ended with a panel of Martian all-stars talking about their hopes for a future that includes the Red Planet. Planetary Radio host Mat Kaplan leads the inspiring and entertaining discussion. Emily Lakdawalla shows us the beautiful, sunlit clouds of Mars, while this week’s What’s Up segment gives Mat the job of singing the answer to our latest space trivia quiz. You can learn more about all of this week’s topics at: http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2019/0529-2019-2019-h2m-closing-panel.htmlLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The former Oklahoma congressman and Navy aviator stepped into the leadership role barely a year ago. Now he wants to see humans back on the Moon by 2024 as a vital stepping stone to Mars. Join us for a wide-ranging conversation about this ambitious plan and much more. Planetary Society Chief Scientist Bruce Betts continues the countdown to launch of LightSail 2 before he takes us across the heavens in What’s Up. You can learn more about this week’s guests and topics at: http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2019/0522-2019-2019-jim-bridenstine.html Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Host Mat Kaplan has a special announcement to share about Planetary Society CEO Bill Nye. The Science Guy is on a mission to change the world— one phone call at a time. On his new podcast, Science Rules!, he tackles the curliest questions on just about anything in the universe. Perhaps you’ve wondered: Should I stop eating cheeseburgers to combat climate change? How often should I really be washing my pillowcase? Can I harvest energy from all those static-electricity shocks I get in the winter? Science Rules! Is out NOW - find it in your favorite podcast app. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Mat Kaplan visits Cal Poly San Luis Obispo for a last, clean room visit with LightSail 2, the Planetary Society’s solar sailing cubesat. While there, Mat also talked to attendees at the Cubesat Developers Workshop, including the creator of the tiny “Pocket Rocket” engine for small spacecraft. LightSail2 is now at the Air Force Research Lab for launch preparation, as we hear from Bruce Betts in this week’s What’s Up. You can learn more about this week’s guests and topics at: http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2019/0515-2019-2019-lightsail2-cubesat-developers.html Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Leaders of the global effort to avoid a catastrophic Near Earth Object impact gathered at the 2019 Planetary Defense Conference. On the evening of May 1st, The Planetary Society partnered in an exciting PDC public event at the University of Maryland College Park. Presentations by Society CEO Bill Nye and NASA Chief Scientist Jim Green were followed by Planetary Radio Live. Join Mat Kaplan and his outstanding guests who are trying to save the world. The evening rolled on through a live version of What’s Up with Bruce Betts.You can learn more about this week’s guests and topics at: http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2019/0508-2019-2019-pdc-planetary-radio-live.htmlLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Thirty years ago, Dr. Mark Albrecht led the National Space Council when President George H.W. Bush announced the Space Exploration Initiative, an ambitious effort to send humans to the Moon and then on to Mars. Political divisions and a budget-busting cost estimate grounded the effort before it ever got off the ground. A new NSC is attempting to implement a new lunar plan from the Trump Administration. Can the lessons of a failed moonshot help today's lunar ambitions succeed? More resources about this month’s topics are at http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2019/space-policy-edition-37.html Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
There appear to be more mini-Neptunes (also known as Super Earths) across our galaxy than any other type of planet. Hannah Wakeford wants to learn if some of them support life, and she’s doing this by exploring their skies. Curiosity, the Mars Science Laboratory rover, has reached an exciting and critical part of its mission of discovery. Senior editor Emily Lakdawalla provides an update. The beautiful Pasadena Public Library hosted Bruce Betts and Mat Kaplan for a special afternoon that included recording this week’s What’s Up. You can learn more about this week’s guests and topics at: http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2019/0501-2019-hannah-wakeford-mini-neptunes.htmlLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
A rare alignment of planets and other objects will enable the solar-powered Lucy spacecraft to examine seven asteroids, six of which are among the thousands of Trojan asteroids that orbit ahead of and behind Jupiter. The mission team, include Hal Levison, Cathy Olkin and Mike Sekerak, hope to unlock secrets of our solar system’s origin through these ancient artifacts. Planetary Society correspondent Andrew Jones helps us celebrate China’s Space Day with an update on the Chang’e 4 lunar mission. The space trivia contest returns as just one cog in the universe-spanning machine called What’s Up. You can learn more about this week’s guests and topics at: http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2019/0424-2019-lucy-levison-olkin-sekerak.htmlLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The Beresheet lunar lander failed in the last few kilometers of its descent to the Moon. Two days later we learned that its team would try again. Deputy Mission Director Yoav Landsman is back with an inspiring and revealing look behind the scenes. Planetary Society Digital Editor Jason Davis looks forward to the launch of LightSail2 now that a second SpaceX Falcon Heavy has enjoyed spectacular success. And your guide to the busy night sky is provided by Bruce Betts. Special program note: Catch Mat Kaplan on the Discovery Channel documentary about Beresheet, Return to the Moon, Sunday, April 21st at 11:00am Eastern. You can learn more about this week’s guests and topics at: http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2019/0417-2019-yoav-landsman-beresheet.html Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The Los Angeles celebration of Yuri’s Night came six days early this year. It attracted hundreds of space party animals, along with celebrities like Bill Nye and Story Musgrave. Host Mat Kaplan talked with both under the wing of space shuttle Endeavour. Jason Davis is counting down to Space IL’s attempt to soft land Beresheet on the Moon. “Where We Are” is a great new visual feature of the Planetary Society. Emily Lakdawalla introduces us to it. There’s a lot to see in the night sky! Get a What’s Up preview from Bruce Betts. You can learn more about this week’s guests and topics at: http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2019/0410-2019-yuris-night-musgrave.htmlLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Can NASA return astronauts to the Moon by 2024? Vice President Mike Pence shocked the space community by announcing this ambitious new goal just weeks after the Trump Administration proposed a half-billion dollar cut to the space agency. Is the Administration fed up with the mounting delays to the Space Launch System rocket? How seriously should we take this declaration? Is it even possible given budget cuts and political dysfunction? Brendan Curry, Chief of Washington Operations for The Planetary Society, joins the show to explore these questions.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
When will we return to Uranus and Neptune? Planetary scientist Amy Simon explains why a mission to the so-called ice giants is a high priority as she tells us about these mysterious, blue worlds. Planetary Society Digital Editor Jason Davis takes us through what promises to be a very busy month in space, with the launch of the second Falcon Heavy, a moon landing by Israel’s Beresheet probe, and how Hayabusa2 will blow a hole in asteroid Ryugu, complete with sound effects. Then join us for another round of What’s Up in the Solar System. Learn more about this week’s guests and topics at: http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2019/0403-2019-amy-simon.html Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
A very special, extended conversation with Johns Hopkins University planetary scientist Sarah Hörst is capped by a tour of her fascinating lab. That’s where Sarah and her team simulate decidedly un-Earthlike atmospheres and more. Emily Lakdawalla has returned from this year’s Lunar and Planetary Science Conference with news from around the solar system. Caffeine! It’s on Saturn’s moon Titan AND in the espresso made on the International Space Station! More about the latter in What’s Up. Learn more about this week’s guests and topics at: http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2019/03027-2019-sarah-horst.htmlLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Planetary Radio Live goes on stage at the first ever Fairplex Extreme STEAM Festival in Pomona, California. Host Mat Kaplan and Planetary Society CEO Bill Nye are joined by four young space scientists and engineers in front of hundreds of families. Chief Scientist Bruce Betts is also on hand for a live edition of What’s Up. The Amoeba People perform the Planetary Radio theme, along with their tribute to Carl Sagan. Learn more about this week’s guests and topics at: http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2019/03020-2019-planetary-radio-live-extreme-steam.html Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The last few days have seen developments that will shape the space exploration plans of Canada and the USA. The Planetary Society’s Kate Howells is a member of Canada’s Space Advisory Board. She reviews the nation’s new space policy. Planetary Society Chief Advocate Casey Dreier takes us through highlights of the just-released NASA budget proposal from the White House. He also looks back at the Day of Action that brought citizen space advocates to Capitol Hill. Bruce Betts smells the coffee on the International Space Station in What’s Up. We close with NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine’s passionate message for the Day of Action volunteers. Learn more about this week’s guests and topics at: http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2019/03013-2019-howells-dreier-bridenstine.html Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
With missions like Chang’e 4 on the far side of the Moon, China has firmly established itself as a leader in space exploration. Space journalist Andrew Jones helps us explore the nation’s ambitious near and long-term plans. Emily Lakdawalla says Mars lander InSight’s Mole has hit an obstacle, while Jason Davis shows us how Japan’s Hayabusa2 has blasted asteroid Ryugu for a sample and celebrates the SpaceX Crew Dragon. Chief Scientist Bruce Betts gets a polite dressing down from an impeccable source. Learn more about this week’s guest and topics at: http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2019/0306-2019-andrew-jones-china.html Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Historian John Logsdon discusses his new book, Ronald Reagan and the Space Frontier. It explores the legacy of the 40th president’s major space policy decisions. We look at four major topics: early efforts at commercializing space, the survival crisis for planetary exploration, the Space Shuttle, and the decision to build the space station. Casey also shares good news about NASA's newest budget and how a battle between rocket companies could spell trouble for NASA's Lucy mission. More resources to explore this month’s topics are at http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2019/space-policy-edition-35.html Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Non-profit SpaceIL’s Beresheet is on its way to the Moon. Only China, the Soviet Union and the United States have safely landed there before. Host Mat Kaplan talks with SpaceIL Senior Systems Engineer Yoav Landsman, while MaryLiz Bender hears from a team member who attended the launch. Digital editor Jason Davis shares news about Hayabusa2’s successful touchdown on an asteroid. Want a rubber asteroid? You’ve got another chance to win one on this week’s What’s Up with Bruce Betts. Learn more about this week’s guest and topics at: http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2019/0227-2019-yoav-landsman-spaceil.html Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The Mars Exploration Rover mission was declared complete on February 13, 2019. On the very next day, MER Project Manager John Callas and Deputy Project Scientist Abigail Fraeman came to Planetary Society headquarters for an extended and emotional conversation with Mat Kaplan and Emily Lakdawalla. They talked about the beloved rovers and the women and men of the team that has guided them for so many years. What’s Up offers another opportunity to win a coveted rubber asteroid as we learn about the night sky and more. Learn more about this week’s guest and topics at: http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2019/0220-2019-mer-callas-fraeman-lakdawalla.html
Radio telescopes are delivering stunning images that, in some cases, current optical telescopes can’t equal. Witness the 20 beautiful protoplanetary disks imaged by the DSHARP team using the ALMA radio telescope in Chile. The diversity of these proto-solar systems is astounding. Principal investigator Sean Andrews will tell us how the pictures were created, and why they are surprising and delighting astronomers. Senior editor Emily Lakdawalla is literally looking back on objects around our own solar system. She tells us how backlit images reveal their secrets. The rubber asteroids have returned! You can win one in this week’s space trivia contest. Learn more about this week’s guest and topics at: http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2019/0213-2019-sean-andrews-dsharp-protoplanetary.html
Why did the dinosaurs die? Because they didn’t have a space program! The upcoming DART mission will test our best thinking about how we may someday deflect a Near Earth Object that is speeding toward fiery Armageddon on Earth. Nancy Chabot of the JHU Applied Physics Lab is the mission’s Coordination Lead. The Curiosity rover has reached an exciting new region of Mars. Senior Editor Emily Lakdawalla will give us the lowdown. The night sky is full of treasures according to Bruce Betts. Join Bruce and Mat for this week’s What’s Up. Learn more about this week’s guest and topics at: http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2019/0206-2019-nancy-chabot-dart.html
China's space program notched an impressive "first" last month when its Chang'e 4 spacecraft landed on the far side of the Moon. The U.S. space program, in contrast, was in the midst of an extended shutdown. Some observers expect China's growing space capability and lunar ambitions to trigger a new space race. Not Dr. Roger Handberg, Professor of Political Science at the University of Central Florida. He discusses how the current geopolitical situation differs from the Cold War standoff between two superpowers, and how we shouldn't expect dollars to flow back to the U.S. space program as a consequence of China's space successes. Cooperation, or even friendly competition, is a much more likely outcome than a new space race. More resources to explore this month’s topics are at http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2019/space-policy-edition-34.html
Astrobiology is the discipline that explores the origin of life in the universe, and whether life exists anywhere other than Earth. It’s an increasingly exciting field according to University of Washington Research Associate Michael Wong. Mike reviews the current thinking and provides some of the chemical basis for life as we know it, and possibly as we don’t know it. Planetary Society Senior Editor Emily Lakdawalla explains why we don’t see stars in many images of bodies across the solar system, while Society CEO Bill Nye marks the end of the US government shutdown that has hampered so much science. Five more winners will receive copies of First Man in this week’s What’s Up space trivia contest. Learn more at: http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2019/0130-2019-michael-wong-life-origin.html
Spacecraft OSIRIS REx is now orbiting a 260-meter asteroid named Bennu. Principal investigator Dante Lauretta returns to tell us what has already been learned, and to preview the excitement that is still to come, including the probe’s descent to the surface for collection of a pristine sample. Want one of five Blu-ray copies of First Man, the movie about Neil Armstrong? Consider entering this week’s What’s Up space trivia contest that also offers Dante Lauretta’s two great board games about space exploration and astronomy. Learn more at: http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2019/0123-2019-dante-lauretta-osiris-rex.html
In a government shutdown seemingly without end, we bring you two stories from individuals directly impacted by the crisis. NASA scientist and union representative Lee Stone discusses the missed paychecks, loss of science, and lasting negative consequences to the public sector scientific workforce. Rob Hoyt, CEO of Tethers Unlimited, a small business in Washington state that was forced to lay off 20% of its workforce due to unpaid NASA contracts, describes the impact on contractors that may never see repayment or reimbursements. The Planetary Society has a petition to end the shutdown. More resources to explore this month’s topics are at http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2019/space-policy-edition-33.html\
Imagine soaring over what may be the solar system’s most Earth-like world, if you ignore the chill. If funded, the nuclear electric-powered Dragonfly will do exactly this. Principal Investigator Elizabeth “Zibi” Turtle shares her enthusiasm. Emily Lakdawalla reports on Chang’e 4, China’s pioneering lander and rover on the far side of the Moon. Bruce and Mat answer a question that had no answer till New Horizons flew by Ultima Thule days ago. That’s part of this week’s What’s Up. Learn more at: http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2019/0116-2019-elizabeth-turtle-dragonfly-clipper.html
Join us at the Applied Physics Lab in Maryland for the New Horizons encounter with the most distant object ever visited. You’ll meet mission leaders, friends and even a rock and roll star as we dive deep into this triumph of exploration. Then Bruce Betts helps us prepare for the total lunar eclipse. Learn more at: http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2019/0109-2019-new-horizons-ultima-apl.html
Why do so many spacecraft that are headed across our solar system turn their instruments back to Earth during flybys? OSIRIS-REx was no exception. The answers come from mission scientist Vicky Hamilton. She has also written about the topic in The Planetary Report. Planetary Society CEO Bill Nye helps us ring in the new year, while Bruce Betts leads the first What’s Up of 2019 with exciting news about the night sky. Learn more at: http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2019/0102-2019-vicky-hamilton-osiris-rex.html
The New Horizons spacecraft will reach faraway Kuiper Belt object 2014 MU69 in the first minutes of 2019. Will the body informally known as Ultima Thule be as mysterious and exciting as Pluto? We’ll hear from the mission’s Principal Investigator, Alan Stern. Senior Editor Emily Lakdawalla takes us through 2018’s biggest planetary science and exploration moments. The coolest asteroid defense stickers in the solar system could be yours if you win the new What’s Up space trivia contest. Learn more at: http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2018/1226-2018-alan-stern-new-horizons.html
This is the 50th anniversary of the most audacious space mission in history. Apollo 8 blazed a path for the first moon landing seven months later, and gave a troubled nation reason for hope and pride. Author Robert Kurson has written Rocket Men as a tribute to--and chronicle of—the mission and the people who made it happen. The new edition of The Planetary Report is now available to all, according to Senior editor Emily Lakdawalla. Planetary Society Chief Scientist Bruce Betts also celebrates Apollo 8 in this week’s What’s Up. Learn more at: http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2018/1219-2018-robert-kurson-apollo-8.html
He led NASA for eight years, but not till he had flown on four Space Shuttle missions and enjoyed a long military career. Charlie Bolden talks with Mat about his time at the space agency and where we’re headed on the final frontier. Space station designer Al Globus says a city in space may be much easier to achieve than was thought. Planetary Society Senior Editor Emily Lakdawalla has news about five planetary science missions. Mat has a surprise for Bruce Betts and more great prizes for the space trivia contest. Learn more at: http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2018/1212-2018-bolden-space-settlement-summit.html
Canada was the third country in history to launch a satellite into space, but now lags in its space ambitions, capability, and spending. What happened? Kate Howells, who serves on the Canadian Space Advisory Board, joins the podcast to talk about the challenges facing Canada's future in space and how the nation needs to do a better job of communicating the benefits of space exploration to its citizens. Casey and Mat also look at the latest machinations of the U.S. congress, which has yet to fund NASA for 2019 and is rapidly running out of time to do so. More resources to explore this month’s topics are at http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2018/space-policy-edition-32.html
The InSight lander has only just arrived on Mars. Now, OSIRIS REx has reached asteroid Bennu after traveling through deep space for a year and a half. We’ll talk with the Planetary Society’s Jason Davis about this mission that will bring a sample of Bennu back to Earth after it has learned all it can over the next 19 months. We’ll also hear from the young student who gave the asteroid its name. Then we’ll return to the Red Planet for a conversation with the leader of the InSight mission, Bruce Banerdt. We’ve got very special prizes for this week’s What’s Up space trivia contest. Learn more at: http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2018/1205-2018-osiris-rex-bruce-banerdt-insight-pi.html
Join 1,000 anxious yet thrilled space fans at Caltech for our live InSight landing party. You’ll meet Mat Kaplan’s onstage experts and check in with Bill Nye and Emily Lakdawalla at the Jet Propulsion Lab. Then we’ll hold our breath as the spacecraft hurtles down through the Martian atmosphere in its seven minutes of terror, climaxing in a glorious touchdown on the Red Planet. This is a very special episode. Learn more at: http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2018/1128-2018-insight-landing-event.html
NASA announced on November 19th that the multi-billion dollar 2020 Mars rover will land in Jezero crater, where it will begin the search for the signature of past life. The selection process took five years, and Briony Horgan of Purdue University was part of it all. She joins us to talk about this exciting and enticing target on the Red Planet. Planetary Society Senior Editor Emily Lakdawalla prepares us for the much more imminent Mars landing of InSight. Orion in the northern hemisphere’s night sky can only mean winter is coming. Just ahead of it is a new What’s Up segment from Bruce and Mat. Learn more at: http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2018/1121-2018-briony-horgan-2020-rover-jezero.html
The counting continues as we publish this month’s special episode, with a handful of seats in the US Senate and House still up for grabs. But with the Democratic takeover of the House assured, and several longtime space advocates turned out, change is certainly coming. Dealing with the nation’s huge deficit also threatens NASA’s budget. Planetary Society Chief Advocate Casey Dreier welcomes back space policy expert Marcia Smith for an insider’s look at the aftermath and what may be ahead. More resources to explore this month’s topics are at http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2018/space-policy-edition-31.html
You haven’t seen the best pictures from the Apollo era and other great space achievements till you’ve seen them in 3D. Queen guitarist and astrophysicist Brian May is also mad about stereoscopic imagery. He worked with this week’s guest, Astronomy Magazine Editor-in-Chief David Eicher, to create this beautiful new book that contains 150 startling 3D images, along with clear 3D glasses. A copy of Moon Mission 3D will go to the winner of the new What’s Up space trivia contest. Also, Planetary Society Digital Editor Jason Davis introduces SpaceIL’s lunar lander, heading for the moon in 2019. Learn more at: http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2018/1114-2018-eicher-moon-mission-3d.html
They may be the most important questions in all of science: Where do we come from? Are we alone? Researchers Ralph Pudritz and Maikel Rheinstadter are working on these puzzles with their new Planetary Simulator, possibly edging toward the natural creation of self-replicating molecules. Bruce Betts’ new book, Astronomy for Kids, is just one of the prizes offered in this week’s What’s Up space trivia contest. Learn more at: http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2018/1107-2018-pudritz-rheinstadter-origins.html
The Kepler mission has ended. Listen to highlights of the October 30th media briefing that included the father of the fantastically successful planet finder, William Borucki. Then catch the thoughts of Planetary Society editors and commentators Jason Davis and Emily Lakdawalla. Director of Space Policy Casey Dreier explores what’s at stake in the US November 6th midterm election. And we’ll give away another copy of Bruce Betts’ Astronomy for Kids in a spooky edition of What’s Up. Learn more at: http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2018/1031-2018-kepler-celebration.html
LightSail 2 is not the only solar sail in the universe. NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center and the Jet Propulsion Lab are preparing to send NEA Scout on a long, light-propelled journey to a near Earth asteroid. Principal Investigator Les Johnson shares his excitement about this interplanetary cubesat. Emily Lakdawalla reports in from southern France following the successful start of the BepiColombo mission to Mercury. Don’t know a primorial from a primordial? No worries. Bruce Betts will throw both into the soup as he ladles out a new space trivia contest. Learn more at: http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2018/1024-2018-les-johnson-nea-scout.html
Our most frequent guest returns with exciting, just-published research enabled by the 20-year mission’s enormous success. Linda Spilker has served as Cassini Project Scientist for 8 years, and was Deputy Project Scientist for the previous 13. You’ll also get the chance to win Bruce Betts’ great new intro to astronomy book in this week’s space trivia contest. Learn more at: http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2018/1017-2018-linda-spilker-cassini-science.html
Happy Astronomy Day, October 13, 2018! We salute humankind’s long history of stargazing by checking in on what will be our planet’s largest telescope. Patrick McCarthy is an astronomer and a leader of the Giant Magellan Telescope project. He returns with a report on the instrument’s status, followed by a fascinating tour of the GMT facility. The MASCOT spacecraft has successfully completed its brief mission at asteroid Ryugu. Emily Lakdawalla provides an overview. And the space trivia contest has returned to What’s Up. See pics of our GMT visit and learn much more at: http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2018/1010-2018-patrick-mccarthy-gmt.html
Happy 60th, NASA. In celebration of the space agency’s birthday, we do the audio equivalent of pulling out NASA’s baby book and explore its origin story. Though legislation creating the space agency developed in the wake of Sputnik, it was built upon a rapidly changing relationship of the government to fundamental research and development in the decade before. We follow the threads of what makes NASA NASA, as well as how, in its early years, NASA looked quite different than the agency we know today. We also discuss the current bill that partially funds the U.S. government and provides temporary funding for NASA and other agencies through December of 2018. More resources to explore this month’s topics are http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2018/space-policy-edition-30.html
The Dean of space policy, John Logsdon, returns with stories and a new book of original documents that shaped the US space program from the birth of NASA to SpaceX. Planetary Society CEO Bill Nye reports in from this year’s International Astronautical Congress in German, while Senior Editor Emily Lakdawalla wraps up a working tour of New Zealand. Then join Bruce and Mat for this week’s What’s Up. Learn and hear more at: http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2018/1003-2018-john-logsdon-outer-space-exploration-book.html
A mostly SpaceX episode as the ambitious company provides updated details regarding its huge new rocket and introduces its first astronauts. Mat Kaplan shares more from the company’s headquarters, while Planetary Society Digital Editor explains and explores the BFR. Jason also celebrates the successful landing of two asteroid “rovers” from Japan’s Hayabusa2 spacecraft. And we’ll tell you What’s Up in the night sky as we offer another space trivia contest. Learn and hear more at: http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2018/0926-2018-jason-davis-spacex.html
Elsa Montagnon is Spacecraft Operations Manager for the European/Japanese mission leaving for our solar system’s innermost planet very soon. She joins us to talk about the long journey ahead. Elsa also has the cover article in the brand new edition of The Planetary Report, the Planetary Society’s once exclusive magazine that is now available to everyone online, according to its editor, Emily Lakdawalla. Planetary Society CEO Bill Nye is happy for a very happy Elon Musk. The leader of SpaceX just introduced his paying customer for a trip around the moon in 2023. All this, and What’s Up! Learn and hear more at: http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2018/0919-2018-elsa-montagnon-bepicolombo.html
The dust is settling on the Red Planet. Is the remaining Mars Exploration Rover about to rise and shine after three months of slumber? MER Project Manager John Callas returns with a realistic yet hopeful assessment. He also tells us what Opportunity will be asked to do after we hear from her. Planetary Society Senior Editor Emily Lakdawalla returns with a preview of China’s next two missions to the Moon, one of which will make the first-ever farside landing. How close is the nearest black hole? We’ll get the answer as Bruce and Mat explore the night sky in this week’s What’s Up. Learn and hear more at: http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2018/0912-2018-john-callas-opportunity.html
We talk with planetary scientist and Lunar and Planetary Institute Director Louise Prockter, who co-led creation of a new report evaluating the performance of NASA's planetary science division. This comes five years after the release of the influential decadal survey. Given the massive budget cuts over the past few years, how did NASA do? Where do these reports come from and who puts them together? Why are they important? All will be answered in this month’s SPE! We also look into the report-within-a-report on the status of the robotic Mars Exploration Program, and find some recommendations that appear to have been inspired by a 2017 Planetary Society report. More resources to explore this month’s topics are http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2018/space-policy-edition-29.html
Mat Kaplan’s Huntsville, Alabama trip wraps up with a tour of the historic and history-making Marshall Space Flight Center. Join him at the control center for research underway on the International Space Station, under a tent where a critical component of the Space Launch System rocket is getting finishing touches, in a conversation about the Fermi spacecraft’s search for the universe’s biggest explosions, and with the Center’s Associate Director for Technical efforts. Then wrap up with Bruce Betts and the anniversaries of one fictional and one factual explorer of deep space. Learn and hear more at: http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2018/0905-2018-marshall-center.html
Host Mat Kaplan begins a two-episode visit to Huntsville and the Marshall Space Flight Center, recorded this week at the US Space and Rocket Center with astronaut Don Thomas, 94-year-old Apollo engineer Alex McCool, and Alabama Senator Doug Jones. Bruce Betts sets us on a search for the nearest black hole in this week’s What’s Up space trivia contest. Learn and hear more at: http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2018/0829-2018-huntsville-doug-jones.html
Pluto passed in front of a star on the evening of August 14. Mat Kaplan joined pro and amateur astronomers on a mountain to observe this rare event. It may reveal more about the dwarf planet’s tenuous atmosphere and other properties. Everyone hopes that Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity will phone home when the waning worldwide Martian dust storm allows the robot to charge its batteries. Digital Editor Jason Davis tells us about the online mistake that had some fans believing it had already happened. And it will be “raining fire in the sky” when Bruce Betts drops another What’s Up segment. Learn more here: http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2018/0822-2018-franck-marchis-pluto-occultation.html
We have so much to learn about Venus, says JPL scientist Sue Smrekar. What we learn will help us understand our own world and Mars. Sue joins us this week to make a great case for a new Venus orbiter. The Parker Solar Probe has begun its exciting journey to “touch the Sun.” Our MaryLiz Bender talks with mission leaders before and after the launch. Bruce Betts and Mat Kaplan have two great space trivia contests to wrap up right after they take us on another What’s Up tour of the solar system and back through the history of space exploration. Learn more at: http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2018/0815-2018-sue-smrekar-venus-parker-solar-probe-launch.html
It has been 20 years since we learned the expansion of the universe is accelerating due to the mysterious force called dark energy. Saul Perlmutter shared the Nobel Prize in Physics because of his contributions. Now he shares his thoughts with us. Also at this year’s COSPAR Assembly in Pasadena was the Director General of China’s National Space Science Center, Wang Chi. Have you played with Eyes on the Solar System? JPL’s Kevin Hussey conceived of the NASA Eyes app that will take you across the solar system and beyond. And you’ll hear Planetary Society co-founder Carl Sagan’s message to the Martians in our future. That’s right after this week’s What’s Up. Learn more at: http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2018/0808-2018-saul-permutter-wang-chi-nssc.html
The Senate just held a hearing on NASA's efforts to send humans to...Mars? A week later, the same committee advanced legislation to extend the life of the International Space Station to 2030, six years beyond the current end-date and two years beyond the current hardware safety ratings. Does that extension undermine efforts to get to Mars? What about the Moon? Casey and Jason also introduce The Planetary Society's new principles for human spaceflight, which provide a framework by which the organization will evaluate plans for human exploration. More resources to explore this month’s topics are http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2018/space-policy-edition-28.html
Our world was rocked by last week’s announcement of good radar evidence for a liquid water “lake” under the Red Planet’s south pole. Senior Editor Emily Lakdawalla introduces us to the story that is then taken up by two of host Mat Kaplan’s favorite Martians. The Goddard Space Flight Center’s James Garvin headed NASA’s Mars exploration program, while NASA Ames astrobiologist Chris McKay co-founded the Mars Underground more than 35 years ago. Look up! Mars is still close by, and the Perseid meteor shower is around the corner. Bruce Betts gives us the What’s Up lowdown. Learn more at: http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2018/0801-2018-garvin-mckay-mars-lake.html
Japan’s Hayabusa2 is just 6 kilometers from asteroid Ryugu as it prepares to snatch samples of the space rock for return to Earth. Mission Project Manager Hitoshi Kuninaka joins us for a conversation about the spacecraft and what’s ahead. Then we hear from Hansjörg Dittus of the German Aerospace Center (DLR) about the German/French lander called MASCOT that was carried to Ryugu by Hayabusa2. Emily Lakdawalla is the new editor of the Planetary Society’s distinguished magazine, The Planetary Report. Bruce Betts explains how to get the most out of a lunar eclipse and the closest Mars has come to Earth for many years. We also give you an extra week to enter the space trivia contest! Learn more at: http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2018/0725-2018-kuninaka-dittus-hayabusa2.html
One of the Planetary Society’s 2018 Shoemaker Near-Earth Object grants has gone to astronomers searching the sky from a mountaintop in the North African nation of Morocco. Observer Michel Ory tells us about their work. Tim Spahr ran the Minor Planet Center for many years. He has moved from that worldwide coordinator for asteroid and comet discoveries to NEO Sciences LLC, and served once again as chair of the Shoemaker NEO judging committee. Wait till you hear what poor Yuri Gagarin had for lunch as he orbited Earth. That’s just one thing you’ll learn from this week’s What’s Up segment. Hear complete interviews and learn more at: http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2018/0718-2018-spahr-ory-shoemaker-neo.html
Sextants have helped sailors find their way across oceans for centuries. Now one is onboard the International Space Station so that astronauts can learn to find their way across the solar system even if other technologies fail. Reaching the ISS on the same supply mission was the Cold Atom Lab. It may achieve the lowest temperatures in the universe, helping to unlock cosmic secrets. Every naked eye planet is visible! Bruce Betts will tell you where to look in What’s Up. Learn more about all our topics and hear extended interviews: http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2018/0711-2018-sextant-and-cold-atom-lab-on-iss.html
The President recently ordered the creation of Space Force—but what does that mean? What are the implications for militarization of space? National security expert Dr. Brian Weeden joins the show to explain the announcement. Weeden also breaks down Space Policy Directive #3, which directs the Department of Commerce to begin tracking space debris and other potential dangers to spacecraft in Earth orbit. Casey, Jason and Mat take a detour to discuss the James Webb Space Telescope's latest breach, which delays the launch until March of 2021. More resources to explore this month’s topics are athttp://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2018/space-policy-edition-27.html
Ceres is the queen of the asteroid belt. Her first Earthly visitor is nearing its last days in spectacular style. Dawn Mission Director and Chief Engineer Marc Rayman returns with stunning images taken from just 35 kilometers or 22 miles above the dwarf planet, and a preview of the spacecraft’s last days. Planetary Society Chief Scientist Bruce Betts has a summer guide to the night sky, looks back in space exploration history and delivers another Random Space Fact. He and Mat Kaplan also have a new space trivia question for listeners. Learn more about all our topics this week: http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2018/0704-2018-marc-rayman-dawn-ceres.html
The dinosaurs regret their lack of a space program. 200 million years later, humans are gearing up to defend themselves from a species-ending rock. The many challenges involved are addressed in a new strategic action plan created by sixteen agencies of the US government. NASA’s Planetary Defense Officer, Lindley Johnson, and his associate, Kelly Fast, take us inside the plan. Planetary Society CEO Bill Nye the Science Guy applauds the growing worldwide attention to Near Earth Objects. By the time you read this Hayabusa2 will have reached asteroid Ryugu. Senior editor Emily Lakdawalla has a mission update. And Bruce Betts is all over Asteroid Week in a new What’s Up segment.
Freeman Dyson wasn’t the only space star at the ISDC. Mat talks with former astronaut and NOAA Administrator Kathryn Sullivan, leaders of the Cassini mission, innovative students and an expert on dental care in space. Keep flossing! Planetary Society Director of Space Policy Casey Dreier has the latest budget info from Washington and tells us about Space Policy Directive-3. Bruce and Mat have picked the name for the supermassive black hole that lurks at the center of the Milky Way galaxy. Who has won? Learn more about all our topics this week: http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2018/0620-2018-isdc.html
There’s so much more to Freeman Dyson than the Dyson Sphere. The mathematician, physicist, futurist and author is one of the greatest and most original minds of our era. He has much to say to Mat Kaplan about the future of space exploration and humanity in this week’s show. NASA has announced two exciting papers based on discoveries by Curiosity, the Mars Science Laboratory Rover. Emily Lakdawalla has the straight story. And we’ve got one more signed copy of “Chasing New Horizons” to give away in this week’s new space trivia contest. Learn more about Freeman Dyson and everything else we cover here: http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2018/0613-freeman-dyson.html
Join Mat Kaplan in California’s Mojave Desert for special coverage of not one but two rocket flights and a real world test of PlanetVac, the innovative, radically simple way to collect surface samples from other worlds. PlanetVac replaced one foot of a Masten Space Systems Xodiac rocket for back-to-back hops across a test site. We also talk with Masten CEO Sean Mahoney. Planetary Society Chief Scientist Bruce Betts also made the trip. He’ll also open a super massive contest for PlanRad listeners in our What’s Up segment. See images and video of the PlanetVac Xodiac flight test and learn more here: http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2018/0606-planetvac-xodiac-test.html
President Trump just signed a new space policy directive targeting the regulations surrounding commercial spaceflight. Casey Dreier, Jason Davis and Mat Kaplan dive into the implications of the new directive and what it means for the relationship between government and space. They also break down all of the good news in the House's new funding bill for NASA, and highlight NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine's turnaround on climate change. More resources to explore this month’s topics are at http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2018/space-policy-edition-26.html
Planetary geologist Ellen Stofan has just become Director of the most popular museum in the United States. The NASM protects and shares the greatest collection of space and aviation treasures on Earth. Mat Kaplan talks with the former NASA Chief Scientist about her new job and how the museum serves to inspire and inform millions each year. Senior editor Emily Lakdawalla prepares us for an exciting encounter between Japan’s Hayabusa 2 spacecraft and asteroid Ryugu. Harry Potter fans, rejoice! Bruce Betts corrects his correction of an astronomical observation by Harry and his classmates. We also offer another signed copy of Chasing New Horizons: Inside the Epic First Mission to Pluto. Learn more about this week’s topics and see images here: http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2018/0530-ellen-stofan-nasm.html
The New Horizons mission was a triumph, revealing Pluto as an utterly unique and beautiful world. But the mission first had to survive challenge after challenge, fighting to be developed, meeting a nearly impossible launch deadline, and then narrowly avoiding disaster when it was barely a week from its destination. The entire dramatic tale has now been told by Principal Investigator Alan Stern and his co-author, astrobiologist David Grinspoon. They join Mat Kaplan to talk about their book, Chasing New Horizons—Inside the Epic First Mission to Pluto. A signed copy of the book will go to the winner of this episode’s space trivia contest. Emily Lakdawalla has returned from an international gathering of Mercury scientists with a special report. The Planetary Society’s Senior Editor also marks the launch of a Chinese lunar orbiter. Learn more about this week’s topics and see images here: http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2018/0523-stern-grinspoon-chasing-new-horizons.html
The great adventure awaits! Mat Kaplan hosts an entertaining panel discussion at the 2018 Humans to Mars Summit in Washington DC. Eight guests provide their diverse and inspiring reasons for humans to visit the Red Planet. Bruce Betts later joins Mat to explore the Demon Star. Learn more about this week’s topic and see images here: http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2018/0516-h2m-why-mars-panel.htmlGuests include: Filmmaker Nicholas Agnew, creator of Seat 25Consultant Jeff Bingham, former NASA Associate Administrator for Legislative AffairsJim Garvin, Chief Scientist, Goddard Space Flight CenterJanet Ivey, Emmy award-winning creator of Janet’s Planet“Astronaut Abby” Abigail HarrisonKeri Kukral, Raw Science and the Raw Science Film FestivalSaralyn Mark, MD, iGiant founder and presidentArtemis Westenberg, Explore Mars president, director and co-founder
After taking over 10 million images of more than 30,000 solar system objects, the NEOWISE mission is finally in its last months. Principal Investigator Amy Mainzer returns with an update on this phenomenal success and a look ahead toward a much more powerful asteroid and comet hunter called NEOCam. It’s not just about defending our planet. We are learning the origin story of Earth and other worlds. Bruce Betts also shares a story or two, along with a new space trivia contest, in this week’s What’s Up segment. Learn more about this week’s topic and see images here: http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2018/0509-amy-mainzer-neowise.html
After announcing it intends to divest from the International Space Station in 2025, NASA quietly released a new report on its transition plans, laying out a series of principles that will set the future of U.S. astronauts in low-Earth orbit. Can a private entity really take over the space station? Where did this idea come from anyway? Will there be new commercial space stations in the near future, and will they serve NASA's needs? Also, the confirmation of Jim Bridenstine as NASA Administrator. More resources to explore this month’s topics are at http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2018/space-policy-edition-25.html
No mission to Mars has done what InSight will do. The lander’s spectacularly sensitive instruments will use the Red Planet’s heat and marsquakes to reveal its deep interior while also revealing secrets of other rocky worlds like our own Earth. Principal Investigator Bruce Banerdt came to Planetary Society headquarters barely a week before launch for a long and fascinating conversation. Planetary Society CEO Bill Nye says the European Space Agency’s Gaia spacecraft has mapped our galaxy as never before. Bruce Betts will help us explore a bit of the Milky Way in this week’s What’s Up segment. Learn more about this week’s topics and see images here: http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2018/0502-bruce-banerdt-insight.html
Join us for an utterly fascinating live conversation with Emily Lakdawalla about her brand new book, The Design and Engineering of Curiosity: How the Mars Rover Performs Its Job. Also joining us at Caltech were Curiosity Project Scientist Ashwin Vasavada and JPL Research Scientist Abigail Fraeman. Bruce Betts and Mat Kaplan close out the evening with a live edition of What’s Up, including the space trivia contest. Learn more about this week’s topics and see images here: http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2018/0425-2018-planetary-radio-live-lakdawalla-book-curiosity.html
Host Mat Kaplan once again attends the worldwide party for space. Join him at the Los Angeles celebration under Space Shuttle Endeavour. You’ll hear conversations with astronauts Nicole Stott and Anousheh Ansari, Virgin Galactic CEO George Whitesides, Planetary Society CEO Bill Nye the Science Guy and others. Then test your space history and trivia knowledge with Planetary Society Chief Scientist Bruce Betts. Learn more about this week’s topics and see images here: http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2018/0418-2018-yuris-night.html
We have begun to understand the composition of worlds that are hundreds of trillions of kilometers from Earth. Astronomer Nikole Lewis is co-leader of a team that has used the Hubble Space Telescope to do this with the four Earth-like planets circling a star called TRAPPIST-1. Host Mat Kaplan talks with Digital Editor Jason Davis about a new probe designed to discover thousands of additional exoplanets. Want to win a Planetary Radio t-shirt? Answer this week’s space trivia question posed by Planetary Society Chief Scientist Bruce Betts. Learn more about this week’s topics and see images here: http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2018/0411-nikole-lewis-trappist-worlds.html
Lori Garver, former Deputy Administrator of NASA, talks with Casey about what the Deputy and Administrator jobs are like day-to-day, how decisions actually get made at the top, and why the current lack of confirmed leadership hurts the space agency. Casey, Space Policy Advisor Jason Callahan and Planetary Radio host Mat Kaplan also review the great news about the NASA budget, and reveal the possible fallout from the further delay in launch of the James Webb Space Telescope.More resources to explore this month’s topics are at http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2018/space-policy-edition-24.html
The multi-award winning science fiction author, futurist and speaker returns to Planetary Radio for a wide-ranging conversation about robots and humans in space, empathetic artificial intelligences, how we can survive the Singularity and much more. Emily Lakdawalla recaps an astrobiology session at the just-completed Lunar and Planetary Science Conference. There’s a great new book from National Geographic Kids waiting for the winner of the new What’s Up space trivia contest. Learn more about this week’s topics and see images here: http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2018/0404-david-brin-ai-space.html
By the time you hear this week’s episode, China’s Tiangong-1 may have spectacularly re-entered our planet’s atmosphere, raining metal on an unpredictable location. The Aerospace Corporation’s Bill Ailor, an expert on space debris, tells us there’s little to worry about, but bigger challenges are ahead in low Earth orbit. Bruce Betts also has his mind on the small space station. Emily Lakdawalla is back from the Lunar and Planetary Science Conference with much news to share. NASA finally has a budget for the year already underway! Casey Dreier breaks it down.
He is known for his breakthrough physics and popularizing of science, but Dr. Hawking also wanted to fly in space. Erik Viirre led the medical team that helped Stephen experience weightlessness. He says the adventure helped open the possibility of spaceflight for many more people. Planetary Society co-founder Louis Friedman and Society CEO Bill Nye share their memories of the great physicist. Bruce Betts doesn’t let a bad cold get in the way of the What’s Up segment. Learn more about this week’s topics and see images here: http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2018/0321-stephen-hawking-zero-g.html
Seven astronomers have been selected to receive Shoemaker NEO (Near Earth Object) grants from the Planetary Society. They and their observatories span the planet. We’ll meet an American and an Australian. Society Chief Scientist Bruce Betts provides an overview of the grant program and later returns for this week’s edition of What’s Up. The Planetary Society’s Kate Howells reports on the outlook for space funding in Canada’s newly-released federal budget. She and Society CEO Bill Nye also met with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Learn more about this week’s topics and see images here: http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2018/0314-shoemaker-newo-2018-winners.html
Space is hard. Sample collection and return is harder still. That’s why the radically-simplified PlanetVac system from Honeybee Robotics is so intriguing. Join Planetary Society Chief Scientist Bruce Betts and host Mat Kaplan on a tour of Honeybee that includes a PlanetVac demo. Bruce returns for this week’s What’s Up jaunt around the night sky. Planetary Society Digital Editor Jason Davis share big news about the LightSail 2 solar sail and the next SpaceX Falcon Heavy launch. Learn more about this week’s topics and see images here: http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2018/0307-planetvac-honeybee-tour.html
Society members from 21 states descended on the U.S. capitol for a "blitz" of 178 meetings in two days. Casey and special guest Matt Renninger explain why that is such an important activity, and blitzers Leah and Stefanie Griffith share their story of coming to Washington to speak for space. More resources to explore this month’s topics are at http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2018/space-policy-edition-23-blitzing-congress.html
It has been 40 years since Carl Sagan and others shared the best of humanity with the stars. A new online multimedia project has been created as a 21st century homage to the Golden Record. We visit with two of its creators, Stephen Canfield of WeTransfer, and Jacinte Faria of Stink Studios. Drill baby drill! That’s what the Curiosity team has asked the mars rover to do for the first time in months, after pausing to take a selfie. Emily Lakdawalla provides a mission update. Jason Davis tells us about NASA’s new name and plans for a space station near the Moon. Bruce Betts joins Mat for another visit to the stranger things in the night sky. Win a 3 LP boxset of the Voyager Golden Record recordings in the space trivia contest! Learn more about this week’s topics and see images here: http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2018/0228-message-from-earth.html
Mat Kaplan attended a meeting of the science team for the zoom lens camera that will be atop the Mars 2020 rover mast. Planetary Scientist Jim Bell tells us how this new system will show us the Red Planet as we’ve never seen it before. Space is hard. Sample return is even harder, says Senior Editor Emily Lakdawalla. Bruce Betts presents Mat Kaplan with a musical Random Space Fact in this week’s What’s Up segment. Learn more and see images here: http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2018/0221-jim-bell-mastcam-z-science-meeting.html
As promised, Casey Dreier and Jason Callahan are back with a special review of the just-released FY 2019 President’s Budget Request (PBR) for NASA. It contains good news, bad news and odd news. What is likely to stand? What will Congress ignore, going its own way? NASA’s new lunar ambitions, Mars Sample Return, WFIRST and more hang in the balance. Let the debate begin.
Republican Randy Hultgren and Democrat Derek Kilmer celebrate formation of the new bipartisan, bicameral caucus of US representatives and senators. They have united behind exploration of our and other solar systems. Bill Nye shares his eye and ear witness account of the SpaceX Falcon Heavy launch and landing. The new What’s Up space trivia contest takes its inspiration from the Tesla Roadster now on its way to Mars. Learn more here: http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2018/0214-planetary-science-caucus-holtgren-kilmer.html
Where is everybody? That was the question physicist Enrico Fermi asked when he wondered why we hadn’t yet met ET. What will happen if we do? Will humans lose the will to explore? These and other questions were taken up by Mat Kaplan’s panel at the recent Space Tech Summit, where he was joined by Bill Diamond and Seth Shostak of the SETI Institute, and Doug Vakoch of METI (Messaging Extraterrestrial Intelligence) International. Bill Nye reports on his successful trip to Washington DC, while Bruce Betts and Mat look up at the night sky and share a Random Space Fact. Learn more on the show page: http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2018/0207-space-tech-summit-seti-panel.html
Planetary Society CEO Bill Nye attended the State of the Union address on January 30th, he also spent the day meeting with sixteen different members of Congress to promote science on Capitol Hill. In this special abbreviated show, Casey Dreier and Mat Kaplan welcome their colleague Matt Renninger, who joined Bill on Capitol Hill, to discuss the goals of The Planetary Society and the reasons why it was important for Bill to attend.
Join Mat Kaplan on a visit to Naval Base San Diego and the USS Anchorage, the amphibious ship that has just completed a round of Orion spacecraft recovery testing and practice. You’ll hear from the NASA Recovery Director Melissa Jones, the Commanding Officer of the Anchorage and veteran astronaut Stephen Bowen. Planetary Society Digital Editor Jason Davis says we are learning how to recognize signs of life on distant exoplanets. Bruce Betts knows What’s Up in the night sky. Related links are here: http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2018/0131-orion-ocean-recovery-testing.html
Mat Kaplan talks with participants in the National Space Society’s recent Space Settlement Summit about human destiny in space. There’s a consensus that we are making real progress, both technological and political, toward permanent installations on the Moon and elsewhere. The total lunar eclipse is almost here. Bruce Betts has the where and when in this week’s What’s Up report. Related links are here: http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2018/0124-living-in-space-nss-space-settlement-summit.html
A computer model based on our best data about Saturn’s cloud-shrouded moon says that torrential liquid methane pounds the surface far more frequently than previously expected. Sean Faulk and Jonathan Mitchell of UCLA explain. The Planetary Society’s Jason Davis takes us to another ocean world that will receive a visitor in the mid-2020s. A total lunar eclipse arrives on the last day of January. Bruce Betts helps us prepare in this week’s What’s Up. Related links are here: http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2018/0117-titan-rain-faulk-mitchell.html
It may not host an alien “megastructure” but Tabby’s Star still guards many mysteries of science. Astronomer and astrophysicist Tabetha “Tabby” Boyajian leads the worldwide team that is revealing this strange light in the sky. The Curiosity rover has spent another busy four months on Mars. Emily Lakdawalla returns with an update on its progress. Bruce Betts and Mat Kaplan share two new contests and begin preparations for a total lunar eclipse. Related links are here: http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2018/0110-tabbys-star-tabetha-boyajian.html
It’s the space policy guys’ turn to look back at a year that saw great achievements in space. Were they matched by events in Washington DC? Casey and Jason also explore their hopes and fears for 2018. As promised, we also take on the questions and issues submitted by you, our listeners. More resources to explore this month’s topics are at http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2018/space-policy-edition-20.html A new episode of the Space Policy Edition is posted on the first Friday of each month, though it may be delayed a week in February of 2018 so that we can report on the NASA FY19 budget request.
Mat’s first-ever four-way conversation with Jason Davis, Casey Dreier and Emily Lakdawalla reviews the biggest 2017 events in space exploration and provides their predictions of what to look for in the new year. Bruce Betts follows up with his own list of exciting highlights in a special edition of What’s Up. Related links are here: http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2018/0103-davis-dreier-lakdawalla.html
Mars scientists dubbed them recurring slope lineae or RSLs. They sure looked like evidence of liquid water flowing down hillsides and ridges on the Red Planet. New research led by US Geological Survey Planetary Geologist Colin Dundas says they are probably no more than dry sand and dust. Emily Lakdawalla reports that NASA has narrowed the choices for the next New Frontiers mission to a Titan or a comet lander. And it’s time for the last 2017 What’s Up look around the night sky by Bruce Betts. Related links are here: http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2017/1227-colin-dundas-rsl-water.html
A holiday edition of Planetary Radio welcomes the Planetary Society’s Senior Editor back from the annual meeting of the American Geophysical Union. Emily reports on amazing developments in planetary science she discovered at the huge conference. Someone will win a half-scale model of the LightSail 2 cubesat when Bruce Betts joins Mat Kaplan for this week’s What’s Up. Related links are here: http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2017/1220-emily-lakdawalla-agu-report.html
On December 11th President Donald Trump signed a memorandum that firmly points the US space effort toward the Moon, but without providing many details. Planetary Society Director of Space Policy Casey Dreier fills in some of the gaps left by this executive directive. Poor Venus! Digital Editor Jason Davis explains why the cloud-shrouded furnace planet has been ignored by NASA for many years. Cowabunga! Bruce Betts and Mat Kaplan head for the warm beaches of Southern California for an on location edition of What’s Up. Related links are here: http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2017/1213-trump-space-memorandum.html
The first confirmed interstellar visitor to our solar system is a needle-shaped asteroid given the Hawaiian name ‘Oumuamua. Karen Meech leads the team that is learning as much about it as possible before it leaves our neighborhood, never to return. Elon Musk has decided on the payload the first Falcon Heavy rocket will carry into space. It’s Musk’s electric sports car, says Bill Nye. The Science Guy talks with Mat Kaplan about several other space stories in the news. India’s next mission to the moon is simply amazing, as Emily Lakdawalla reports. The perfect gift for any young space explorer is one of the prizes in this week’s What’s Up space trivia contest. Related links are here: http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2017/1206-karen-meech-oumuamua.html
Elon Musk. Jeff Bezos. Richard Branson. These are the names we tend to associate with the current era of private space exploration. But what about John Qunicy Adams, James Lick, or Charles Yerkes?
Moon Express Founder and CEO Bob Richards shares an inspiring vision for a return to the Moon. It includes introduction of a sophisticated line of robotic spacecraft, the first of which may make a soft landing next year. Sample return and Mars missions would follow. Planetary Society CEO Bill Nye returns with concern for the future capabilities of a Hubble telescope descendant. And Bruce Betts surprises Mat Kaplan with an anniversary celebration that’s fit for the cosmos. Related links are here: http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2017/1129-bob-richards-of-moon-express.html
Canada has a new Space Advisory Board, and The Planetary Society’s Kate Howells is a member. Mat Kaplan also talks with Jeff Kuhn and Thomas Rimmele, two of the scientists working toward completion of the biggest solar telescope in history. Emily Lakdawalla has issued her annual recommendation of books for children. Have you written your #spacehaiku? The Planetary Society is collecting poems from around the world. Bruce and Mat present a few in this week’s What’s Up segment. Related links are here: http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2017/1122-howells-dkist.html
Congressman Adam Schiff’s California district includes the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. He is as enthusiastic a fan of the final frontier as you are likely to find under the capitol dome in Washington D.C. Planetary Society Digital Editor Jason Davis has just returned from the famed Mirror Lab at the University of Arizona. He witnessed the creation of a mirror that will soon become part of the Giant Magellan Telescope. Bruce Betts is all over the first, confirmed interstellar object to enter our solar system. He tells us about it in this week’s What’s Up. Related links are here: http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2017/1115-adam-schiff.html
The author of #1 bestseller The Martian is back with Artemis, a superbly-researched, rollicking adventure in the first city on the Moon. You might win a copy of the book in the new What’s Up space trivia contest. Emily Lakdawalla has returned from the 2017 Division for Planetary Sciences meeting with several reports on the process of planetary science and the vital element of creativity in all of science. Related links are here: http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2017/1108-andy-weir-artemis.html
The likely next Administrator of NASA, Jim Bridenstine, appeared before a somewhat skeptical Senate committee to defend his nomination. Casey and Jason recap the hearing and assess Congressman Bridenstine’s chance of moving forward.
Join us for a wide-ranging, salon-style conversation about space exploration, science, art and more. Mat’s guests are astronomer, television producer/writer and former Star Trek science advisor André Bormanis and Planetary Society Senior Editor Emily Lakdawalla. Bruce Betts is at his most scary in a What’s Up segment recorded on Halloween. Related links are here: http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2017/1101-salon-bormanis-lakdawalla.html
Are we alone? The nearly sixty-year effort to answer that question has gotten a big boost from the Breakthrough Initiatives, funded by Yuri Milner and led by former NASA Ames Research Center director Pete Worden, who is our guest this week. Planetary Society Digital Editor Jason Davis has written an outstanding overview of the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence. As we look and listen to the skies for ET, Bruce Betts keeps us up on where our own family of planets is. He joins Mat for another What’s Up segment and a new space trivia contest. Related links are here: http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2017/1025-seti-breakthrough-initiatives-pete-worden.html
Astronomer Pamela Gay is probably best known as co-host of the Astronomy Cast podcast, but she is also Principal Investigator for the CosmoQuest virtual research facility. It offers fun and rewarding citizen science opportunities, including its newest, Image Detective. She tells us how anyone can work with images of Earth taken by astronauts, turning them into terrific scientific resources. Bill Nye the Science Guy says the first observation of two neutron stars colliding is pure science gold. Distant dwarf planet Haumea has rings! Bruce Betts tells us about the Planetary Society’s connection to this story in this week’s What’s Up. Related links are here: http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2017/1018-pamela-gay-image-detective.html
Dawn Mission Director and Chief Engineer Marc Rayman helps us salute the ion-engine
powered spacecraft that first orbited asteroid Vesta in the main asteroid belt and then moved
to dwarf planet Ceres, revealing two fascinating worlds. The new US National Space Council
met in Washington DC last week. Director of Space Policy Casey Dreier reviews it. Planetary
Society CEO Bill Nye reports from Australia where he addressed the International Astronautical
Congress. More space art can be yours if you win the latest What’s Up space trivia contest.
Related links are here: http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-
radio/show/2017/1011-marc- rayman-dawn- ten-years.html
Fifteen years before Sputnik, on a bright 1942 afternoon in northern Germany, a thundering machine of metal and fire pierced the sky, ultimately touching the edge of space for the first time in history. It opened a new era of opportunity and terror with rocket technology. Dr. Michael Neufeld joins us discuss the significance of this test and how it happened.
The Australian government announced that it would create a national space agency at the 68th annual International Astronautical Congress in Adelaide. We’ll talk with IAC 2017 CEO Brett Biddington about what this means for his country.
More than 1,100 fans of the just-completed 20-year mission to Saturn joined us for a live tribute.
Join us at JPL and Caltech on the bittersweet morning the Cassini spacecraft plunged into Saturn. We’ll hear from many of the spectacular mission’s leaders, including Jim Green, John Grunsfeld, Ralph Lorenz, Bob Pappalardo, Earl Maize, Linda Spilker and Julie Webster. Bill Nye salutes the mission team and calls for continued exploration of space. The Cassini theme continues as Bruce Betts reveals What’s Up. Related links are here: http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2017/0920-cassini-grand-finale.html
Robert Zubrin of the Mars Society talks with Gregory Benford, David Brin, Geoffrey Landis and Larry Niven about terraforming Mars, the origin of life, the drive to explore and more. Emily Lakdawalla tells us what expect when the Cassini Mission comes to a spectacular end. The Cassini theme continues through this week’s What’s Up segment with Bruce Betts. Related links are here: http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2017/0913-science-fiction-panel.html
The co-founder and Executive Director Emeritus of the Planetary Society returns for a conversation about the allure of sailing through space. Digital editor Jason Davis reviews three exciting space sail projects, and LightSail Program Manager Bruce Betts provides a LightSail 2 update before giving us his regular What’s Up report. There are two space trivia contests to close out before we offer a new opportunity to win the weekly prize package. Related links are here: http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2017/0906-solar-sailing-friedman-davis.html
The multi-billion dollar, multi-decade Cassini mission is about to end. A new report tries to answer an important question: are flagship science missions like Cassini worth the effort and expense? And how can NASA maximize the value of these endeavours? Dr. Ralph McNutt, co-chair of the National Academies study, reviews the report’s recommendations.
With hours to go before the Great American Eclipse, nine outstanding guests joined host Mat Kaplan for Planetary Radio Live in front of 1,100 rowdy eclipse and space science fans. Also at Southern Illinois University Carbondale for the show was the Jenny Johnson Band with its new song, “Solar Eclipse.” Bruce Betts arrives later with a post-eclipse What’s Up report. The guys have found one last rubber asteroid to give away in the space trivia contest. Related links are here: http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2017/0830-planetary-radio-live-eclipse.html
It’s the Grandest Finale. The spectacular Cassini mission’s exploration of Saturn will end on September 15th when the spacecraft plunges into the planet. Cassini Project Scientist Linda Spilker is back with one last mission update. Mat also announces a live Cassini celebration on the evening of September 18, 2017. Bruce Betts and Mat Kaplan are back from the Great American Eclipse’s path of totality with another What’s Up segment and a new space trivia contest that features the eclipse. Related links are here: http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2017/0823-linda-spilker.html
It is most space fans’ favorite planetary science mission, and with good reason. We visit with the man who has been in charge of Voyager mission science for more than four decades. You’ve got an extra week to enter the space trivia contest, part of this week’s What’s Up segment with Bruce Betts and Mat Kaplan. Related links are here: http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2017/0816-ed-stone.html
JPL astrophysicists Alina Kiessling and Jason Rhodes were brought together by their fascination over the mystery of dark energy. They talk with Planetary Radio about their research and the many missions they are contributing to, including WFIRST, a unique new space telescope. Director of Space Policy Casey Dreier reviews the US Senate’s 2018 NASA budget proposal. CEO Bill Nye says enjoy the Great American Eclipse, but be careful! All this and What’s Up with Bruce Betts. Related links are here: http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2017/0809-jason-rhodes-alina-kiessling.html
New U.S. sanctions against Russia have reignited speculation that global politics could undermine cooperation in the International Space Station. Could Russia cut off rides for US astronauts to the ISS? Later, Casey Dreier joins Spark Science host Dr. Regina Barber Degraaff for a conversation with U.S. Congressman Rick Larsen, Democratic representative of Washington state’s 2nd District. We also check in on NASA's 2018 budget, which is currently moving through the Senate. Did they provide funding for a new Mars orbiter?
The world’s most powerful solar telescope has just been renamed for the man responsible for its creation. We’ll meet astrophysicist and helioseismologist Phil Goode, and we’ll enjoy a tour of the Goode Solar Telescope. All you need to safely enjoy the coming Great American Eclipse are a couple of pieces of cardboard and a pushpin. Emily Lakdawalla explains. A discovery at Saturn’s moon Titan has Bill Nye thinking again about the discovery of life elsewhere in the universe. With an eclipse and a meteor shower on deck, Bruce Betts has much to share in this week’s What’s Up. Related links are here: http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2017/0802-phil-goode-bbso.html
Will humans live, work and thrive on Mars? What challenges must be met before we can become Martians? On July 20th, the anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing, Mat Kaplan welcomed an outstanding panel of experts for conversation in front of a Pasadena, California audience. Mat also talked with the six men and women who are nearing the end of the eight-month HI-SEAS V Mars analog mission in Hawaii. Later, Bruce Betts arrived on stage with another examination of the current night sky, along with a new space trivia contest. Related links are here: http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2017/0726-planetary-radio-live-living-on-mars.html
The Cassini Mission has less than two months to go before it ends with a spectacular plunge into the beautiful ringed world. Planetary Society Senior Editor Emily Lakdawalla has prepared a guide to the last orbits by the historic spacecraft. Bill Nye provides examples from his new book of how we will benefit from space applications and the way nerds solve problems. His impressions may not be ready for prime time, but Bruce Betts’ guide to the night sky and Random Space Facts are always entertaining. Related links are here: http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2017/0719-emily-lakdawalla-cassini.html
When the Pathfinder lander reached Mars 20 years ago it began a Martian renaissance that has never paused. JPL scientist Matt Golombek was the mission’s Project Scientist. He looks back and to the future of our explorations at the red planet. Planetary Society Director of Space Policy Casey Dreier shares his thoughts about the return of the National Space Council just authorized by President Trump. Got your eclipse glasses? You might win a pair, along with the new Planetary Radio t-shirt and an iTelescope astronomy account on What’s Up. Bill Nye is on book tour. Related links are here: http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2017/0712-matt-golombek.html
Veteran astronomer and cosmologist Sandra Faber has just been awarded the Gruber Prize for Cosmology, honoring more than forty years of pioneering work. She talks with Mat Kaplan on this week’s show. Planetary Society CEO Bill Nye tells us about his contribution to a conversation about protecting other worlds from aggressive life here on Earth. Bruce Betts takes us to the broiling highlands of Venus and the frigid plains of Mars for the space trivia contest. Related links are here: http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2017/0705-sandra-faber.html
A new report builds the case for long overdue returns to Uranus and Neptune, while another proposal calls for exploration of the many bodies in our solar system that hide vast water oceans. Jason Callahan, Casey Dreier and Mat Kaplan dive into the troubled waters that determine which planetary science missions will get the limited funds available.
Asteroid Day, June 30th, marks the anniversary of the great Tunguska impact that leveled a Siberian forest. It reminds us that a Near Earth Object can destroy a city or even a civilization. Former Minor Planet Center Director Tim Spahr reviews our efforts to find and understand these bodies. Related links and the weekly space trivia contest are here: http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2017/0628-tim-spahr-asteroid-day.html
Former NPR science reporter David Baron discusses the stories of men and women who made their way across the American West to view and document the total solar eclipse of 1878.
How do you keep a dazzlingly complex spacecraft in good health after 20 years in space? That’s the challenge for Julie Webster and her team of engineers supporting the Cassini mission at Saturn. Jason Davis reports on the possible discovery of the asteroid impact that wiped out most of Earth’s life. Bill Nye the Science Guy is following the youthful wanderings of Jupiter. Cassini is the source of this week’s space trivia contest on What’s Up. Related links are here: http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2017/0614-julie-webster-cassini.html
Have you seen its stunning image of Jupiter’s south pole? The Juno orbiter is surpassing expectations and delivering surprising science. Scott Bolton, the mission’s Principal Investigator, is back with a thrilling report. We’ve reached another key milestone along LightSail 2’s road to space. Planetary Society Digital Editor Jason Davis fills us in. Bill Nye gets from India to William Shatner in less than three minutes, and Bruce Betts escorts us across the night sky in What’s Up. Related links are here: http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2017/0607-scott-bolton-juno.html
The Trump Administration released its proposed FY2018 budget just days ago. Casey Dreier, Jason Callahan and Mat Kaplan dive deep into what this controversial plan means for NASA and how it has been received by Congress.
He walked with Neil Armstrong on the moon, but that may not be his greatest legacy. Buzz Aldrin was joined by other space stars at the recent Humans To Mars Summit. Bill Nye returns with his sense of awe turned up to eleven by the images of Jupiter returned by Juno. Casey Dreier finds good and bad news for science in the White House’s proposed 2018 budget. And there’s a lively night sky to explore in this week’s What’s Up segment. Related links are here: http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2017/0531-h2m-buzz-aldrin-jim-green.html
Astronauts may soon ride on US rockets and in US spaceships for the first time since the last Space Shuttle flight. Jon Cowart of NASA is working with SpaceX toward the first launch of a Dragon spacecraft with humans on board. See the moons of Saturn as you’ve never seen them before in Emily Lakdawalla’s new composite image. Bruce Betts has just returned from Japan with a What’s Up update on the Planetary Defense Conference. Bill Nye has the week off. Related links are here: http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2017/0524-jon-cowart-commercial-crew-spacex.html
The human journey to the Red Planet is long and hard, but Mat’s conversation with three NASA Associate Administrators at the Humans to Mars Summit was filled with cautious optimism. Emily Lakdawalla shares a beautiful image of Saturn almost lost in the myriad stars of the Milky Way. The first Space Launch System rocket won’t carry astronauts, and Bill Nye says that’s probably a good thing. Bruce Betts reports in from the Planetary Defense Conference in Tokyo for this week’s What’s Up. Related links are here: http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2017/0517-nasa-associate-admins-h2m.html
Veteran Jet Propulsion Lab planetary scientist Bonnie Buratti talks with Mat about the wonder of our solar neighborhood that she explores in "Worlds Fantastic, Worlds Familiar—A Guided Tour of the Solar System."
Moon or Mars? Should NASA depend on private companies? What’s the goal of human spaceflight? These questions were debated three decades ago, yet are just as relevant today. Does that mean space policy is stagnant?
Our ongoing coverage of preparation for the Great American Eclipse takes us to Southern Illinois University Carbondale where a huge celebration is planned.
It was a big week for the Science Guy, and for science. Bill Nye served as honorary co-chair of the March for Science in Washington DC. His new Netflix series, Bill Nye Saves the World, premiered the next day, Friday, April 21st. Two of the show’s thirteen episodes are devoted to space science and exploration. Bill talks about all this in a special conversation with Mat Kaplan. Planetary Society Senior Editor Jason Davis marks the beginning of the end for the Cassini mission at Saturn. While Bruce Betts and Mat are fresh out of rubber asteroids, there’s no shortage of Random Space Facts and cosmic comedy in What’s Up. Related links are here: http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2017/0426-bill-nye-tv-show.html
The University of Texas at Austin’s observatory is high in the hills of west Texas. In this special episode, Mat Kaplan joins the tens of thousands who visit it each year. The occasion was the dedication of the vastly upgraded Hobby-Eberly Telescope, third largest on Earth.
The Aerospace Corporation has been innovating since 1960. Now it’s headed by a former leader of “New Space” company Virgin Galactic. President and CEO Steve Isakowitz talks about the evolving culture of the space industry. Aerospace Corp just received additional funding for development of tiny, paper-like, flexible spacecraft. We have a long talk with project leader Siegfried Janson. Heard about NASA’s new human spacecraft plans? Jason Davis has, and he’ll fill us in. Another near-miss for Earth has reinforced Bill Nye’s concern about Near Earth Objects. Someone is going to win a March for Science pin in the new space trivia contest. Related links are here: http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2017/0412-aerospace-isakowitz-janson.html
Whether it’s discovering gravity waves, curing cancer or building a space station, the biggest science challenges increasingly require investments that are beyond what private industry can afford and collaborations that include many nations. Casey, Jason and Mat look at the history of big science and the outlook for future efforts. The team also reviews the 2018 budget proposed for NASA by the Trump Administration, and shares other space policy news from Washington. Related links and other information are at http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2017/space-policy-edition-11.html . A new Space Policy Edition episode is posted on the first Friday of each month.
Mars was once a warm and wet world. Then its dense, protective atmosphere mostly vanished. Learning why was one of the greatest mysteries in planetary science. The answer has just been delivered by the MAVEN orbiter. Principal Investigator Bruce Jakosky will take us through it. Bill Nye the Science Guy co-chairs the March for Science. We’ll talk to him about this new effort and the successful relaunch of a SpaceX booster. Last chance to win a rubber asteroid is in this week’s What’s Up space trivia contest! Related links are here: http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2017/0405-bruce-jakosky-maven-atmosphere.html
The longtime editor of outstanding online space news source Universe Today has just written about nine robotic missions of exploration in Incredible Stories From Space—A Behind-the-Scenes Look at the Missions Changing Our View of the Cosmos. NASA considers putting astronauts on the very first Space Launch System rocket. Jason Davis gives has the scoop. Bill Nye and Mat marvel at the discovery of a billion-star black hole that has been kicked out of a distant galaxy. Bruce Betts reminds us in What’s Up that Men in Black Agents J and K know a lot more about the galaxy than we do. Related links are here: http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2017/0327-nancy-atkinson-incredible-stories.html
The Planetary Society’s LightSail 2 solar sail spacecraft is ready to be packed away for its ride to orbit on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket. Mat Kaplan checks the mission’s status with team members including Project Manager Dave Spencer and Society CEO Bill Nye the Science Guy. In addition to his regular What’s Up segment, LightSail Program Manager Bruce Betts provides his assessment of the effort. Casey Dreier reviews the just-announced NASA budget proposal from the Trump Administration. Related links are here: http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2017/0320-lightsail-2-update.html
It’s coming! Will you be in the path of totality? Astronomers Without Borders President Mike Simmons says be there if you can. He also tells us about AWB’s Google-funded outreach program that will use the August 21st total solar eclipse as a starting point. Casey Dreier explains the NASA Authorization bill just passed by the House. Planetary Society CEO Bill Nye has a message about space exploration for POTUS, while Mat and Bruce visit Mars and Venus. Related links are here: http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2017/0313-mike-simmons-eclipse.html
Planetary geologist Kirby Runyon is lead author of an abstract that proposes a new, geophysical definition of what a planet is.
Laura Delgado Lopez from the Harris Corporation joins us to talk about the growing number of countries getting into the space business, particularly in Latin America. Laura previously spent a combined 5 years at Secure World Foundation and earlier at the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies. Casey, Jason, and Mat also take stock of SpaceX's plans to send humans around the Moon in 2018, and how the newly-announced Trump budget cuts could hurt NASA. More resources to explore this month’s topics are at http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2017/space-policy-edition-10.html
A new episode of Space Policy Edition is posted on the first Friday of each month.
The discovery of seven, Earth-sized planets in a nearby solar system was announced last week. Astrophysicist and planetary scientist Sara Seager was part of the NASA press conference. Now she joins us to share her excitement about this find that includes three planets in the habitable zone. Digital Editor Jason Davis says we’re a little closer to orbiting and landing on Jupiter’s moon Europa. Bill Nye comments on SpaceX plans to send two people around the moon in 2018. And it’s not too late to catch a high and bright Venus according to What’s Up astronomer Bruce Betts. Related links are here: http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2017/0314-sara-seager-trappist-1.html
Leaders of the quest to find, understand and protect ourselves from the asteroids and comets called Near Earth Objects gathered with host Mat Kaplan for a live conversation about this existential threat from space. This special episode presents excerpts of that lively discussion with JPL Senior Research Scientist Amy Mainzer, Manager of NASA/JPL’s Center for Near Earth Object Studies Paul Chodas, and NASA’s Planetary Defense Officer Lindley Johnson. Also on stage was Planetary Society Director of Science and Technology Bruce Betts. Bruce stayed for this week’s What’s Up segment. Related links are here: http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2017/0220-planetary-radio-live-neos.html
Rod Pyle reveals bizarre yet fascinating space projects of the past in his new book. Pyle also exposes previously classified information about missions and spacecraft you thought you knew. Bill Nye throws his support behind a just-released Europa lander study conducted by NASA. Who’s that artist with a statue on the moon? Bruce Betts will tell all in this week’s What’s Up. Related links are here: http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2017/0214-rod-pyle-amazing-stories.html
University of Arkansas grad student Rebecca Mickol and her team have demonstrated that some Earth bacteria can survive in the extremely thin atmosphere of Mars. Could Martian bacteria thrive under the same conditions? Jason Davis looks at the Mars vs. moon debate among some space explorers. Bill Nye says former NASA Administrator Charles Bolden is concerned about at least one area of activity conducted by the agency. Mat visits during Bruce Betts’ live astronomy class for this week’s What’s Up. Related links are here: http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2017/0206-rebecca-mickol-microbes-mars.html
It’s still too early to say where the Trump Administration will take NASA, but there are a few hints. Congress is not waiting. Casey, Jason and Mat review a draft of the space agency’s authorization bill and a separate act that asks NASA to lay out its plans for humans to reach Mars.
Planetary Radio’s most frequent guest, Project Scientist Linda Spilker, returns with another update on the Cassini mission that is approaching its grand finale. Senior editor Emily Lakdawalla has a special announcement. Humans on Mars by 2033? Bill Nye sees a glimmer of hope. Our solar system’s biggest volcano is on the Red Planet. How big? Bruce and Mat share some dimensions on What’s Up. Related links are here: http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2017/0130-linda-spilker-cassini.html
Earth’s southernmost active volcano may also be its most remote. Rosaly Lopes and Michael Carroll recently spent a few frigid days on the slopes of Antarctica’s Mount Erebus. What they learned may help us understand volcanos on other worlds. Emily Lakdawalla shows us stunning new, close-up images of Saturn’s rings. Bill Nye says a LightSail solar sail prototype has gone on display in a London museum. How could black holes help answer a space trivia contest question about Earth and Saturn? Also, an encore presentation of a visit with the late Gene Cernan, last astronaut to walk on the moon. Related links are here: http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2017/0123-lopes-carroll-erebus-volcano.html
For well over three years, planetary scientist Ellen Stofan has worked directly with NASA Administrator Charles Bolden to help coordinate and expand the myriad science efforts by the agency. We talk with her as she ends this remarkable tenure. Emily Lakdawalla says don’t miss Hidden Figures. Bill Nye checks in from Japan with a tribute to the late Apollo moonwalker Gene Cernan. A year on Jupiter or the lifetime of this show? We’ll learn which is longer in this week’s What Up. Related links are here: http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2017/0116-ellen-stofan-leaves-nasa.html
British physicist turned comedian and actor Ben Miller has written The Aliens are Coming-- The Extraordinary Science Behind our Search for Life in the Universe. It starts with the Big Bang and takes readers on a fascinating ride through astrobiology and the challenge of communicating with another species. Emily Lakdawalla tells us about the two asteroid missions chosen by NASA last week. Bill Nye just met with the new NASA Associate Administrator for its Science Directorate. We learn that the oldest woman to reach space is living there right now. Related links are here: http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2017/0109-ben-miller-aliens-are-coming.html
After an opening update on the presidential transition, Casey, Jason and Mat share their nominees for the biggest space exploration events of 2016. Then they take on fascinating questions submitted by listeners. You’ll also hear the surprising early announcement of NASA’s next Discovery missions.
CEO Randa Milliron introduces us to Interorbital Systems, which wants to put your payload in orbit for as little as $8,000. Can they do it? Emily Lakdawalla returns with a preview of 2017’s biggest solar system exploration events. Bill Nye the Science Guy congratulates and thanks outgoing NASA Chief Scientist Ellen Stofan. We’re giving away another beautiful science/science fiction fine art print in this week’s What’s Up segment. Related links are here: http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2017/0102-randa-milliron-interorbital.html
MAVEN, the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution orbiter, has gone a long way toward solving the mystery of the Red Planet’s missing water and air. The University of Colorado’s Nick Schneider says it is also revealing gorgeous clouds, auroras and glowing skies. From the Sun to Pluto--so many North Poles! Planetary Society CEO Bill Nye the Science Guy has seen them in a recent blog post from Emily Lakdawalla. What do the late John Glenn and baseball great Ted Williams have in common? Far more than you may know, as we learn from Bruce Betts in this week’s year-ending What’s Up segment. Related links are here: http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2016/1226-nick-schneider-maven.html
Marilynn Flynn, Simon Kregar and Rick Sternbach are masters of space art. They talk about how their work furthers science and captures the imagination.
Space historian John Logsdon remembers American hero John Glenn. Planetary Society CEO Bill Nye was a big fan of the Friendship 7 astronaut—less so the new Star Wars movie. Then we get an update on the Giant Magellan Telescope from Patrick McCarthy. Emily Lakdawalla explains how a Martian breeze has made the Curiosity rover’s work more challenging. John Glenn is also the focus of this week’s space trivia contest. Related links are here http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2016/1212-gmt-john-glenn.html
No one is more excited about eclipses than famed solar astronomer and author Jay Pasachoff. He looks forward to the total solar eclipse in August of 2017. With Emily Lakdawalla away, Mat Kaplan welcomes back Planetary Society Digital Editor Jason Davis. Bill Nye is following major space developments in Europe. Enter the space trivia contest for another shot at winning the award-winning space exploration board game Xtronaut. Related links are here http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2016/1205-jay-pasachoff.html
The SPE team reviews the outlook for human spaceflight, planetary science, Earth observation and much more under the upcoming Trump administration. More resources to explore this month's topic are at http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2016/space-policy-edition-07.html . A new episode of the Space Policy Edition is posted on the first Friday of each month.
The SETI Institute is about much more than the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence. President and CEO Bill Diamond of the Institute explains. Bill Nye reviews two more stories that illustrate how hard it is to go to Mars. Join the Rocket Road Trip with our special audio preview of this new Planetary Society video series. And you might win “Xtronaut: The Game of Solar System Exploration,” in this week’s What’s Up space trivia contest. Emily Lakdawalla has the week off. Related links are here http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2016/1128-bill-diamond-seti-institute.html
The National Geographic Channel’s “Mars” miniseries has begun. Mat Kaplan attended a kickoff for the ambitious docudrama last summer. You’ll hear from series technical advisor Bobby Braun, author of “The Martian” Andy Weir, Cosmos creator Ann Druyan and more. It took two years, but Emily Lakdawalla has completed an important visual document focused on Mars rover Opportunity. Bill Nye steps aside for Planetary Society Director of Space Policy Casey Dreier with a look toward Donald Trump’s NASA. One listener will win a spectacular new Pluto globe in the What’s Up space trivia contest. Related links are here http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2016/1121-natgeo-mars-reception.html
Back to the annual meeting of the AAS Division for Planetary Sciences this week, where Mat Kaplan visited with experts on worlds of ice including Titan and Pluto, with a side trip to the dunes of Iran.
Host Mat Kaplan traveled to California’s Mojave Desert for a tour of Virgin Galactic’s The Spaceship Company, where the second SpaceShipTwo was built and is undergoing flight tests. TSC Executive VP Enrico Palermo was his guide. Emily Lakdawalla provides a taste of this busy month throughout the solar system. NASA has reached an important milestone according to Bill Nye the Science Guy. And “The Honeymooners” are Bruce and Mat’s special guests on Whats’ Up. Related links are here http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2016/1107-enrico-palermo-tsc.html
Just in time for election day in the USA, we take stock of the major candidates' space policies (as far as they go), comparing statements and policy op-eds put out by both campaigns. We also look at the broader implications and challenges of the coming Presidential transition for NASA. Learn more about this week’s show at http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2016/space-policy-edition-06.html A new episode of Space Policy Edition is posted on the first Friday of each month.
Last year it was New Horizons at Pluto. In 2016, the thrilling end of the Rosetta comet mission generated the greatest public interest and enthusiasm. Mat Kaplan talks with Matt Taylor, the Rosetta Project Scientist, just two weeks after the spacecraft touched down on 67/P. Emily says there’s reason for hope and joy after the Schiaparelli crash on Mars. Bill Nye is counting down to the US election. Mat Kaplan and Bruce Betts offer a slightly tardy Halloween edition of What’s Up. Related links are here http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2016/1031-matt-taylor.html
Alan Stern of the New Horizons mission to Pluto and beyond was in Pasadena for the annual meeting of the American Astronomical Society’s Division for Planetary Sciences. He joined Mat Kaplan for a very special conversation down the street at Planetary Society HQ. Emily Lakdawalla and Bruce Betts report in from the DPS meeting, where Bill Nye the Science Guy is heard giving Alan Stern and his team the Society’s Cosmos award. Related links are here: http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2016/1024-alan-stern.html
How did the Voyager spacecraft manage to weave their magnificent way through the outer planets of our solar system? Mission Design Manager Charley Kohlhase led the team that crunched the numbers to select the best possible trajectory from 10,000 candidates. The results have been astounding. Emily Lakdawalla prepares us for the arrival of Europe’s Exomars orbiter and Schiaparelli lander. Bill Nye says millennials and President Obama share excitement about humans to Mars. Win a copy of “Star Trek: The Official Guide to the Universe” in the What’s Up segment. Related links are here: http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2016/1017-charley-kohlhase.html
The Night Sky Guy, Andrew Fazekas, talks about his beautiful new, Star Trek-inspired guide to the real wonders of astronomy. Emily Lakdawalla has done wondrous things with images from India’s Mars Orbiter Mission. Bill Nye the Science Guy wants NASA to set a deadline for humans to reach Mars. Don’t mess with Bruce Betts when he tells you what’s up in the night sky. We’ll give away “Star Trek, The Official Guide to Our Universe,” in the space trivia contest. Related links are here: http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2016/1010-andrew-fazekas-trek-book.html
We take a deep dive into new space legislation working its way through the US Senate. It embraces Mars and NASA's big rocket. But Elon Musk and SpaceX just announced an ambitious new plan to colonize Mars. Does this upset the political establishment? Or will they find a cold reception in the halls of Congress? Also, where does science fit into the politics of space?
The European Space Agency’s magnificent Rosetta mission ended last week as the spacecraft gently touched down on the comet it has revealed. You’ll hear highlights of the final countdown, and Emily Lakdawalla’s impressions gained at the European Space Operations Center. Bill Nye was there to hear Elon Musk explain his plans to colonize Mars. Bruce Betts gets the comfy chair in this week’s What’s Up segment. Related links are here: http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2016/1003-farewell-rosetta.html
Planetary Society Digital Editor Jason Davis returns with the story of the ten-day trek across the South he just completed with two Society colleagues. Emily Lakdawalla has the announcement of new evidence for water plumes on Jupiter’s moon Europa. Bill Nye reports from the International Astronautical Congress in Guadalajara, Mexico. Those cosmic cut-ups, Bruce Betts and Mat Kaplan, have a new What’s Up space trivia contest and much more. Related links are here: http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2016/0926-rocket-road-trip.html
The great Cassini spacecraft has a year to go before it plunges into the ringed planet. Project Scientist Linda Spilker returns with more amazing mission science. Emily Lakdawalla introduces us to the wonders of Gaia and its one billion stars. Bruce Betts and Mat Kaplan have their usual good time exploring the current night sky and offering another space trivia contest. Bill Nye is away. Related links are here: http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2016/0919-cassini-update-linda-spilker.html
In two years a Near Earth Asteroid now known as Bennu will have a visitor from Earth. OSIRIS-REx Principal Investigator Dante Lauretta reports on his mission’s successful launch.
In its nearly five decades, NASA has created or improved thousands of technologies, processes and innovations. Dan Lockney is in charge of making sure these solutions are found and utilized by industries and others in need. You really must see (and hear) the latest from Juno at Jupiter and the Rosetta comet probe. Bill Nye laments the loss of a SpaceX Falcon 9 even as he looks forward to the imminent launch of OSIRIS REx. This week’s space trivia contest is a jump back to the earliest days of humans in space. Related links are here: http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2016/0905-nasa-spinoffs-dan-lockney.html
In honor of OSIRIS-REx—NASA’s newest asteroid mission—we explore the policy and history of near-Earth Objects: why NASA explores them, how the government plans to find and defending the planet, and the how policy can keep up with ambitious plans to mine asteroids.
The announcement was made just days ago. Co-discoverer Michael Endl tells us about the discovery of a roughly Earth-mass planet orbiting in the habitable zone of the closest star to our own. Juno has made its first science flyby of Jupiter. Emily Lakdawalla gives us an early report. Are you ready for the first interplanetary Olympics? Bruce and Mat review the listener-submitted out-of-this-world sports on What’s Up. Bill Nye is away this week. Enter the contest and find related links here: http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2016/0829-michael-endl-proxima-b.html
Space historian and policy expert John Logsdon joins Mat Kaplan for a fascinating conversation about how the US could have lost the race to the moon. Emily Lakdawalla prepares us for the launch of OSIRIS REx to asteroid Bennu. Bill Nye looks forward to the great North American total solar eclipse. What the current night sky offers, and a new space trivia contest make this week’s What’s Up segment shine. Related links are here: http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2016/0822-soviet-space-race-logsdon.html
Steep canyons on Saturn's moon Titan are filled with liquid methane. That's the discovery just announced by an international team of Cassini scientists, including Alex Hayes. Emily Lakdawalla takes us up to Curiosity on Mars, while Bill Nye celebrates the US National Park Service. It's a Deep Space What's Up segment with Bruce Betts. Related links are at http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2016/0815-titan-canyons-hayes.html
You may never hear their names, but there are thousands of small to medium-sized companies without which space exploration and development wouldn’t happen. Bill Nye talkis about STEAMed education through space, and Bruce Betts previews what may be a really good meteor shower. Emily Lakdawalla is on vacation. Related links are here: http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2016/0808-subcontractors.html
In our third episode, we debate the risks and rewards of tying the future of a Europa mission to the fate of NASA's massive Space Launch System rocket. Also, NASA just announced that the next Mars rover will cost $2.4 billion—$900 million more than initially thought. But the mission is not considered over budget. Why not? Lastly, the U.S. just generated 50 grams of Plutonium-238, the largest amount in nearly thirty years. We celebrate the successful effort to create this critically important, though highly toxic, power source for deep space spacecraft.
Philip Lubin and his former student Travis Brashears have had quite a year. Their bold plan to send tiny probes to nearby stars is now supported by NASA and the Breakthrough Starshot $100 million dollar initiative. Hear their amazing story. Emily Lakdawalla tells us August promises to be an exciting month. Bill Nye finds reason to celebrate science through findings that indicate Martian gullies weren’t carved by liquid water. We’ll head for central Africa with Bruce Betts for a surprising relationship with the Moon. Related links are here: http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2016/0801_philip_lubin_interstellar.html
It takes a lot of terrific components to create a successful spacecraft like Curiosity, the Mars Science Laboratory. We’ll visit JPL to learn about the Terminal Descent Sensor radar that will once again help land a rover on the Red Planet. Emily Lakdawalla has tales of science, science fiction and cosplay from ComicCon. Bill Nye has returned from the frigid, icy wastes of Greenland. There a space celebrity cameo performance in this week’s What’s Up segment. Related links are here: http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2016/0725-rover-tds.html
We celebrate the 47th anniversary of the first moon landing with the reprise of a conversation with author and NBC space reporter Jay Barbree about his trusted friend Neil Armstrong.
Return with us to the evening of July 4, 2016 and the exciting arrival at Jupiter of the Juno orbiter. You’ll hear the moment of successful orbital insertion. Several of the mission’s key contributors reveal how Juno accomplished this feat, along with what they hope the spacecraft will tell us about the giant planet.
She has spent most of her life working toward a bright future for humanity in space, and Lori Garver has lost none of her passion. She visited the Planetary Society for a wide-ranging conversation with Mat Kaplan.
This month Jason Callahan, Casey Dreier and Mat Kaplan ask whether the Moon vs. Mars human destination debate makes sense, examine a new report on CubeSats by the National Academies, and explain how a thrilling planetary science mission like Juno gets a thumbs up from NASA.
PlanRad’s celebration of Asteroid Day (June 30th) continues as we call UCLA grad student Adam Greenberg at the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico. Under the direction of Professor Jean-Luc Margot, Adam is using the 305 meter/1,000 foot-wide dish to bounce radar pulses off a Near Earth Asteroid known as 2010 NY65. No other technique or tool for investigating asteroids offers the revelatory power of radar. And yet the Arecibo Observatory is in danger of losing its funding for this and all other research. Related links are here: http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2016/0627-adam-greenberg-arecibo-radar.html
Juno will enter Jupiter orbit on July 4th. Mat Kaplan talks with the mission’s Principal Investigator, Scott Bolton at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Bill Nye helps prepare us for this exciting encounter and the science that will follow. Emily Lakdawalla has the scoop on China’s next lunar mission—a rover on the Moon’s mysterious farside. And a Chinese mission from the past is at the core of this week’s space trivia contest on What’s Up. Related links are here: http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2016/0627-scott-bolton-juno.html
OSIRIS-REx will launch toward Near Earth Asteroid Bennu soon. In an early celebration of Asteroid Day, mission leader Dante Lauretta tells us how learning about asteroids may teach us about our own origins, and help us avoid a cataclysmic impact.
The Juno spacecraft will enter orbit at Jupiter on July 4. It carries a camera that will send back spectacular images from just above the swirling clouds of that mighty planet. Planetary scientist Candy Hansen will tell us how we can help decide what it will view.
Space art and science fiction joined science fact at the 2016 Contact Conference in Sunnyvale, California. We talk with three well-known visionaries.
In the premiere of this new monthly series we briefly examine the latest move by the House of Representatives in the game of NASA's budget and then discuss what Lockheed Martin's new "Mars Base Camp" proposal takes from The Society's Humans Orbiting Mars workshop. Our featured discussion takes a deep dive into the story of President Obama's impact on human spaceflight--how NASA ended up with a mixed program of commercial systems and big government programs.
Three NASA leaders talk with host Mat Kaplan about the progress we're making toward leaving footprints on the Red Planet.
The Planetary Society’s solar sail spacecraft was in the middle of a critical test as we spoke with the Society’s Bruce Betts and Jason Davis. Mat Kaplan tells Senior Editor Emily Lakdawalla why he’s a bit frustrated by some media descriptions of the beautiful new Hubble image of Mars. And Bruce returns for the regular What’s Up segment, including a chance to win Offworld Trading Company, the new economic strategy game set on a future Mars. Related links are here: http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2016/0523-lightsail-2-ditl.html
Astronaut and NASA Associate Administrator John Grunsfeld closes our coverage of the Space Foundation’s 32nd annual Space Symposium in Colorado Springs. We also meet the leaders of the New Generation Space Leaders Program. Emily has made it easy to be wowed by spectacular new images of comet 67/P taken by Europe’s Rosetta spacecraft. Bruce and Mat will pick three winners of a great new game in the What’s Up space trivia contest. Related links are here: http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2016/0516-john-grunsfeld-space-symposium.html
We’re back at Space Symposium for a conversation with SNC’s Mark Sirangelo, leader of that company’s effort to build the Dream Chaser. We’ll also hear a few moments of Bill Nye’s session at the annual gathering as he hosted Bernard Foing and Amy Mainzer. Emily lets us sample her “What’s Up in the Solar System” May roundup. Bruce Betts helps Mat Kaplan feel better about missing the transit of Mercury. Related links are here: http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2016/0509-mark-sirangelo-dream-chaser.html
The annual Space Symposium in Colorado is a must-attend event for space leaders from around the world. Our coverage begins with United Arab Emirates Space Agency Director General Mohammed Nasser Al Ahbabi, and then moves to ESA Director General Jan Woerner and Chief Scientist Bernard Foing. Emily Lakdawalla shows us the moon as you’ve never seen it before. SpaceX is rolling on to Mars according to Bill Nye. Bruce Betts and Mat Kaplan learn what a psychopomp has to do with one of our solar system’s most distant worlds. Related links are here: http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2016/0502-space-symposium-woerner-foing.html
Beautiful Death Valley National Park was the setting for a fascinating conversation with famed SETI researcher Jill Tarter and celebrated astronomer, artist and photographer Tyler Nordgren.
Beautiful Death Valley National Park was the setting for a fascinating conversation with famed SETI researcher Jill Tarter and celebrated astronomer, artist and photographer Tyler Nordgren. Curiosity has drilled another hole in Mars. Emily Lakdawalla tells us why and where. Someone will win three of Tyler Nordgren’s great posters on this week’s What’s Up segment with Bruce Betts and Mat Kaplan. Related links are here: http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2016/0425-nordgren-tarter-death-valley.html
Our special coverage from the Los Angeles Yuri’s Night party continues with Chris Lewicki of Planetary Resources along with Bob Pappalardo and Bobak “Mohawk Guy” Ferdowsi who are preparing an orbiter for Jupiter’s ocean world Europa. Emily Lakdawalla takes us on a 3D trek across Mars. Bill Nye reports on the just-completed 2016 Space Symposium. Bruce Betts reveals the identity of the first astronaut to lose his lunch in space. Related links are here: http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2016/0418-yuris-night-lewicki-pappalardo-ferdowsi.html
Our special coverage from the Los Angeles Yuri’s Night party continues with Chris Lewicki of Planetary Resources along with Bob Pappalardo and Boback “Mohawk Guy” Ferdowsi who are preparing an orbiter for Jupiter’s ocean world Europa.
Happy Yuri’s Night! We’re partying under Space Shuttle Endeavour in the first of two shows featuring interviews from the worldwide celebration of space. Star Trek’s Robert Picardo will talk about his new video newsletter, the Planetary Post, and we’ll visit with Samantha Cristoforetti, who returned last June from 200 days aboard the International Space Station.
Happy Yuri’s Night! We’re partying under Space Shuttle Endeavour in the first of two shows featuring interviews from the worldwide celebration of space. Star Trek’s Robert Picardo will talk about his new video newsletter, the Planetary Post, and we’ll visit with Samantha Cristoforetti, who returned last June from 200 days aboard the International Space Station. Emily Lakdawalla reports on the spacecraft exploring our solar system this month, while Bruce Betts tells us What’s Up. Related links are here: http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2016/0411-yuris-night-cristoforetti.html
Michel Mayor and his team rocked the astronomy world with their 1995 announcement, but this modest man says it was a discovery whose time had come. Emily Lakdawalla returns to mysterious dwarf planet Ceres. Seen the latest Blue Origin launch and landing? Bill Nye has. Which acronym for Laika the space dog’s name will be best in show? Related links are here:
http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2016/0404-michel-mayor.html
The new Mars Science Laboratory Project Scientist is not new to the mission. Ashwin Vasavada has worked on the Curiosity rover since 2004.
The new Mars Science Laboratory Project Scientist is not new to the mission. Ashwin Vasavada has worked on the Curiosity rover since 2004. Emily Lakdawalla returns from one of her favorite planetary science conferences. So many new rocket engines! Bill Nye says this is a good thing. The What’s Up segment offers a rubber asteroid, ninjas and a gorgeous night sky. Related links are here:
http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2016/0328-ashwin-vasavada.html
Our live conversation about “Planet 9” and the amazing diversity of our solar system, featuring Konstantin Batygin and Mike Brown of Caltech, Senior Editor Emily Lakdawalla, Bill Nye the Science Guy and Cassini Project Scientist Linda Spilker. We close with a special K9 edition of What’s Up! Related links are here:
http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2016/0321-all-these-worlds.html
NASA has given the go-ahead for creation of the Wide-Field Infrared Survey Telescope. It might help reveal the nature of dark energy and point the way to life among the stars. Europe and Russia are celebrating the ExoMars spacecraft now headed for Mars. Emily Lakdawalla tells us why. Spacewalks, re-entry…traveling in space is hard and dangerous! Bruce Betts tells a harrowing tale or two on this week’s What’s Up. Bill Nye is on the road this week. Related links are here:
http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2016/0314-wfirst-gehrels.html
Julielynn Wong came directly from her 30-day long HERA IX deep space simulation to our microphone. We talk with her about the experience, and her progress toward 3D medical device printing solutions for astronauts and Earthbound humans. Emily Lakdawalla looks forward to “What’s Up in the Solar System” this month. Bill Nye welcomes Scott Kelly back to Earth. A mystery prize for this week’s space trivia contest? Related links are here:
http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2016/0307-julielynn-wong.html
Famed science fiction author Kim Stanley Robinson is back with Aurora, a cautionary tale about just how difficult interstellar travel may be. Emily Lakdawalla reveals the used space shuttle part that has gone to Mars. Bill Nye hopes Congress will boost space exploration, but not by calling it a “renaissance.” Bruce and Mat get all starry-eyed on this week’s What’s Up. Related links are here:
http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2016/0229-kim-stanley-robinson-aurora.html
Famed science fiction author Kim Stanley Robinson is back with Aurora, a cautionary tale about just how difficult interstellar travel may be.
Casey Dreier, the Planetary Society's Director of Space Policy, and Jason Callahan, the Society's Space Policy Advisor, talk with Mat Kaplan about the just-released "President's Budget Request" for the fiscal year starting in October of 2016. The outlook for this mostly positive, 700-page proposal is hazy, especially in an extremely volatile election year. You'll hear the good, the bad, and the bewildering in this extended conversation.
Cassini Mission Project Scientist Linda Spilker returns with the latest discoveries at the beautiful ringed planet, its moons and its rings. Emily Lakdawalla has assembled a crazy animation of distant Earth from a long dormant but just reawakened space camera. Bill Nye the Science Guy provides ample evidence that space has become a marketplace. A family of accomplished astronomers provides the answer to this week’s space trivia contest in our What’s Up segment, along with a new opportunity to win OK Go swag. Related links are here:
http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2016/0222-cassini-saturn-spilker.html
Casey Dreier, the Planetary Society's Director of Space Policy, and Jason Callahan, the Society's Space Policy Advisor, talk with Mat Kaplan about the just-released "President's Budget Request" for the fiscal year starting in October of 2016.
Cassini Mission Project Scientist Linda Spilker returns with the latest discoveries at the beautiful ringed planet, its moons and its rings.
Have you seen it? OK Go has gone where no band has gone before to make a music video. Mat talks with Damian Kulash and Tim Nordwind about the hazards, thrill and promise of making art in free fall. Emily Lakdawalla reveals another attempt to put a microphone on Mars. Bill Nye steps aside so that Casey Dreier can give us his first impression of the new budget proposed for NASA. And Mat drops in on Bruce’s live, online astronomy class to learn What’s Up. Related links are here:
http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2016/0215-ok-go-zero-g.html
The Planetary Society's Bruce Betts and Jason Davis join host Mat Kaplan for a status report on LightSail 2, the Society's next solar sail, now being prepared for launch as soon as late this year.
The Planetary Society's Bruce Betts and Jason Davis join host Mat Kaplan for a status report on LightSail 2, the Society's next solar sail, now being prepared for launch as soon as late this year.
Mike Brown and Konstantin Batygin fully expect a new and undemotable ninth planet will be found in the outer reaches of the solar system. The Caltech researchers talk about their findings and much more. Emily Lakdawalla has made a wealth of Chinese lunar lander images much more accessible. Have gravity waves been discovered? Bill Nye hopes so, as he also remembers Apollo 14 moonwalker Edgar Mitchell. Bruce and Mat enjoy a celebrity Random Space Fact and get their first talking answer to the space trivia contest. Related links are here:
http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2016/0208-planet-9-brown-batygin.html
Lindley Johnson has just been named NASA's first Planetary Defense Officer. He's joined on this week's PlanRad by astronomer Kelly Fast, the new manager of the Near Earth Object Observation Program. Emily Lakdawalla presents her “What’s Up in the Solar System” mission review for February. Bill Nye has birthday greetings for Voyager’s Ed Stone. Bruce and Mat learn that finding your way across the galaxy with pulsars can be very entertaining. Related links are here: http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2016/0201-lindley-fast-pdco.html
New research indicates that globular clusters—collections of up to a million stars—could provide stable environments for life, along with opportunities for interstellar civilizations. Lead author Rosanne Di Stefano joins us to explain. Emily Lakdawalla and Bill Nye examine the science and excitement around “Planet 9.” “This Week in Space History” is just one feature of our What’s Up segment with Bruce Betts and Mat Kaplan. Related links are here: http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2016/0125-distefano-globular-cluster-life.html
New research indicates that globular clusters—collections of up to a million stars—could provide stable environments for life, along with opportunities for interstellar civilizations. Lead author Rosanne Di Stefano joins us to explain.
The Dawn Mission Chief Engineer Marc Rayman returns for another report on the ion-engine powered mission, now orbiting 240 miles above dwarf planet Ceres in the Asteroid Belt. Emily Lakdawalla explains the bittersweet quality of Cassini’s latest images of Saturn’s moons. Bill Nye talks about two more milestones in commercial space access. Mat and Bruce offer an ISS Above system in the new space trivia contest. Related links are here: http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2016/0118-astromaterials.html
Francis McCubbin is the new Astromaterials Curator at NASA’s Johnson Space Center, where the priceless collection includes the Apollo moonrocks. Join Mat Kaplan’s visit. Emily Lakdawalla reports on Curiosity’s busy and beautiful Mars trek. Bill Nye remembers David Bowie and remarks on the role of space in popular entertainment. Mat and Bruce learn on What’s Up that beer was invented just one year ago. One Sednan year. Photos of the JSC Astromaterials Acquisition and Curation Office and related links are here: http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2016/0111-astromaterials.html
Mat Kaplan visits the Ad Astra Rocket Company in Texas where they are perfecting the VASIMIR electric rocket engine. Emily Lakdawalla has created a comprehensive timeline tracing missions throughout the solar system. Bill Nye salutes Planetary Society colleagues who gathered to record a Planetary Radio Extra year in review conversation. The new year’s sky is chock full of planets according to Bruce Betts. An Ad Astra audio tour and photos are here: http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2016/0104-2016_review.html
Ad Astra's Mark Carter took Planetary Radio Host Mat Kaplan on a great tour of the company's facility in mid-November of 2015. Space and science geeks are going to love this mostly unedited audio recording.
Bruce Betts, Jason Davis, Casey Dreier and Emily Lakdawalla gather with Mat Kaplan for a fascinating and informative Planetary Radio Extra year-in-review roundtable discussion.
Our year-end review features the “best of 2015” lists from Jason Davis, Casey Dreier, Emily Lakdawalla and Bill Nye the Science Guy. What’s Up offers planets, a comet, and a nice prize package for the space trivia contest. Links to the contest, online work of this week’s guests and “The Looking Planet” are here: http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2015/1228-2015_review.html
The newly-approved federal budget includes great news for fans of space exploration and development. Texas Congressman John Culberson led the fight for a Europa mission, the SLS rocket, commercial crew and more. He tells us why on this week’s show. Director of Advocacy Casey Dreier is blown away by the support for planetary science. We once again visit spectacular comet 67/P with Emily Lakdawalla. You might win a signed copy of Randall Munroe’s “Thing Explainer” in the What’s Up space trivia contest. Links to the contest, an extended budget conversation with Casey and much more are here: http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2015/1221-culberson_nasa_budget.html
The newly-approved federal budget includes great news for fans of space exploration and development. Texas Congressman John Culberson led the fight for a Europa mission, the SLS rocket, commercial crew and more. He tells us why on this week’s show.
Mat Kaplan sits down with our Director of Advocacy, Casey Dreier, for a discussion of NASA's 2016 budget.
Drilling through many meters of ice to Europa’s ocean or to the pristine sub-surface layers of Mars will be hard. The Planetary Deep Drill prototype has shown that it may be a practical approach. Join Mat Kaplan and Planetary Society colleagues at the field test site deep in California’s desert. Emily Lakdawalla has good news from Venus and comet 67/P. Mat returns with Bruce Betts for What’s Up and a special, light-hearted feature celebrating relativity. Learn more about the show here:
http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2015/1214-planetary_deep_drill.html
Drilling through many meters of ice to Europa’s ocean or to the pristine sub-surface layers of Mars will be hard. The Planetary Deep Drill prototype has shown that it may be a practical approach. Join Mat Kaplan and Planetary Society colleagues at the field test site deep in California’s desert.
Journey to Space is both a new and spectacular IMAX movie and an exciting, hands-on exhibition at the California Science Center. We learn about both this week. Emily Lakdawalla, Bill Nye and Bruce Betts celebrate an amazing achievement by the Japanese space agency at Venus. Host Mat Kaplan offers another big holiday prize package in the space trivia contest. More show info is here:
http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2015/1207-journey_to_space.html
Journey to Space is both a new and spectacular IMAX movie and an exciting, hands-on exhibition at the California Science Center. We learn about both this week.
A small but talented UK team is building Twinkle, a small spacecraft with a big mission—exploring the atmospheres of planets orbiting other stars.
A small but talented UK team is building Twinkle, a small spacecraft with a big mission—exploring the atmospheres of planets orbiting other stars. Emily Lakdawalla has posted her annual review of children’s books about space. Listen to win a signed copy of Randall Munroe’s “Thinking Big.” Bill Nye talks about good news for would-be asteroid miners, while Bruce Betts and Mat Kaplan ponder first words on Mars in What’s Up. More show info is here:
http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2015/1130-twinkle_exoplanet.html
We join 1,600 space entrepreneurs and visionaries in Houston, and talk with Boeing, XCOR, Johnson Space Center Director Ellen Ochoa and more. Emily Lakdawalla was there when the preliminary design for a zoom lens on Mars was approved. Bill Nye looks forward to the return of humans reaching Earth orbit aboard US spacecraft. What’s Up offers a Black Friday prize package in the new space trivia contest.
http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2015/1123-spacecom-expo.html
We join 1,600 space entrepreneurs and visionaries in Houston, and talk with Boeing, XCOR, Johnson Space Center Director Ellen Ochoa and more.
Emily Lakdawalla returns from the annual Division for Planetary Sciences meeting with big news from around the solar system. Then we talk with science journalist Traci Watson about the departure of the great Arecibo radio telescope’s Director and the funding challenge that could shut down the observatory.
Emily Lakdawalla returns from the annual Division for Planetary Sciences meeting with big news from around the solar system. Then we talk with science journalist Traci Watson about the departure of the great Arecibo radio telescope’s Director and the funding challenge that could shut down the observatory. Bruce Betts says the Leonids meteor shower is upon us. Bill Nye is on book tour this week. http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2015/1116-dps-arecibo.html
The founding Executive Director of the Planetary Society has just written “Human Spaceflight: From Mars to the Stars,” an optimistic view of humanity’s future in the solar system and beyond. Bill Nye shares his admiration for his predecessor, Lou Friedman. Emily Lakdawalla is ready for the 2015 Division of Planetary Science conference. The What’s Up space trivia contest once again offers your chance to win Bill Nye’s personalized greeting on your voicemail.
The founding Executive Director of the Planetary Society has just written “Human Spaceflight: From Mars to the Stars,” an optimistic view of humanity’s future in the solar system and beyond. Bill Nye shares his admiration for his predecessor, Lou Friedman. Emily Lakdawalla is ready for the 2015 Division of Planetary Science conference. The What’s Up space trivia contest once again offers your chance to win Bill Nye’s personalized greeting on your voicemail. http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2015/1109-lou-friedman.html
The founding Executive Director of the Planetary Society has just written “Human Spaceflight: From Mars to the Stars,” an optimistic view of humanity’s future in the solar system and beyond.
It was a grand night at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium. CEO Bill Nye led the Planetary Society’s 35th anniversary party with guests including Neil deGrasse Tyson and Deputy NASA Administrator Dava Newman. We present a very brief sampling of the celebration.
It was the #1 New York Times bestseller, and as this week’s Planetary Radio premiered it was once again the most popular movie in the USA. “The Martian” has won universal acclaim from scientists, astronauts, NASA, science fiction fans, and people who thought they weren’t science fiction fans. Mat Kaplan talks with the author about his harrowing, uplifting, amazingly detailed and realistic tale. Emily is delighted by the massive release of Ceres data that enabled the first color images of the dwarf planet. Someone will win Bill Nye’s voice on their voicemail system.
“The Martian” has won universal acclaim from scientists, astronauts, NASA, science fiction fans, and people who thought they weren’t science fiction fans. Mat Kaplan talks with the author about his harrowing, uplifting, amazingly detailed and realistic tale.
Hal Weaver is a very happy Project Scientist. His New Horizons spacecraft has shocked his fellow researchers with magnificent images and data. He shares the excitement this week.
Hal Weaver is a very happy Project Scientist. His New Horizons spacecraft has shocked his fellow researchers with magnificent images and data. He shares the excitement this week. Emily Lakdawalla has the brand new flyby images of Saturn’s icy moon Enceladus. Bill Nye looks forward to giving Neil deGrasse Tyson a major award. Bruce Betts knows what’s up in the night sky, and you will, too. Enter the What’s Up space trivia contest to win Bill Nye’s personalized greeting on your voicemail. http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2015/1019-pluto-amazes.html
Digital editor Jason Davis is a lucky guy. He follows and reports on human spaceflight progress, as well as the progress of the LightSail solar sail, which is about a year from its next flight.
Digital editor Jason Davis is a lucky guy. He follows and reports on human spaceflight progress, as well as the progress of the LightSail solar sail, which is about a year from its next flight. Emily Lakdawalla shares her thoughts about the Mars depicted in The Martian, while Bill Nye has sharp words for NASA’s new plan for getting humans there. Learn more and enter the What’s Up trivia contest at http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2015/1012-big-rockets-and-little-lightsails.html
Franck Marchis is on the team that has delivered an actual image of a young, hot world about 100 light years from Earth. We talk with him on the 20th anniversary of the first exoplanet discovery. Emily Lakdawalla reveals spectacular Charon, while Bill Nye and Mat Kaplan compare notes on “The Martian.” What’s a syzygy? Find out from Bruce Betts on What’s Up. More show info and this week’s contest are here: http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2015/0928-humans-orbiting-mars-workshop-report.html
Franck Marchis is on the team that has delivered an actual image of a young, hot world about 100 light years from Earth. We talk with him on the 20 anniversary of the first exoplanet discovery.
Scott Hubbard and John Logsdon led the Humans Orbiting Mars Workshop last spring. They return with Casey Dreier as the report on that workshop is released to the world.
Scott Hubbard and John Logsdon led the Humans Orbiting Mars Workshop last spring. They return with Casey Dreier as the report on that workshop is released to the world. Emily Lakdawalla sizes up NASA’s announcement about water on the surface of Mars right now. Bill Nye calls us on his way toward the Crimson Tide. Enter the What’s Up space trivia contest and learn more about this week’s show here: http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2015/0928-humans-orbiting-mars-workshop-report.html
They are the most neglected planets in our solar system, but that status may be changing. Planetary scientist Elizabeth “Zibi” Turtle celebrates NASA’s announcement that it will study a mission to Uranus or Neptune. Emily Lakdawalla has the latest progress report for Curiosity, rolling across Mars. Bill Nye had a blast reading “The Martian.” Someone will win the Extronaut game in the new What’s Up space trivia contest. Enter the space trivia contest and learn more about this week’s show here: http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2015/0922-zibi-turtle-and-the-ice-giants.html
They are the most neglected planets in our solar system, but that status may be changing. Planetary scientist Elizabeth “Zibi” Turtle celebrates NASA’s announcement that it will study a mission to Uranus or Neptune.
Dante Lauretta heads the most ambitious mission to an asteroid ever mounted. With one year left till launch, he returns to Planetary Radio with an update. Emily Lakdawalla marvels at the best New Horizons Pluto images released thus far. Bruce Betts and Mat Kaplan are back from their flight on the SOFIA 747 with a game to give away. “Xtronaut” lets you manage your own robotic mission across the solar system.
Planetary Radio returns to SOFIA, the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy, but this time we fly in the giant 747 turned telescope platform. It was a night to remember. Emily Lakdawalla has the lowdown on New Horizons’ tiny 2019 target far beyond Pluto. Bill Nye looks back at five years as leader of the Planetary Society. Bruce Betts joins Mat Kaplan at more than 40,000 feet for a very high edition of What’s Up.
Planetary Radio returns to SOFIA, the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy, but this time we fly in the giant 747 turned telescope platform. It was a night to remember.
Planetary Radio talks with Jim Bell and Justin Maki, leaders of the development team for the most advanced camera ever planned for the surface of Mars.
Our reporting from the 2nd Mars 2020 Rover Landing Site Selection Workshop continues as we talk with Jim Bell and Justin Maki, leaders of the development team for the most advanced camera ever planned for the surface of Mars. Emily Lakdawalla shares jaw-dropping visualizations of Pluto created from New Horizons images by “amateurs.” Bill Nye agrees with astronaut Jeremy Hansen: Mars is a crappy place to live. Bruce Betts and Mat Kaplan share more night sky wonder and a space trivia contest.
The 2020 Mars Rover may be years away, but determining where it will land is already a hot topic among scientists and engineers. Many of the former gathered in early August for a site selection workshop. We talk with Co-Chair and Mars veteran Matt Golombek, JPL astrobiologist Lindsay Hays, and Ken Edgett of Malin Space Science Systems.
The 2020 Mars Rover may be years away, but determining where it will land is already a hot topic among scientists and engineers. Many of the former gathered in early August for a site selection workshop. We talk with Co-Chair and Mars veteran Matt Golombek, JPL astrobiologist Lindsay Hays, and Ken Edgett of Malin Space Science Systems. Emily Lakdawalla tells us how Curiosity takes those beautiful selfies, and there’s another LightSail patch and Planetary Radio t-shirt to win in the What’s Up space trivia contest.
Mat Kaplan talked with engineer and NEEMO Expedition 20 team member David Coan while he was hard at work with astronauts and other engineers living in the Aquarius undersea habitat.
Mat Kaplan sits down with our Director of Advocacy, Casey Dreier, for a deep dive into current space policy.
NEEMO is a long-running NASA project that is helping to prepare us for mission to Mars and other destinations. Mat Kaplan talked with engineer and NEEMO Expedition 20 team member David Coan while he was hard at work with astronauts and other engineers living in the Aquarius undersea habitat. One lucky library is getting its space book collection reviewed by none other than Emily Lakdawalla. Director of Advocacy Casey Dreier provides an inside the beltway update, and Bruce Betts has his own undersea encounter.
We follow last week’s conversation with Ann Druyan about the $100 million funding of the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence by visiting with two of the scientists who will do the work: Dan Werthimer of UC Berkeley and Karen O’Neil of the Green Bank Telescope. Emily Lakdawalla and Bill Nye return to their regular slots, while Bruce and Mat ogle this year’s slick new Lunar Rover model.
We follow last week’s conversation with Ann Druyan about the $100 million funding of the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence by visiting with two of the scientists who will do the work: Dan Werthimer of UC Berkeley and Karen O’Neil of the Green Bank Telescope.
The Breakthrough Initiatives will pump $100 million into the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence in the next 10 years, vastly expanding humanity’s quest to learn if it has company in the universe. Among the leaders of this brave new project is Cosmos creator Ann Druyan. Join us for a special, extended conversation with Ann.
The Breakthrough Initiatives will pump $100 million into the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence in the next 10 years, vastly expanding humanity’s quest to learn if it has company in the universe. Among the leaders of this brave new project is Cosmos creator Ann Druyan. Join us for a special, extended conversation with Ann. Did Bruce Betts really say Cthulhu lives on Pluto? Emily Lakdawalla and Bill Nye will return next week.
Come with us on a visit to the home of the prime meridian for a conversation with the curator of the Royal Observatory, Greenwich about the race to create a practical means for determining longitude. It’s a dramatic story of precision astronomy and clock making, told by the Curator of the Observatory to Mat Kaplan as they examined the timepieces that helped revolutionize navigation. Bill Nye is on vacation, but we’re joined by Emily Lakdawalla with hazy news from Pluto, and Bruce Betts’ explanation of the plutonium that just passed its namesake planet.
Come with us on a visit to the home of the prime meridian for a conversation with the curator of the Royal Observatory, Greenwich about the race to create a practical means for determining longitude.
Join our live audience for highlights of an amazing evening, featuring Jim Bell, Bruce Betts, Mike Brown, Emily Lakdawalla, Linda Spilker, and Bill Nye the Science Guy. Emily returns to provide the latest news from New Horizons as it voyages beyond Pluto. We close, as usual, with What’s Up and a new space trivia contest.
SETI Institute scientist Jason Rowe returns to tell us about the smallest exoplanet so far that has had its size and mass determined. Jason also talks with Mat about our ever-expanding knowledge of these worlds that circle faraway stars.
Two visits with the Planetary Society Senior Editor this week, as Emily first provides an update on the Rosetta comet mission and then returns with an extended look ahead at the New Horizons Pluto encounter next week.
We’ve already brought you Planetary Radio Live from the 2015 PDC near Rome, Italy. Now you’ll hear a small sampling of the scientists, engineers, policymakers and media experts who spent five days considering how humanity will respond to a potentially disastrous threat. Bruce Betts celebrates the great Jupiter-Venus conjunction in What’s Up. Bill Nye and Emily Lakdawalla return next week.
Hi! Testing the waters here at Spreaker before we dive in. Here's a recent sample of the Planetary Society's Planetary Radio. You can also find us in the iTunes Store, Stitcher, on the radio, and at http://planetary.org/radio.
We return to the beautiful Aquarium of the Pacific in southern California for a fascinating conversation about ocean science. What we learn down here is furthering our research around the solar system. William Patzert, Jerry Schubel and Steven Vance join Mat Kaplan on stage. Emily Lakdawalla tells us what Curiosity, the Mars Science Laboratory rover, has been doing lately. Bruce Betts is keeping his eye on converging Jupiter and Venus.
Join our live audience for highlights of an amazing evening, featuring Jim Bell, Bruce Betts, Mike Brown, Emily Lakdawalla, Linda Spilker, and Bill Nye the Science Guy.
SETI Institute scientist Jason Rowe returns to tell us about the smallest exoplanet so far that has had its size and mass determined. Jason also talks with Mat about our ever-expanding knowledge of these worlds that circle faraway stars.
Two visits with the Planetary Society Senior Editor this week, as Emily first provides an update on the Rosetta comet mission and then returns with an extended look ahead at the New Horizons Pluto encounter next week.
We’ve already brought you Planetary Radio Live from the 2015 PDC near Rome, Italy. Now you’ll hear a small sampling of the scientists, engineers, policymakers and media experts who spent five days considering how humanity will respond to a potentially disastrous threat. Bruce Betts celebrates the great Jupiter-Venus conjunction in What’s Up. Bill Nye and Emily Lakdawalla return next week.
We return to the beautiful Aquarium of the Pacific in southern California for a fascinating conversation about ocean science. What we learn down here is furthering our research around the solar system. William Patzert, Jerry Schubel and Steven Vance join Mat Kaplan on stage. Emily Lakdawalla tells us what Curiosity, the Mars Science Laboratory rover, has been doing lately. Bruce Betts is keeping his eye on converging Jupiter and Venus.
After a roller coaster ride that included a maddening eight-day silence, the LightSail test mission finally achieved all of its major goals. Leaders of the mission team gathered on June 10th to take questions from the media, and share their thoughts and emotions with the general public. Today’s show presents highlights of that briefing. Emily Lakdawalla is seeing things on Pluto, and she’s not alone. Bruce Betts takes Mat Kaplan on a walk in space during this week’s What’s Up segment.
Cassini Project Scientist Linda Spilker, returns with another update on the magnificent mission at Saturn. You’ll also hear Bill Nye and the moment when LightSail began to deploy its solar sail.
Explore Mars revealed the 2015 Humans to Mars Report at a recent conference in Washington. CEO Chris Carberry gives us a quick tour of this inspiring assessment of what it will take to get more than robots to the Red Planet.
This special edition takes you behind the scenes on May 20, 2015 as LightSail is lifted into orbit. You’ll hear the thrilling launch, meet key team members as they prepare for the big moment, and hear a special status report from Planetary Society CEO Bill Nye.
It’s the biggest dwarf planet between here and Pluto, and it has a new permanent resident. The Dawn spacecraft is orbiting Ceres in the asteroid belt, revealing it as never before. What are those bright spots anyway? We spend time with Dawn’s Chief Engineer and Director, Marc Rayman.
Humankind’s arrival at Pluto is barely two months away. The science and images have already started to flow from New Horizons, according to the mission’s Principal Investigator, Alan Stern. Alan returns to Planetary Radio this week.
We open with the countdown to destruction—the MESSENGER spacecraft’s impact on Mercury ended its spectacularly successful mission. Principal Investigator Sean Solomon joins us immediately after this big finish.
The road to space has been a rocky one for most spacecraft, and LightSail is no different. Challenges remain even with the May 20th launch of a test mission approaching. Embedded LightSail reporter Jason Davis checks in with the latest news.
Planetary Radio Live was the only public event at the just-completed Planetary Defense Conference in Italy. Join us for excerpts from an all-star celebration of worldwide efforts to find, track, characterize and eventually deflect killer Near-Earth Objects.
Landing on Mars is hard, and the bigger you are, the harder it gets. Rob Manning returns to tell us about one of NASA’s best hopes for getting much bigger spacecraft down there—spacecraft that may one day carry humans.
A human mission to orbit Mars might be possible by 2033, and it might be accomplished at reasonable cost and with existing or nearly-ready technology. Three leaders of a recent Washington DC conference on this topic provide a report.
Bigelow Aerospace’s BEAM expandable/inflatable space module will be attached to the International Space Station later this year. Mat travels to the company’s headquarters for a conversation with founder and CEO Robert Bigelow.
Senior Editor Emily Lakdawalla has returned from the Lunar and Planetary Science Conference in Texas with the latest revelations about our solar system. She shares them in an extended report.
The Mars Science Laboratory rover has accomplished its primary goals on the Red Planet, and John Grotzinger has left his central role to become Chair of the Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences at the California Institute of Technology. He shares his thoughts about the ongoing mission and much more.
6,000 job-seekers came to the new Long Beach, California home of Virgin Galactic’s LauncherOne rocket on a recent morning. We sit down with CEO George Whitesides for a conversation about this new effort and the return of SpaceShipTwo.
Planetary scientist and author Jim Bell has just written “The Interstellar Age—Inside the Forty-Year Voyager Mission.” He talks with Mat Kaplan about the magnificent grand tour of the outer solar system that is now headed toward the stars.
ARM is the Asteroid Redirect Mission, and sometimes it seems that it doesn’t have a friend in the world. But it does, and Jonathan Goff of Altius Space Machines is one.
The Beagle 2 Mars lander disappeared after it separated from the Mars Express orbiter on Christmas Day, 2003. Eleven years later, it has been found, partially-deployed on the Martian surface. Longtime Beagle 2 mission leader Mark Sims tells the story.
The just-released budget for the US space agency has much that fans of planetary science can be grateful for, though the news is not all pos.
We’ll visit the Jet Propulsion Lab on its Icy Worlds Day to learn more about spacecraft exploring Ceres, Enceladus and Europa from leaders of these missions.
Robina Shaheen and Mark Thiemens tell us how an ancient Mars meteorite has revealed much about the red planet. Mat holds a tiny fragment of the rock in their UC San Diego lab.
The Planetary Society has just announced that LightSail will be launched into orbit on its first test flight in May. We’ll talk with Project Manager Doug Stetson and embedded LightSail reporter Jason Davis about what to expect.
Astronomer and planetary scientist Courtney Dressing is the lead author of research that may have found the formula for the mass and composition of Earth-like planets. She reveals the ingredients and why she spent time at JPL while in high school.
Joe Liske, host of Hubblecast, is also the top scientist on the European Southern Observatory’s European Extremely Large Telescope (E-ELT), now under construction on a Chilean mountaintop. “Dr. J” tells us what this largest ever telescope will help us discover.
The Planetary Society’s experts look forward to a great year of firsts in the solar system and beyond.
Our annual review of the greatest events and accomplishments over the last year features analysis and commentary by Bill Nye the Science Guy, Emily Lakdawalla, Jason Davis, Casey Dreier and Bruce Betts, along with a special new year’s gift of Neil deGrasse Tyson.
Not just the air. Where is the water that was plentiful on the red planet billions of years ago? MAVEN may help answer these questions. Principal Investigator Bruce Jakosky reports on the early, exciting science data.
MIT planetary scientist and astrophysicist Sara Seager is on a quest. She wants to find a warm, wet exoplanet with signs of life. It could be Earth 2.0.
NASA’s Orion spacecraft has taken its first step toward Mars and an asteroid mission. The Planetary Society’s Jason Davis was at the Kennedy Space Center for the December 5 mission.
Spoiler alert. Famed physicist Kip Thorne says you might be able to survive a plunge into a black hole after all! That’s just one molecule of the fascinating science behind the science fiction film he helped create. We’ll talk about the movie and Kip’s new book, “The Science of Interstellar.”
Not just landed. Orbited, too. European Space Agency Senior Science Advisor Mark McCaughrean helps us celebrate the Rosetta orbiter and the Philae lander.
Cassini is safe! Project scientist Linda Spilker returns with a regular update on Saturn, its moons and rings not long after learning that the mission is funded through its 2017 plunge into the planet.
If there’s life on Mars, it’s probably deep beneath the surface. That’s just one reason we need a tool like Planetary Deep Drill on the red planet and other mysterious worlds around our solar system. Honeybee Robotics’ Kris Zacny introduces us to the innovative prototype.
It was a terrible, tragic week for commercial space development. Historian and space policy analyst John Logsdon helps up understand the greater meaning of the SpaceShipTwo and Antares disasters on this special edition of Planetary Radio, with additional thoughts from Bill Nye.
MESSENGER has been orbiting the innermost planet for more than three-and-half-years. Principal Investigator Sean Solomon returns with a status report as the mission enters its final phase.
Ilse Cleeves is lead author of a paper that concludes up to half of our solar system’s water is older than the solar system itself. The implications for life across the galaxy are profound.
It’s terribly hard to find exoplanets that look like our homeworld. The search requires development of astoundingly powerful and precise instruments. That’s the job Debra Fischer and her team have taken on.
We welcomed 1,600 Canadian space enthusiasts to the University of Toronto for our October 1st celebration of Canada in space! Join Mat Kaplan and Bill Nye with their guests, Canadian space writer Elizabeth Howell, University of Western Ontario planetary scientist Gordon “Oz” Osinski, and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen. Bruce Betts appeared via Skype to lead a rousing Random Space Fact cheer on What’s Up.
The Chairman of the powerful Science, Space and Technology Committee in the U.S. House of Representatives joins us for a talk about planetary science, Europa, a human flyby of Mars and much more.
Planetary Scientist Jim Bell of Arizona State University joined other experts in front of the US House of Representatives Space Committee on September 10th. Get his report this week.
Inspired by Star Trek, distinguished physicist Miguel Alcubierre developed the general relativity-based model for warp drive 20 years ago. Hear why he doubts it will ever be a reality, and learn about his current research on gravitational waves.