Farewell
February 22nd, 2024
0:39
An important message from RadioPublic
Eclipse Tips: A guide to safe observing and astrophotography
March 27th, 2024
59:55
On April 8, 2024, a total solar eclipse will sweep across North America. Ron Benner, the President of the American Optometric Association, joins …
The asteroid hunter
March 20th, 2024
56:03
Behind every space mission is a tale of hard work, love, and perseverance. Dante Lauretta, the principal investigator for NASA's OSIRIS-REx mission, joins Planetary Radio to share stories from his new book, "The …
Tales of totality: The adventures of an eclipse chaser
March 13th, 2024
59:32
The countdown is on! With less than a month until the total solar eclipse on April 8, 2024, Planetary Radio is buzzing with anticipation. This …
Geothermal activity on the icy dwarf planets Eris and Makemake
March 6th, 2024
1:08:12
A team co-led by the Southwest Research Institute has made a groundbreaking discovery, revealing evidence of hydrothermal or metamorphic activity on the icy dwarf planets Eris and Makemake in the Kuiper Belt. The lead …
Space Policy Edition: The ahistorical era of commercial lunar exploration
March 1st, 2024
1:05:45
The successful landing of IM-1 on the Moon ushered in a new era of commercial lunar exploration, one that has little to no historical precedent. The …
The legacy of Red Rover Goes to Mars
February 28th, 2024
56:36
Over two decades ago, an innovative partnership between The Planetary Society, NASA, and LEGO created the Red Rover Goes to Mars program. Today, we reflect on the program's remarkable achievements with our chief …
OSIRIS-REx becomes APEX
February 21st, 2024
55:21
After NASA's OSIRIS-REx spacecraft's successful sample retrieval from asteroid Bennu, it's onto its next adventure as OSIRIS-APEX, the Apophis …
The Space Race: Honoring the first African-American space explorers
February 14th, 2024
1:03:42
This week on Planetary Radio, we take a peek behind the scenes at National Geographic's new documentary, “The Space Race,” which celebrates the triumphs and struggles of the first African-American space pioneers and …
Exploring solar eclipses through time
February 7th, 2024
52:08
This week on Planetary Radio, we delve into the evolution of humanity's relationship with one of our planet's most awe-inspiring phenomena: total …
Space Policy Edition: Space isn’t black — it’s grey
February 2nd, 2024
1:20:48
It’s a policy paper episode! Laura Delgado López joins the show to break down “Clearing the Fog: The Grey Zones of Space Governance” by Jessica West …
The 20th landing anniversary of Spirit and Opportunity
January 31st, 2024
1:04:56
January marks 20 years since NASA’s twin Mars rovers, Spirit and Opportunity, touched down on the surface of the red planet. Matt Golombek, project …
Blazing a trail to the Moon
January 24th, 2024
59:14
We're celebrating lunar missions and the space advocacy that helps make them happen this week on Planetary Radio. Casey Dreier and Jack Kiraly, chief …
What’s hidden inside planets?
January 17th, 2024
1:13:50
Venture into the hearts of worlds and uncover how we study planetary interiors this week on Planetary Radio. Sabine Stanley, professor of planetary physics at Johns Hopkins University and author of the new book "What's …
JWST finds a new lead in the search for life on a mysterious exoplanet
January 10th, 2024
51:02
This week on Planetary Radio, we're diving into one of the most remarkable new exoplanet discoveries with the help of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). JWST has detected signs of methane and carbon dioxide in the …
Space Policy Edition: India’s growing space ambitions
January 5th, 2024
1:03:49
The history of India’s space program is, in many ways, the inverse of that of the US and Russia. While the two superpowers were outpacing each other …
Revisiting the discovery of phosphorus on Enceladus
January 3rd, 2024
59:59
This week on Planetary Radio, we are revisiting one of the biggest recent headlines in planetary science, the detection of Phosphorus in the oceans of Saturn’s moon Enceladus. Phosphorus is a key ingredient for life on …
Looking back on 2023
December 27th, 2023
59:54
Members of The Planetary Society staff revisit some of 2023's most exhilarating moments and groundbreaking discoveries in space this week on Planetary Radio. Kate Howells, Public Education Specialist, announces the …
Dragonfly soars to final design phase
December 20th, 2023
1:13:27
NASA's Dragonfly mission to Saturn's moon Titan has been authorized to proceed with work on final mission design and fabrication, known as Phase C. This week on Planetary Radio, we get an update on the mission's …
An astrogeologic experience with Kirby Runyon
December 13th, 2023
1:00:00
Sometimes, when you want to learn more about other worlds, all you have to do is step out your door. Mat Kaplan, Planetary Radio's creator and former …
The mystery of the largest marsquake ever recorded
December 6th, 2023
49:51
What caused the largest marsquake ever recorded? Benjamin Fernando, a post-doctoral fellow from the University of Oxford, joins Planetary Radio this week to talk about the 4.7-magnitude marsquake recorded by NASA’s …
Space Policy Edition: Was the Space Shuttle a policy failure?
December 1st, 2023
59:28
Was the Space Shuttle a successful program? In many ways, yes: it endured for 30 years, launched hundreds of astronauts into space, and built the …
Lucy's first asteroid flyby reveals a surprise moon
November 29th, 2023
53:26
On Nov. 1, 2023, NASA's Lucy spacecraft, which is on a mission to investigate Jupiter's Trojan asteroids, made its first flyby of asteroid Dinkinesh. Hal Levison and Simone Marchi, the mission's principal and deputy …
Deep Sky: A JWST IMAX experience
November 22nd, 2023
55:39
Deep Sky, a newly released IMAX documentary, tells the emotional and hopeful story of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). Nathaniel Kahn, an …
NASA’s STEM program looks to the Moon
November 15th, 2023
59:16
Steven Smith, an Education Specialist from NASA's Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (or STEM) Program, joins Planetary Radio to share …
A City on Mars
November 8th, 2023
53:12
Can we build permanent human settlements in space? It might be more complex than you think. Kelly and Zach Weinersmith join Planetary Radio this week to discuss their new book, "A City on Mars: Can We Settle Space, …
Space Policy Edition: What went wrong with Mars Sample Return
November 3rd, 2023
1:28:33
NASA’s Mars Sample Return mission was supposed to be lean, fast, and focused — no extra science instruments, no dedicated communications systems, and launching in 2026. But the effort has foundered under its own …
Psyche and Eclipse Company blast off
November 1st, 2023
58:08
On October 13, 2023, NASA's Psyche mission's principal investigator, Lindy Elkins-Tanton, watched her team's spacecraft blast off on its voyage to explore a metallic asteroid. She joins Planetary Radio this week for an …
Simulating Psyche: Modeling craters on a metallic world
October 25th, 2023
55:13
NASA's Psyche mission launched on Oct. 13, 2023 on a journey to explore its namesake, the metallic asteroid Psyche. Simone Marchi, co-investigator for the Psyche mission, joins Planetary Radio to share the creative ways …
InSight's revelation on Mars’ rotation
October 18th, 2023
59:41
Data from the now-retired NASA InSight mission suggests that Mars' rotation is speeding up. The InSight RISE instrument's principal investigator, Sebastien Le Maistre, from the Royal Observatory of Belgium, joins …
Celebrating the OSIRIS-REx sample return
October 11th, 2023
57:08
On September 24th, NASA's OSIRIS-REx spacecraft triumphantly delivered a sample from asteroid Bennu to Earth. Rae Paoletta, the Director of Content …
2023 NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts Symposium: Part 2
October 4th, 2023
49:58
Join Planetary Radio host Sarah Al-Ahmed for part two of her trip to the 2023 NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) Symposium in Houston, Texas. You'll hear from Mike LaPointe and John Nelson, the NIAC Program …
2023 NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts Symposium: Part 1
September 27th, 2023
59:51
Join Planetary Radio host Sarah Al-Ahmed on a trip to the 2023 NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) Symposium in Houston, Texas. In this jam-packed two-part series, you'll hear Sarah's interviews with the inspiring …
Alone but not lonely with Louis Friedman
September 20th, 2023
58:58
Louis Friedman, one of the three co-founders of The Planetary Society, joins Planetary Radio to discuss his new book, "Alone but Not Lonely: Exploring for Extraterrestrial Life." The book takes us on a realistic but …
Io and Voyager 2: Lost oceans and found signals
September 13th, 2023
57:51
This week on Planetary Radio, we're traveling back in time to uncover the luminous infancy of Jupiter and its impact on its enigmatic moon, Io. Carver Bierson, a postdoctoral researcher at Arizona State University, …
Subsurface oceans: The hidden potential of Earth-like exoplanets
September 6th, 2023
50:28
Lujendra Ojha, assistant professor at Rutgers University, joins Planetary Radio to discuss how subsurface liquid water on exoplanets orbiting red …
A new algorithm finds its first potentially hazardous asteroid
August 30th, 2023
58:48
A next-generation asteroid discovery algorithm, HelioLinc3D, has successfully identified its first potentially hazardous asteroid. Mario Jurić and …
The slow evolution of Europa
August 23rd, 2023
58:39
Jupiter's moon Europa is one of the most exciting locations in our Solar System in the search for life, but a crust of ice guards the secrets of its …
JWST detects water vapor in a planet-forming disk
August 16th, 2023
56:02
A team of researchers using the James Webb Space Telescope (or JWST) has made the first detection of water vapor in the inner region of the …
Mars Life Explorer: The search for extant life on the red planet
August 9th, 2023
57:43
Many missions are working to understand Mars' past habitability, but could there still be microbial life on the red planet today? This week on …
Space Policy Edition: Why lunar exploration must be of enduring national interest
August 4th, 2023
1:13:58
Scott Pace, the prior executive secretary of the National Space Council, discusses why Artemis is of strategic value to U.S. national interests — and why the Moon is unique as a destination to drive global space …
Subsurface granite on the Moon? The anatomy of a lunar hot spot
August 2nd, 2023
1:03:36
A decades-old lunar mystery gets an update in this week's Planetary Radio. Matt Siegler from the Planetary Science Institute shares his team's …
An essential ingredient for life in the oceans of Enceladus
July 26th, 2023
1:06:27
Phosphorus, a key ingredient for life on Earth, has been detected in the ocean of Saturn's moon Enceladus. This discovery marks the first time phosphorus has been found in an ocean off of Earth. Chris Glein, a lead …
Mars' Axial Tilt: A Key to Gully Formation
July 19th, 2023
56:13
The gullies of Mars may appear similar to water-carved channels on Earth, but their formation is more complex than meets the eye. Caltech's Jay …
Comparing the rivers of Earth, Mars, and Titan
July 12th, 2023
59:14
Get ready for a journey across the rivers of our Solar System in this week's Planetary Radio. Sam Birch, an assistant professor at Brown University, …
Space Policy Edition: What’s Going on with: Congress, MSR, and ?
July 7th, 2023
56:49
We check in on the congressional budget process for NASA, Mars Sample Return’s spiraling cost growth, and the impending end of the regulatory holiday …
Humans to Mars by the 2030s? NASA Associate Administrators weigh in
July 5th, 2023
1:00:33
It's going to take a lot of collaboration to get humans to Mars, but we're up for the challenge. This week on Planetary Radio, Mat Kaplan, senior …
2Fast 2Curious: Finding the source of the fast solar wind
June 28th, 2023
54:21
Some solar mysteries, like the origin of the fast solar wind, can only be solved by getting up close and personal with the Sun. James Drake from the …
The disappearing act of Saturn's young rings
June 21st, 2023
1:05:47
Saturn's rings are so young that they may have formed when dinosaurs walked the Earth. Richard Durisen, a Professor Emeritus of Astronomy from …
The oldest organic molecules in the known Universe
June 14th, 2023
51:18
Justin Spilker and his colleagues at Texas A&M University have detected the oldest and most distant organic molecules in the known Universe using …
Starstruck with Sarafina El-Badry Nance
June 7th, 2023
54:45
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 …
Space Policy Edition: The policy implications of active SETI
June 2nd, 2023
1:17:26
Would meeting an extraterrestrial civilization be good or bad for humanity? Astronomer Dr. Jacob Haqq Misra argues that knowing the outcome in …
The Science You’ve Enabled
May 31st, 2023
50:53
The Planetary Society has just announced the latest awards in its Science and Technology Enabled by the Public (STEP) Grant program. With regular …
Exoplanet enigma: Unpacking the discovery of a "forbidden" planet
May 24th, 2023
50:47
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 …
Inspiring the next generation through space education
May 17th, 2023
1:15:20
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 …
The case for saving VERITAS
May 10th, 2023
1:00:06
NASA's VERITAS mission to Venus is currently on an indefinite hold. Darby Dyar, Deputy Principal Investigator for the mission, joins Planetary Radio …
Space Policy Edition: SpaceX's Starship vs. the environment, with Eric Roesch
May 5th, 2023
1:20:19
Prior to Starship's inaugural launch, environmental policy expert Eric Roesch was outspoken about the possibility of catastrophe. As the rocket …
Adventures at the 2023 Planetary Defense Conference
May 3rd, 2023
54:07
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 …
Juice mission liftoff: A new era of icy moon exploration begins
April 26th, 2023
58:48
Join us as we celebrate the successful launch of the European Space Agency's Juice mission! Our special guest, project scientist Olivier Witasse, …
Under Alien Skies with Phil Plait
April 19th, 2023
55:31
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 …
Yuri’s Night: For all SpaceKind
April 12th, 2023
44:22
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, …
Space Policy Edition: The motives behind NASA's billions — Jean Toal Eisen on how Congress funds the final frontier
April 7th, 2023
57:51
For over a decade, Jean Toal Eisen drafted legislation directing billions of dollars to NASA as senior staff on the Senate Appropriations Committee. …
Two Years of Hope: Celebrating the Emirates Mars Mission
April 5th, 2023
59:55
Join us as we celebrate the accomplishments of a truly inspiring space mission - the United Arab Emirates' Hope probe, which has spent two amazing …
Volcanic Venus? New insights from vintage data
March 29th, 2023
48:44
Is Venus hiding volcanic secrets beneath its shroud of clouds? Robbie Herrick and Scott Hensley, the minds behind a new paper on recent potential …
Getting psyched for Psyche
March 22nd, 2023
53:38
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 …
Universal Harmonies: Sonifying images for science and accessibility
March 15th, 2023
55:23
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 …
Looking back on Voyager’s 45th Anniversary
March 8th, 2023
1:15:50
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 …
Space Policy Edition: The Tricky Ethics of Space Settlement
March 3rd, 2023
1:11:29
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 …
The Canadian Lunar Rover with Peter Visscher
March 1st, 2023
36:52
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 …
Martian rock collecting: From meteorites to Mars Sample Return
February 22nd, 2023
46:32
Exciting updates to the plans to return samples from Mars to Earth are underway. Meenakshi Wadhwa, principal scientist for Mars Sample Return at NASA JPL, shares what we have learned from our studies of Martian …
Are we alone? The search for alien technosignatures
February 15th, 2023
58:53
A new volunteer science project to search for alien technosignatures has launched! Jean-Luc Margot and Megan Li from UCLA join us to share the …
More on Mars’ Watery History
February 8th, 2023
54:05
Mars expert Tanya Harrison shares the details on some of the newest discoveries about Mars’ history, including the discovery of an impact crater thought to be linked to a megatsunami in Mars’ ancient ocean and the …
Space Policy Edition: The White House's Matt Daniels on the U.S.'s New Cislunar Strategy
February 3rd, 2023
1:17:11
For the first time in history, the White House laid out a national policy for science and technology in the vast expanse of cislunar space. This …
JWST confirms its first exoplanet
February 1st, 2023
59:50
The James Webb Space Telescope has confirmed the discovery of its first exoplanet. Jacob Lustig-Yaeger, one of the leads on the team that made the detection, joins us to discuss the details. We share info on the Juno …
Juno Journeys to Jupiter’s Moons
January 25th, 2023
55:09
Dive into the latest discoveries about Jupiter’s moons Ganymede, Europa, and Io with Scott Bolton, the principal investigator for NASA’s Juno …
Martian Mic Drop
January 18th, 2023
47:57
Jason Achilles, a musician who partnered with NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory to help put one of the first microphones on Mars, shares his journey …
Celebrating NASA’s Artemis I mission to the Moon
January 11th, 2023
50:03
Jeremy Graeber, the assistant launch director at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, joins us to recount his experience on the night of Artemis I’s historic launch. We celebrate the success of the mission and share a short …
Space Policy Edition: JPL Director wants "every brain" to have the chance to work in space exploration
January 6th, 2023
1:03:22
After the delay of the Psyche mission, an independent review board faulted management and workforce problems at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory as …
Planetary Radio stories with Mat Kaplan
January 4th, 2023
1:04:10
New host Sarah Al-Ahmed bids a fond farewell to Mat Kaplan, Planetary Radio’s former host, with a heartwarming compilation of messages from fans, …
Planetary Society All-Stars Review the Year in Space
December 28th, 2022
1:08:19
It’s Mat Kaplan’s last episode as host of Planetary Radio. He has gathered several of his colleagues to celebrate an outstanding year across the …
Artemis 1 Orion capsule comes home, and the best of Planetary Radio
December 21st, 2022
1:16:42
Host Mat Kaplan returned to Naval Base San Diego to greet the return of the Artemis 1 Orion spacecraft aboard the USS Portland. Stay with us for a …
One Last Blast: Author of ‘The Martian’ Andy Weir with JPL Chief Engineer Rob Manning
December 14th, 2022
1:23:42
A rollicking conversation with two of the most entertaining, most creative Planetary Radio guests across our 20-year history about the role of …
Scientist and Hubble Repairman John Grunsfeld
December 7th, 2022
1:15:02
John Grunsfeld didn’t just ride the Space Shuttle into orbit five times. He accumulated two-and-a-half days of spacewalk time as he worked on the …
Space Policy Edition: NASA's Economic Impact with Alex MacDonald and Joshua Drucker
December 2nd, 2022
1:13:38
NASA supports nearly 340,000 jobs spread throughout every state in the union, generates billions of dollars of tax revenue, and invests in critical …
A Happy 20th Anniversary for Planetary Radio
November 30th, 2022
1:18:44
Join our celebration with Planetary Society chief executive officer Bill Nye, Society co-founder Louis Friedman, and chief operating officer Jennifer Vaughn. Incoming Planetary Radio host Sarah Al-Ahmed calls our …
Giving the University of Arizona Mirror Lab a spin
November 23rd, 2022
1:09:52
It has been on host Mat Kaplan’s bucket list for years. Join him for a tour of the cavernous Richard F. Caris Mirror Lab at the University of Arizona, where the mirrors for the Giant Magellan Telescope or GMT are being …
Voyager Mission Project Scientist Linda Spilker
November 16th, 2022
58:30
She has been heard on Planetary Radio more than any other guest. Linda Spilker returns in her new role as the Voyager project scientist, following …
Space Policy Edition: What the Congressional Midterms Means for Space Science
November 11th, 2022
58:17
Next year a new class of elected officials will enter Congress and usher in changes to the political focus and leadership of key space and science …
Ann Druyan wishes you a happy Sagan Day
November 9th, 2022
1:04:07
November 9 would have been our co-founder Carl Sagan’s 88th birthday. His professional and life partner, Ann Druyan, returns with a love story — the …
Space Policy Edition Bonus: Q&A with Casey Dreier and Bill Nye
November 4th, 2022
1:38:56
While we wait for the result of the upcoming U.S. midterm elections, enjoy this special bonus episode of Space Policy Edition featuring The Planetary …
DART smacked an asteroid! So what’s next in planetary defense?
November 2nd, 2022
56:26
The success of the Double Asteroid Redirection Test was just one more step toward protecting our world from wayward asteroids and comets. NASA Planetary Defense Officer Lindley Johnson, and Kelly Fast, the agency’s …
Meet the new Planetary Radio host! (and enjoy a beer with a cosmologist)
October 26th, 2022
48:08
Join host Mat Kaplan as he proudly introduces the person who will take on the show he created 20 years ago. Then we’ll join astrophysicist Brian …
Eyes on the Sky: Spacewatch and the Catalina Sky Survey
October 19th, 2022
1:02:36
The University of Arizona in Tucson hosts two of the most successful asteroid searches on our planet. Together, they have discovered, tracked, and …
Innovate! NASA’s leading-edge fellows share their amazing projects
October 12th, 2022
1:01:03
Mat Kaplan once again hosted the live webcast from the annual NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts or NIAC symposium. He presents a speed dating sample of highlights. How about a Mars habitat grown from mushrooms? A lunar …
Space Policy Edition: The Geopolitics of a Successful SETI Detection
October 7th, 2022
1:02:43
What would nation-states do in response to a signal from an alien intelligence? Would they compete for status and control of the message, or hope to …
Grounded: The director of the SOFIA flying observatory looks back
October 5th, 2022
44:08
The Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) made its last flight on Sept. 30, 2022. Astronomer Margaret Meixner was onboard as the huge telescope built into a 747 aircraft ended its observations of the …
Bull’s-eye! DART impacts Dimorphos, and we meet space image artist and processor Judy Schmidt
September 28th, 2022
1:08:44
They did it! The Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) spacecraft scored a direct hit on Dimorphos. We’ve got the thrilling last moments before …
Countdown to DART: Will We Move an Asteroid?
September 21st, 2022
52:43
We are less than a week from the DART spacecraft’s impact on asteroid moonlet Dimorphos as this episode is published. Mission Coordination Lead Nancy Chabot gives us a status update and a preview of what to expect …
It’s Not Just NASA: Space Agency Leaders at the Artemis 1 Launch Attempt
September 14th, 2022
1:17:59
More than 100,000 came to the Kennedy Space Center hoping to see Artemis 1 head for the Moon on August 29. Among them were leaders of the European Space Agency (ESA), the German Aerospace Center (DLR), and the Italian …
Countdown to Artemis, The Return to the Moon
September 7th, 2022
1:10:53
Come with us to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center for our special coverage of the first attempt to launch the giant Space Launch System rocket toward the Moon. You’ll hear astronaut Thomas Pesquet, “Everyday Astronaut” Tim …
Space Policy Edition: Mike Gold on Crafting the Artemis Accords
September 2nd, 2022
1:03:41
As we wait for the launch of Artemis 1, we explore the Artemis Accords: a shared set of principles for exploring space, signed now by more than …
The Voyager Mission: A 45th Anniversary Celebration
August 31st, 2022
1:18:42
Join us at the Jet Propulsion Lab for the celebration of the two Voyager spacecrafts’ 45-year journey across the solar system and beyond. Stick …
Pieces of Mars: How We’ll Get Them to Earth
August 24th, 2022
38:35
We now know the rough outline of how NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA) expect to get the samples collected by Perseverance off Mars and into …
A Venus Phosphine Scoop! The Return of Jane Greaves
August 17th, 2022
48:07
Astronomer Jane Greaves and her worldwide team have had quite a ride. It has been two years since the Cardiff University professor announced evidence of phosphine in the atmosphere of Venus. Many scientists were and …
Comets Stink! The Chemical Zoo Found at Comet Chury
August 10th, 2022
43:04
Scientists have used data collected by an exquisitely sensitive instrument on the European Space Agency’s Rosetta probe to find a stunning collection …
Space Policy Edition: Lori Garver on Bringing Change to NASA
August 5th, 2022
1:13:13
As NASA’s deputy administrator, Lori Garver fought to cancel the Constellation program and shift NASA to use commercial partnerships in spaceflight. She failed at the first but succeeded at the second. She joins the …
Citizen Science: Join the search for Martian clouds
August 3rd, 2022
35:07
NASA Jet Propulsion Lab scientists Armin Kleinboehl and Marek Slipski lead a new project that is recruiting thousands of citizen explorers. They …
New Jet Propulsion Lab Director Laurie Leshin
July 27th, 2022
1:01:08
She is only the tenth director of JPL, and the first woman to hold the position. It’s a homecoming for Laurie Leshin who got her PhD at Caltech, the …
Science from the Moon, and former NASA chief scientist Jim Green looks back
July 20th, 2022
1:19:59
Host Mat Kaplan leads with a special announcement. Then we spend a fascinating hour with the former director of NASA’s Planetary Science division and retired chief scientist Jim Green, who reports on a recent workshop …
The JWST: An Awesome New Window on the Universe Opens Wide
July 13th, 2022
1:16:54
Have you seen them? Five spectacular images have given us a taste of what’s ahead from the James Webb Space Telescope. Bill Nye will share his …
A Hero of the New Space Age: Lori Garver and Escaping Gravity
July 6th, 2022
1:19:07
No one deserves more credit for enabling the new era of commercial space development than former NASA deputy administrator Lori Garver. That includes the commercial crew program that brings astronauts to and from the …
Space Policy Edition: Pathfinder and the Birth of the Discovery Program
July 1st, 2022
1:15:35
It’s the 25th anniversary of the Pathfinder Mars mission and Sojourner, the first rover on the Red Planet. Historian Michael Neufeld joins the show to put this path blazing mission in context as the start of NASA’s …
Asteroid Day! Earth Plays Defense
June 29th, 2022
55:35
We Earthlings are making progress toward defending our planet from near-Earth objects, which is reason enough for the annual Asteroid Day celebration. Co-founder Danica Remy tells us what to expect, while Detlef …
Sail on! Bill Nye and others celebrate LightSail 2’s three years in space
June 22nd, 2022
57:02
The Planetary Society’s LightSail 2 rocketed into orbit three years ago. Society CEO Bill Nye, chief operating officer Jennifer Vaughn, and LightSail program manager Bruce Betts join Mat Kaplan for a look at the long …
Portrait of a Scientist: A Conversation with Psyche mission leader Lindy Elkins-Tanton
June 15th, 2022
1:09:39
Lindy Elkins-Tanton’s wonderful new memoir is titled, “A Portrait of the Scientist as a Young Woman.” Host Mat Kaplan talks with Lindy about this …
Planetary Radio at the Humans to Mars Summit
June 8th, 2022
1:20:52
Join host Mat Kaplan in Washington D.C. for conversations with outstanding presenters at the first in-person Humans to Mars Summit in three years. You’ll hear from Inspiration 4 astronaut Sian Proctor, chief engineer …
Space Policy Edition: Inside the Planetary Science Decadal Survey Process with Bethany Ehlmann
June 3rd, 2022
54:12
Caltech planetary scientist and Planetary Society president Bethany Ehlmann was a key player in the creation of the recently released recommendations …
Planetary Radio Live in London: The Moons Symphony
June 1st, 2022
1:39:19
Host Mat Kaplan has returned from the UK and the recording of The Moons Symphony by the London Symphony Orchestra. You’ll hear excerpts from our Planetary Radio Live show celebrating this intersection of art and science …
Cassini’s Dramatic End: A Planetary Radio Reprise
May 25th, 2022
1:01:08
With Mat Kaplan in London for Planetary Radio Live, we bring back one of the most moving events in the history of our show. The Cassini orbiter plunged into Saturn in the early hours of September 15, 2017. Hundreds …
Life, the Universe and Britney Schmidt
May 18th, 2022
1:19:27
Our in-depth, fascinating conversation with Cornell University professor Britney Schmidt touches on how we’ll recognize life when we find it elsewhere, her sub-ice exploring robotic submarine, why we need an even bigger …
Perseverance Perseveres: A Mars rover update from Ken Farley
May 11th, 2022
37:44
Perseverance, the Mars 2020 rover, has begun an exciting new phase of its mission. Project scientist Ken Farley tells us why the ancient river delta it has entered is so enticing and intriguing. Ken also salutes …
Space Policy Edition: How Russia's Invasion of Ukraine Has Changed Space, with Mariel Borowitz
May 6th, 2022
1:11:47
It's not just the ISS partnership — commercial satellites, international cooperation, and managing space debris may all be impacted by the war in Ukraine. Professor Mariel Borowitz, an expert in international space …
Heavy Metal: An encounter with the Psyche spacecraft
May 4th, 2022
46:27
Psyche is a 279 kilometer-wide (173 mile-wide) hunk of metal in space. Psyche is also a magnificent spacecraft that will soon head toward its namesake in the asteroid belt. Host Mat Kaplan recently visited the JPL clean …
The End of Astronauts?
April 27th, 2022
45:18
Do we need to send humans into space? Won't robots soon be smart enough and capable enough to do this dangerous work for us? These and other questions are explored by Martin Rees, Britain's Astronomer Royal, and …
Yuri’s Night: Join the party!
April 20th, 2022
57:58
Host Mat Kaplan joined the Los Angeles celebration of humanity becoming a spacefaring species. He talked with the Yuri’s Night founders and others under the Space Shuttle Endeavour. The much-anticipated Planetary …
Apollo 13 astronaut Fred Haise
April 13th, 2022
1:10:24
“Never panic early” is both Fred Haise’s motto and the title of his new memoir. Join us for a wonderful hour of stories about the Moon mission that …
Space Policy Edition: NASA's 2023 Budget Request
April 8th, 2022
1:05:52
The Biden administration is proposing $26 billion for NASA next year, with significant increases benefiting the Artemis program, Mars Sample Return and Earth Science missions. But not everything is good news: NEO …
Neptune Odyssey: why we need to visit an ice giant
April 6th, 2022
45:19
Recommendations made in the 2023-2032 Planetary Science and Astrobiology Decadal Survey will be revealed on April 19. One of the 11 design studies …
X-raying the universe with Martin Weisskopf
March 30th, 2022
55:37
He helped invent X-ray astronomy more than 50 years ago. Martin Weisskopf still leads the field as project scientist for the spectacular Chandra …
Legendary Space Physics Pioneer Margaret Kivelson
March 23rd, 2022
52:45
At 93, Margaret Kivelson is still at the center of space science and policy. In this charming conversation she shares anecdotes about her early life, …
Planetary Radio Special Edition: The Voyager Golden Record by Twenty Thousand Hertz
March 18th, 2022
33:15
We are honored to offer you this outstanding episode of one of our favorite podcasts. Twenty Thousand Hertz reveals the stories behind the world's most recognizable and interesting sounds. Here they present the Voyager …
Meet the first STEP Grant awardees
March 16th, 2022
1:01:02
Citizen scientists will soon have another opportunity to become part of the search for extraterrestrial intelligence, and an innovative project will use a subtle effect of sunlight to learn about near-Earth objects. …
Water, water everywhere with Bethany Ehlmann
March 9th, 2022
48:10
Planetary scientist Bethany Ehlmann has co-authored a paper presenting evidence that liquid surface water flowed on Mars as much as a billion years more recently than previously thought. That’s an extra billion years …
Space Policy Edition: Why are outer planets missions so expensive?
March 4th, 2022
1:27:36
It's the 50th anniversary of Pioneer 10, the first spacecraft to the outer planets. Pioneers 10 and 11 were scrappy, low-cost endeavors that blazed the path for future exploration. But the future has been expensive: …
5,000 worlds and counting: the success of TESS
March 2nd, 2022
48:06
Michelle Kunimoto was one of Forbes magazine’s 30 Under 30 in science. Now she leads the most successful search for exoplanets that relies on data …
Astrobiologist David Grinspoon on life, the universe and everything
February 23rd, 2022
1:04:36
Astrobiologist, planetary scientist, author and science communicator David Grinspoon has just been named a lifetime fellow of the American …
Saving the world one telescope at a time: The Shoemaker NEO grant winne
February 16th, 2022
56:48
The Planetary Society has awarded another eight Gene Shoemaker near-Earth object grants to outstanding amateur astronomers and observatories around the world. We’ll meet recipients from Chile, Croatia and the United …
The weather on brown dwarfs, and worlds on the eve of destruction
February 9th, 2022
51:55
Astrophysicists Sam Grunblatt and Johanna Vos are colleagues at the American Museum of Natural History in New York. Sam’s team has discovered giant …
Space Policy Edition: JWST and the politics of mega-science (with Robert Smith)
February 4th, 2022
1:20:45
Robert Smith shares the story of how the astronomical community decided upon the JWST as the follow-up to the Hubble Space Telescope, the coalition …
Nobel laureate John Mather: The promise of the James Webb Space Telescope
February 2nd, 2022
1:03:44
The JWST’s instruments have been turned on. Now begins the months-long preparation for observations that will reveal our universe as never before. 2006 Nobel Prize for Physics laureate John Mather is the senior project …
Worlds of snow and ice
January 26th, 2022
50:49
From Venus to Pluto, our solar system contains a myriad of planets, moons and other bodies whose surfaces are covered in snow and ice made of water …
Curiosity rolls on: Mars Science Laboratory project scientist Ashwin Vasavada
January 19th, 2022
51:53
We are approaching the 10th anniversary of Curiosity’s arrival in the Red Planet’s Gale crater. The rolling laboratory is still making profound …
We have touched the Sun: The Parker Solar Probe’s triumph
January 12th, 2022
1:01:06
The Parker Solar Probe dipped within the corona on its eighth encounter with our star. It found phenomena that have surprised and delighted …
Space Policy Edition: What We're Watching in 2022
January 7th, 2022
1:03:53
New rockets, new legislation, and a new direction for planetary exploration are just some of the major events happening in space in the coming year. D.C. Operations Chief Brendan Curry returns to the show to explore …
Return to the Moon: Spacesuits and preparing for splashdown in the Pacific
January 5th, 2022
1:05:10
NASA’s Artemis program aims to return humans to the Moon for the first time since 1972. We visit Naval Base San Diego to board the USS John P. …
A good year for space: Planetary Society all-stars review 2021
December 29th, 2021
1:11:40
Mat Kaplan and six Planetary Society colleagues review a year full of accomplishments, firsts and exciting discoveries. Society CEO Bill Nye opens …
Discovering Mars with Jim Bell and William Sheehan
December 22nd, 2021
55:42
Space historian William Sheehan and planetary scientist Jim Bell have written a fascinating history of humankind’s at least 5,000-year relationship with the Red Planet. “Discovering Mars” is filled with anecdotes about …
JWST is ready for launch and amazing science
December 15th, 2021
1:02:57
The James Webb Space Telescope will begin its mission of discovery as soon as Dec. 24. René Doyon, Heidi Hammel and Mike McElwain join us for a …
A conversation with the director of “Don’t Look Up”
December 8th, 2021
52:39
The plot of the great new movie “Don’t Look Up” is driven by a giant comet speeding toward Earth and the scientists who want to divert it. Adam McKay directed this dark comedy. He and real-life planetary defense expert …
Space Policy Edition: Astronomy Goes Big, with Heidi Hammel
December 3rd, 2021
1:17:48
The search for biosignatures on hundreds of exoplanets is the top goal for U.S. astronomers. That's the conclusion from the new, once-per-decade report from the National Academy of Sciences: Pathways to Discovery. In …
Discovering life elsewhere: How can we be sure?
December 1st, 2021
1:10:22
Is it life? NASA chief scientist Jim Green and Mary Voytek, leader of the agency’s astrobiology program, are two authors of a paper that calls for a …
Into the anthropocosmos with Ariel Ekblaw
November 24th, 2021
58:42
Ariel Ekblaw and her Space Exploration Initiative colleagues believe we are at the cusp of interplanetary civilization. They are building the tools, …
The DART asteroid impact mission begins, with Nancy Chabot
November 17th, 2021
52:44
DART coordination lead Nancy Chabot and the rest of the Double Asteroid Redirection Test team will see their spacecraft rocket toward asteroids Didymos and Dimorphos in a few days. She returns to Planetary Radio with a …
Spacecraft communications and navigation with Badri Younes
November 10th, 2021
59:32
Badri Younes says that a spacecraft that can’t communicate or find its way is worthless. He leads SCaN, NASA’s Space Communications and Navigation program, which manages resources like the agency’s Deep Space Network. …
Space Policy Edition: We're entering a new era of planetary defense (with Lindley Johnson)
November 5th, 2021
1:11:37
The first in-space test of asteroid deflection technology, DART, launches this month. Lindley Johnson, NASA's planetary defense coordination officer, …
Sarah Al Amiri and the new UAE mission to the asteroid belt
November 3rd, 2021
48:56
The chair of the United Arab Emirates space agency returns with news of an ambitious mission to explore seven asteroids. Sarah also shares the latest science from the Emirates Mars Mission Hope orbiter. The Planetary …
Sally Ride: Revisiting our 2005 conversation
October 27th, 2021
30:48
Host Mat Kaplan has wanted to reshare his first conversation with the great Sally Ride for years. Sally talks about women in space, the loss of space shuttle Challenger, and her devotion to sharing the wonders of …
Amazing Technology at the NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts Symposium
October 20th, 2021
1:18:02
Planetary Radio host Mat Kaplan interviewed NIAC Fellows about their revolutionary projects as part of the 2021 virtual symposium. You’ll hear …
Leaders of the Lucy asteroid mission
October 13th, 2021
1:02:35
A delightful, exclusive conversation with principal investigator Hal Levison, deputy principal investigator Cathy Olkin and deputy project systems …
Why didn’t Dawn land on dwarf planet Ceres?
October 6th, 2021
38:37
It started with a question from a listener. The answer comes from Dawn mission chief engineer and mission director Marc Rayman. Marc also tells us about his new job as chief engineer for mission operations and science …
Space Policy Edition: NASA's Congressional Logjam
October 1st, 2021
57:42
A polarized U.S. Congress is juggling nearly half a dozen pieces of major legislation, several of which face time-sensitive deadlines that, if …
Mars Beckons: The 2021 Humans to Mars Summit
September 29th, 2021
1:07:10
Mars all-stars gathered online for September’s annual Humans to Mars summit produced by Explore Mars. Planetary Radio host Mat Kaplan moderated three intriguing panels with participants including leaders from space …
The Wonderful: a new documentary about the International Space Station
September 22nd, 2021
58:14
Clare Lewins has created a film that takes us inside the lives of people who have lived and worked on the International Space Station. Cady Coleman …
The Case for a Return to Enceladus
September 15th, 2021
1:00:40
Morgan Cable of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory is lead author of a paper that makes a compelling argument for a mission to Saturn’s small but …
An ESCAPADE to Mars, on the cheap
September 8th, 2021
1:04:14
NASA hopes to radically reduce the price tag for exploring Mars with a mission called ESCAPADE. Principal investigator Rob Lillis and his team will send two small probes to the Red Planet in 2024 for less than $80 …
Space Policy Edition: The cultural rituals of space advocacy, with Linda Billings
September 3rd, 2021
1:26:13
Communication is culture, says Dr. Linda Billings, an expert in social science and space outreach. So what culture is summed by the types of space …
Liquid Water Under the Martian Polar Ice? Maybe Not
September 1st, 2021
42:38
It was one of the most exciting planetary science announcements in 2018: Radar from an orbiting spacecraft might have found large pools of liquid …
Europa Clipper Sails Toward Launch
August 25th, 2021
44:41
Jupiter’s moon Europa hides a vast water ocean under a protective layer of ice. The Europa Clipper mission will send a powerful orbiter to …
Cassini, Voyager and beyond with Linda Spilker
August 18th, 2021
46:44
Cassini project scientist Linda Spilker is back to describe how data from the Saturn mission that ended four years ago is behind new, trailblazing science. Linda has also rejoined the team behind NASA'S Voyager mission …
How Perseverance drives itself around Mars
August 11th, 2021
54:52
NASA’s Perseverance is driving farther and faster than any previous Mars rover, thanks to its advanced AutoNav system. Vandi Verma, the mission’s …
Space Policy Edition: Mars via the Nuclear Option
August 6th, 2021
1:10:30
Can nuclear propulsion fundamentally transform our ability to send humans to Mars? Bhavya Lal, a policy and nuclear engineering expert now working at …
Alan Stern Says It’s Time for Suborbital Science
August 4th, 2021
46:00
An experiment rode next to Richard Branson when he rocketed to the edge of space on Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo last month. Planetary scientist Alan Stern says we’ve begun a new era of affordable space research …
Andy Chaikin on Apollo 15 and the lessons of Apollo
July 28th, 2021
1:27:38
Apollo 17 commander Gene Cernan said of Andy Chaikin’s book A Man on the Moon, “I’ve been there. Chaikin took me back.” Andy returns to help us mark …
Amy Mainzer and a New Asteroid-Hunting Space Telescope
July 21st, 2021
49:14
We may finally get the powerful telescope we’ve needed to find almost all of the near-Earth objects that are big enough to destroy a city. University …
We’re Going Back to Venus
July 14th, 2021
1:02:49
Sue Smrekar and Jim Garvin woke up in June to some of the best news a planetary scientist can receive. Their complementary missions to Venus had just been given the green light by NASA. The VERITAS and DAVINCI principal …
Visiting the James Webb Space Telescope
July 7th, 2021
1:18:30
NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope is expected to be 100 times as powerful as its predecessor, the Hubble Space Telescope. We talk with three leaders …
Space Policy Edition: The Pentagon's UFO Report, Featuring Sarah Scoles
July 2nd, 2021
1:18:11
The Pentagon finally released its hotly-anticipated briefing on Unidentified Aerial Phenomena. As expected, it provided little new information, saying only that there were a number of unexplainable observations. Sarah …
Finding Life by Looking for Complexity
June 30th, 2021
56:37
University of Glasgow chemist Lee Cronin and his collaborators have developed a new way to detect life. Their "assembly theory" could give us a …
The Pearly Clouds of Mars
June 23rd, 2021
52:51
Want to see wild colors on Mars? Look up! Planetary scientist Mark Lemmon studies planetary atmospheres at the Space Science Institute. He marvels at …
Amateur Astronomers Saving the World
June 16th, 2021
1:05:25
The Planetary Society has awarded more than 60 Shoemaker near-Earth object grants to astronomers around the world, enabling them to discover, track, and characterize thousands of asteroids. We’ll hear from two of these …
Experimental Cosmologist Brian Keating
June 9th, 2021
1:34:56
How did the universe begin? Why do galaxies look the way the do? Can we see the vanishingly dim light of undiscovered worlds in the Kuiper Belt? These are some of the questions that drive Simons Observatory director …
Space Policy Edition: NASA's 2022 Budget Request Says "Yes"
June 4th, 2021
50:33
President Joe Biden's new budget proposal for NASA is very good, supporting nearly every major Planetary Society priority. It would fund science at …
Mighty Jupiter Revealed
June 2nd, 2021
1:01:32
Scott Bolton leads the Juno mission that has been orbiting and revealing Jupiter for five years. NASA has granted an extension that will keep the …
The New Great Space Observatories
May 26th, 2021
54:58
The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine will soon issue the Astro2020 Astronomy and Astrophysics Decadal Survey. It will rank four major proposals for exciting, expensive new space-based telescopes. …
Ingenuity Mars Helicopter Project Manager MiMi Aung
May 19th, 2021
54:06
The tiny Mars Helicopter Ingenuity has flown into our hearts. Project manager MiMi Aung and her team may have made it look easy, but Aung explains why it was anything but. Bruce Betts has tips for viewing the upcoming …
Defenders of Earth on Planetary Radio
May 12th, 2021
1:13:38
The 2021 Planetary Defense Conference brought together the leading scientists, policymakers and other experts who are working to protect our planet …
Space Policy Edition: How Starship at the Moon Brings NASA Closer to Mars
May 7th, 2021
53:33
In a surprise move, NASA chose SpaceX's Starship as the sole winner of its 3 billion-dollar human lunar lander development contract. Within days, …
Author Andy Weir and Project Hail Mary
May 5th, 2021
50:35
It is always such fun to welcome back Andy Weir. The author of The Martian and Artemis has just published his most entertaining and inventive novel yet. Project Hail Mary gives an unlikely protagonist the job of saving …
A Conversation with Kyoto Prize Recipient James Gunn
April 28th, 2021
1:19:30
There is no Nobel prize for astronomy, so the Kyoto Prize for Astronomy and Astrophysics may be the highest international recognition an astronomer can receive. Princeton University professor of astronomy Jim Gunn is …
Is ‘Oumuamua a Piece of a Pluto-Like Planet? And Ingenuity’s First Flight on Mars
April 21st, 2021
1:01:48
We begin with a thrilling recap of the successful first flight of NASA’s Ingenuity helicopter on Mars. Then we meet two researchers who have come up …
The High Frontier: A New Documentary About Gerard K. O’Neill
April 14th, 2021
55:23
Physicist and space pioneer Gerard K. O’Neil gathered a community of followers as he led planning for vast, magnificent human settlements in space. …
The First Space Shuttle Pilot: Bob Crippen on the 40th Anniversary of STS-1
April 7th, 2021
1:11:07
Pilot Bob Crippen and Commander John Young became the first astronauts to fly a Space Shuttle into orbit on April 12, 1981. Crippen tells host Mat Kaplan about that mission and shares many more stories from his …
Space Policy Edition: Biden Names His NASA Administrator
April 2nd, 2021
58:40
Bill Nelson, former Senator from Florida, congressional astronaut, and father of the Space Launch System, will likely be NASA's next administrator. Casey Dreier and Mat Kaplan also discuss The Planetary Society's global …
NASA’s TESS Exoplanet Mission Finds Over 2,000 Possible New Worlds
March 31st, 2021
55:01
The Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) team has just announced more than 2,200 new exoplanet candidates. Natalia Guerrero of the …
The Perseverance Rover and a Great First Month on Mars
March 24th, 2021
1:00:02
Deputy project scientists Katie Stack Morgan and Ken Williford are living on Mars time and living for Mars. We get an update from them on the work of the Mars 2020 rover. Perseverance is already accomplishing terrific …
Return From Ryugu: The Hayabusa2 Leader on His Mission’s Success
March 17th, 2021
51:05
Hayabusa2 project manager Yuichi Tsuda and his team learned a lot from Hayabusa1, Japan’s troubled-though-successful mission that returned a sample …
InSight’s Mole: A Martian Science Odyssey
March 10th, 2021
55:38
Troy Hudson and a brilliant international team created a device that would hammer its way below the surface of Mars. Mars had other ideas. The Jet …
Space Policy Edition: SpaceX's Early, Desperate Days (with Eric Berger)
March 5th, 2021
1:01:16
The SpaceX of today reuses rockets and launches people into space. But 15 years ago, the future of the company was in doubt as its Falcon 1 rocket repeatedly failed to reach orbit. Eric Berger, Senior Space Editor at …
Spinoffs: How NASA Technologies Benefit Life on Earth
March 3rd, 2021
51:36
Cleaning up water pollution, inventing inexpensive ventilators for hospitals, turning waste plastic into sidewalks, and making baby formula more …
Touchdown! The Sights and Sounds of Perseverance on Mars
February 24th, 2021
52:46
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 …
Planetfest ’21: To Mars and Back Again
February 17th, 2021
43:14
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 …
The Big Book of Mars: Our Obsession with the Red Planet
February 10th, 2021
1:01:14
Mars has commanded our attention and stimulated our imaginations for millenia. Now, as 3 more spacecraft arrive, we talk with author Marc Hartzman …
Space Policy Edition: The Big Picture on U.S. Science Funding
February 5th, 2021
1:18:30
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 …
A Cosmic Odyssey: Decades of Discovery at the Palomar Observatory
February 3rd, 2021
51:25
Astronomer Linda Schweizer spent countless hours interviewing the explorers who revolutionized astronomy through observations made at California’s …
‘Oumuamua: Avi Loeb says it may have been artificial
January 27th, 2021
55:11
Could the first object shown to have originated outside our solar system be a light sail built by an alien civilization? That’s the very …
7 More Minutes of Terror: Perseverance Arrives at Mars
January 20th, 2021
45:17
The 2020 Mars Rover will reach the Red Planet on February 18th after many months in the relative quiet of space. It will then undergo a true trial by …
Space Policy Edition: A Mob at the U.S. Capitol
January 15th, 2021
1:00:49
This is not your normal episode of the Space Policy Edition, but these are not normal times. The centuries-old U.S. tradition of the peaceful …
A Symphony for 7 Moons
January 13th, 2021
1:11:55
Composer Amanda Lee Falkenberg has created The Moons Symphony. You’ll hear excerpts from each of its 7 movements. They are inspired by and evoke 7 of …
Solar Cruiser: A Giant Sail Prepares for Space
January 6th, 2021
50:02
It is many times larger than any previous solar sail, and it will pave the way for even bigger spacecraft propelled by light. Solar Cruiser principal …
Planetary Society All-Stars Review 2020 Space Milestones
December 30th, 2020
1:11:43
Chief Scientist Bruce Betts, Editorial Director Jason Davis, Chief Advocate and Senior Space Policy Advisor Casey Dreier, and Communications Strategy …
Astronaut Stephanie Wilson Might Walk on the Moon
December 23rd, 2020
49:14
Engineer and astronaut Stephanie Wilson was a toddler when Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin visited the Moon. She may someday almost literally walk in their footsteps. Stephanie is one of 18 astronauts--9 women and 9 …
What Do You Need to Make Martian Oxygen? MOXIE!
December 16th, 2020
56:59
Mike Hecht is in charge of the MOXIE experiment on NASA’s Perseverance rover, arriving on Mars in February. The tiny device will test our ability to …
Welcoming a New Leader, and China on the Final Frontier
December 9th, 2020
59:29
Carl Sagan was first in the job. Now it has been handed to Caltech planetary scientist Bethany Ehlmann. We’ll talk with the Planetary Society’s new president about her Moon mission and more. Society CEO Bill Nye and …
Space Policy Edition: Operation Moonglow and the Global Impact of Apollo
December 4th, 2020
1:09:31
Apollo was seen as a triumph of, not for, all mankind, argues Dr. Teasel Muir-Harmony, author of the new book Operation Moonglow: A Political History …
Observatory Director Francisco Córdova on the Devastating Loss of Arecibo
December 2nd, 2020
45:16
The 900-ton instrument platform suspended high above the giant Arecibo dish crashed downward in the early morning hours of December 1st. Host Mat Kaplan had recorded a conversation with the leader of the observatory …
More Moon Water and an Update from Venus on Our 18th Anniversary!
November 25th, 2020
53:48
We celebrate 18 years of Planetary Radio with two great features and 10 personal questions for host Mat Kaplan from Planetary Society Chief Scientist Bruce Betts. Astronomer Jane Greaves is back with an update on the …
Revealing Mars From Above, and Crew Dragon is Go!
November 18th, 2020
1:01:32
Jeffrey Plaut and Richard Zurek are the project scientists for two of the most successful and long-lived Mars missions. Their orbiters, Mars Odyssey …
Space Policy Edition: NASA's Post-Election Landscape
November 13th, 2020
56:53
The United States' 2020 elections are over. What do the results mean for NASA in the years ahead? To help answer that question, we welcome back …
A Rogue World Wanders as PlanetVac Heads for the Moon and Mars
November 11th, 2020
55:26
In a jam-packed episode, we’ll talk to a discoverer of a distant, lonely planet that wanders the galaxy, and then turn to plans to send a …
A Return to Asteroid Mining, and Digging Into Space Ethics with Joel Sercel
November 4th, 2020
1:07:27
At least two ambitious, smart asteroid mining companies have gone bust. Joel Sercel makes the case that his new effort comes at a much better time, and with a better approach. He’ll also share his audacious plan for …
A Deep Dive into Asteroid Bennu With Dante Lauretta
October 28th, 2020
44:59
We are joined by the leader of the OSIRIS-REx mission that sampled an asteroid last week. Dante reveals just how brilliantly successful the encounter …
We Have Sampled an Asteroid! And the Search for Life Above Venus
October 21st, 2020
50:11
OSIRIS-REx has done it! We have special coverage of the spacecraft’s successful collection of a sample from asteroid Bennu. Then we talk with Jane …
Beyond Earth’s Edge: A Celebrity Space Poetry Jam!
October 14th, 2020
1:07:57
Beyond Earth’s Edge: The Poetry of Spaceflight is the new and outstanding collection of poems edited by Julie Swarstad Johnson and Christopher …
Protectors of Earth! (and Other Worlds)
October 7th, 2020
1:09:54
Protecting worlds like Earth and Mars from microscopic invaders carried by human and robot visitors was just one of the scores of topics covered at this year’s Humans to Mars summit. Mat Kaplan moderated a panel …
Space Policy Edition: Divining Biden's Space Policy with Jeff Foust
October 2nd, 2020
53:25
A month before the U.S. election Joe Biden's campaign has yet to state its goals for space and NASA. We asked Jeff Foust, one of the best space reporters in the business, to help us piece together a working model of a …
Exploring the Cosmos With Heidi Hammel and AURA
September 30th, 2020
58:55
AURA, the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, is the organization that oversees operation of many of our world’s most powerful …
A Fond Farewell: Solar System Specialist Emily Lakdawalla
September 23rd, 2020
1:10:44
Emily Lakdawalla was on the very first episode of Planetary Radio, and has been heard on hundreds since then. The planetary evangelist returns for a conversation like no other. Planetary Society CEO Bill Nye shares his …
Have We Found Evidence of Life on Venus?
September 16th, 2020
48:26
An international team has detected phosphine gas in the clouds above Venus. Naturally-produced phosphine on Earth is created by anaerobic bacteria. …
Space Policy Edition: The Moon-to-Mars Strategy, with Dr. Scott Pace
September 11th, 2020
51:42
How spacefaring nations prioritize funding can be just as important, if not more so, than the capabilities of the commercial sector, says Dr. Mary Lynne Dittmar, President and CEO of the Coalition for Deep Space …
A Planetary Mystery is Solved, and it’s Bill Nye’s Anniversary!
September 9th, 2020
56:07
JPL’s Marc Rayman, former Dawn mission director, reveals the secrets of those bright spots on dwarf planet Ceres. First though we celebrate Bill Nye’s 10th anniversary as CEO of The Planetary Society. Chief Operating …
The Sirens of Mars Call to Us
September 2nd, 2020
52:40
Georgetown University planetary scientist Sarah Stewart Johnson has written a beautiful book that chronicles our long quest for life on the Red …
Katie Mack and The End of Everything
August 26th, 2020
48:11
Known as Astrokatie to her 370 thousand Twitter followers, astrophysicist and cosmologist Katie Mack has written a funny, fantastic guide to the end …
Make Room! Worlds May Crowd Some Habitable Zones
August 19th, 2020
57:17
Newly-published research led by Stephen Kane finds room for as many as 6 habitable zone planets around some stars. Why then is Earth on its own? The …
Another Ray Gun Heads for Mars. We Hear It Working.
August 12th, 2020
48:43
First there was ChemCam on Mars rover Curiosity. Now, SuperCam is on its way to the Red Planet aboard Perseverance. We’ll talk with principal investigator Roger Wiens about the new and improved, laser-firing instrument …
Space Policy Edition: Why the SLS is a National Asset, and Why That Matters
August 7th, 2020
1:31:30
How spacefaring nations prioritize funding can be just as important, if not more so, than the capabilities of the commercial sector, says Dr. Mary Lynne Dittmar, President and CEO of the Coalition for Deep Space …
Crew Dragon Triumphant, and a Planetary Society Founder Remembers
August 5th, 2020
1:18:13
Astronaut and former SpaceX director of space operations Garrett Reisman returns to help us celebrate and appreciate the just-completed first crewed …
Hope Leads the Way to Mars
July 29th, 2020
58:31
An exclusive conversation with science lead Sarah Al Amiri and project director Omran Sharaf of the Emirates Mars Mission. Their Hope orbiter is now on its way to the red planet. NASA Associate Administrator Thomas …
A Mars Mission Begins, a Comet Exits, and the Future of Planetary Science
July 22nd, 2020
1:09:05
The United Arab Emirates Hope spacecraft has begun its journey to Mars. We’ll join a virtual launch party attended by mission leaders, NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine, National Air and Space Museum director Ellen …
3 Billion Years Ago: Was Mars Alive?
July 15th, 2020
1:03:37
Perseverance, NASA’s 2020 rover, leaves for the Red Planet in just days. Deputy project scientist Ken Williford tells us how it will look for signs of past life where there was once a Martian lake. He’ll also take us …
To Pluto and Beyond with Alan Stern
July 8th, 2020
52:06
It has been 5 years since the New Horizons probe revealed beautiful, surprising Pluto, and 18 months since it showed us the odd little body now known …
Space Policy Edition: A Trillion-Dollar Space Economy?
July 3rd, 2020
1:04:06
Dr. Bhavya Lal joins the show to discuss the size of the space economy, where it's going, and how the term itself can mean many different things to many different people. In a world filled with breathless claims about …
Jim Bell Sends New Eyes to Mars
July 1st, 2020
53:51
Mastcam-Z is the main camera system that will soon leave for Mars as part of the Perseverance rover. Mastcam-Z Principal Investigator Jim Bell is …
China on the Final Frontier
June 24th, 2020
51:40
Low Earth orbit, the Moon, Mars, even Neptune and the edge of the solar system--China’s ambitious plans for space exploration and development are …
LightSail 2: A Year of Solar Sailing
June 17th, 2020
51:31
The LightSail 2 team and 50,000 supporters around the world will celebrate the little spacecraft’s first anniversary on orbit in a few days. Planetary Society Chief Operating Officer Jennifer Vaughn remembers the long …
Staying Alive in Space
June 10th, 2020
57:07
Keeping humans alive and well in space is hard enough. How will this be accomplished on a 3-year journey to Mars and back? Paragon President and CEO Grant Anderson shares the great progress we’ve made and the remaining …
Space Policy Edition: NASA’s Gamble Pays Off
June 5th, 2020
1:17:25
SpaceX's Crew Dragon safely carried 2 astronauts to the ISS, nearly a decade after NASA made a huge bet on commercial partnerships to solve a problem …
Crew Dragon Thrills While Mars Chills
June 3rd, 2020
48:06
This episode opens with a special message about The Planetary Society’s response to recent news, followed by a period of silence that marks the …
Celebrating 30 Years of Hubble with Astronaut John Grunsfeld
May 27th, 2020
1:01:52
Former astronaut and NASA Associate Administrator John Grunsfeld is often called the Hubble Repairman. He made three space shuttle trips to the space telescope to repair and upgrade it. Now he looks back over three …
Crew Dragon Deep Dive with Astronaut Garrett Reisman
May 20th, 2020
43:47
Engineer and former astronaut Garrett Reisman spent four months on the International Space Station before moving to SpaceX. Ten years of work at the …
Looking for Life in Alien Oceans
May 13th, 2020
53:01
Jet Propulsion Lab astrobiologist Kevin Hand has just written Alien Oceans: The Search for Life in the Depths of Space. Kevin and Mat explore these …
The Crew Dragon Countdown Begins, With Former NASA Deputy Administrator Lori Garver
May 6th, 2020
58:02
Lori Garver may have been the strongest advocate of commercial space development in her days at NASA. Now one of that program’s greatest goals is about to achieved with the flight of American astronauts to the …
Space Policy Edition: Our Moral Obligation to Explore Space
May 1st, 2020
1:11:17
Are we morally obligated to pursue space exploration? What ethical considerations should we consider when creating space policy? Philosopher James …
Life on Mars: Joining the Quest with Penny Boston and Jim Green
April 29th, 2020
55:34
Mat Kaplan recently hosted the first of a series of Explore Mars live and interactive events. NASA astrobiologist Penelope Boston and NASA Chief …
The Royal Astronomical Society at 200
April 22nd, 2020
1:13:16
“The object of THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY shall be the encouragement and promotion of Astronomy, Solar-System Sciences, Geophysics and closely …
NASA Administrator James Bridenstine Returns
April 15th, 2020
49:35
We talk with NASA’s leader about how the agency is meeting the challenge of the pandemic. He looks forward to the future with confidence as he offers updates on projects including the Perseverance Mars rover, the …
The Slime Mold and the Universe
April 8th, 2020
50:58
How could a lowly slime mold help researchers understand the distribution of dark matter and galaxies across the cosmos? Joseph Burchett and Oskar …
Space Policy Edition: Our Equinox Space Policy Briefing
April 3rd, 2020
1:06:38
The coronavirus pandemic reminds us that everything we do in space depends on what we do here on Earth. The impacts on space exploration are being …
The Next 10 Years: Continuing our Solar System Tour
April 1st, 2020
1:18:25
Our survey of the solar system in anticipation of the next planetary science decadal survey continues with Mars, the big outer planets, and the …
The Next 10 Years…An Introduction to the Decadal Survey
March 25th, 2020
1:09:05
Preparations at NASA are underway for creation of the next planetary science decadal survey, a roadmap intended to guide exploration of our solar …
Building Our Future on Mars
March 18th, 2020
57:32
How will we build the structures, roads and landing pads humans will someday need on Mars? Civil engineer Peter Carrato has been building grand structures on Earth for decades. He says the skills we’ve learned over …
The Return of Cosmos and Ann Druyan
March 11th, 2020
47:03
Cosmos: Possible Worlds is the third season of the beautiful, groundbreaking television series helmed by the late Carl Sagan’s widow and partner, Ann …
Space Policy Edition: NASA's 2021 Budget Request Brings Billions
March 6th, 2020
1:06:41
It's officially budget season! NASA's fiscal year 2021 budget request is out, and it proposes billions of dollars of new funding for Project Artemis. …
African Eyes Look to the Cosmos
March 4th, 2020
58:48
One people, one sky. That motto belongs to Astronomers Without Borders. Its founder and retired leader, Mike Simmons, recently brought a guest to Planetary Society headquarters. Olayinka Fagbemiro is with the Nigerian …
The Search for 100 Earths
February 26th, 2020
45:17
Yale astronomer Debra Fischer has spent decades hunting for exoplanets. Now she leads the 100 Earths project that includes the Lowell Observatory and astrophysicist Joe Llama. Debra and Joe join us for a conversation …
Life=Matter+Information: Paul Davies and the Demon in the Machine
February 19th, 2020
1:10:27
Physicist, cosmologist, astrobiologist and author Paul Davies’ new book explores what he believes to be the defining quality of life on Earth and …
Another Goldilocks World and the Space Telescope That Discovered It
February 12th, 2020
51:27
The planet has the less than romantic name TOI 700 d, but its discovery has generated passion among those searching for another Earth, including Emily Gilbert. The graduate student is lead author of a paper about the …
Space Policy Edition: Is the Moon a Stepping-Stone or a Cornerstone for Mars? (with Laura Seward Forczyk)
February 7th, 2020
1:13:28
A new bill from the House of Representatives threatens to upend NASA's Artemis program and refocus the space agency on sending humans to Mars by …
A Great Space Observatory Goes Dark: The Legacy of Spitzer
February 5th, 2020
1:24:58
The Spitzer Space Telescope, one of NASA’s four great space observatories, was decommissioned on January 30. Mat Kaplan celebrates its discoveries and legacy with three leaders of the mission in this special extended …
Mighty Jupiter Revealed
January 29th, 2020
31:54
It’s more massive than all the other planets combined. In nearly four years at Jupiter the Juno spacecraft has returned science that is …
The Coming Descent to Asteroid Bennu
January 22nd, 2020
1:02:35
After a year of circling close to near-Earth asteroid Bennu, the OSIRIS REx spacecraft is almost ready to dip down and collect a surface sample for …
The MILO Institute: Opening the Solar System for Exploration by All
January 15th, 2020
59:45
Planetary scientist and bestselling author Jim Bell is joined by space entrepreneur Lon Levin to tell us about the MILO Institute, a new …
Space Policy Edition: Houston, We Have a Space Force (with Brian Weeden)
January 10th, 2020
1:08:11
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? How big of a deal is …
In the Clean Room With the Mars 2020 Rover
January 8th, 2020
47:34
Put on your bunny suit! You’re invited to join Mat Kaplan and Emily Lakdawalla in the Jet Propulsion Lab clean room with the Mars 2020 rover. You’ll …
Planetary Society All-Stars Look Back at 2019 and Ahead to 2020
January 1st, 2020
1:17:08
Happy new year in space! Editorial Director Jason Davis, Chief Advocate Casey Dreier and Solar System Specialist Emily Lakdawalla join Mat Kaplan for …
What’s Next for Mars Exploration?
December 25th, 2019
46:55
The Red Planet is slowly revealing its deepest secrets, but there’s much more to learn. The biggest mystery is whether it has ever been home to life. Caltech and JPL planetary scientist Bethany Ehlmann lays out the path …
Meet the Planetary Society’s Newest Asteroid Hunters
December 18th, 2019
38:51
Six amateur astronomers and small observatories around the world have just been named as the recipients of the 2019 Eugene Shoemaker Near Earth Object grants. You’ll meet an Italian who watches the skies in Sicily and a …
The Creators of The Expanse
December 11th, 2019
1:04:55
Season 4 of The Expanse is about to begin on Amazon Prime. Host Mat Kaplan visits with the authors of the eight novels (so far) that are the basis of this outstanding hard science fiction series that begins with …
Space Policy Edition: The Biggest Policy Moments of the Decade (with Marcia Smith)
December 6th, 2019
1:37:01
As the 2010s come to a close, Marcia Smith, the founder of Space Policy Online, rejoins the show to explore the most significant and impactful space …
A Toast to Alcohol in Space
December 4th, 2019
46:17
They are not for everyone, but there’s no doubt that alcoholic beverages have been part of human culture for as long as there has been human culture. …
Seeking the Killer Space App with Space Tango
November 27th, 2019
51:02
Organizations are using the microgravity environment of the International Space Station to develop unique new products. One of them is Kentucky-based Space Tango. We’ll meet its chairman and co-founder and the woman who …
Space Books and Gifts for Space Kids of all Ages
November 20th, 2019
49:33
Our own Emily Lakdawalla, Planetary Society senior editor and book lover, shares her 2019 list of space books for everyone, from infant to adult. She …
A Passionate Conversation with Carolyn Porco
November 13th, 2019
1:27:41
The outspoken planetary scientist who led the Cassini imaging team finally sits down with Mat Kaplan for a revealing, fun conversation. We also talk with astronomer Jay Pasachoff while he watches tiny Mercury crawl …
Our Mysterious Sister: Venus
November 6th, 2019
49:53
Astrophysicist Javier Peralta takes us deep into the thick, fast-moving clouds of the world that is still called Earth's sister by some. Venus is slow to reveal its secrets. Jason Davis helps us celebrate the 50th …
Space Policy Edition: How a Report Can Move Mountains
November 1st, 2019
1:30:28
How can a simple report—just words on a page—lead to creation of a spacecraft? We explore how a 2019 report on the need for a dedicated, space-based telescope to find threatening near-Earth asteroids motivated NASA to …
Finding Wonder and Meaning in a Book by Carl Sagan’s Daughter
October 30th, 2019
50:37
Bill Nye says of Sasha Sagan’s new book, “Sagan finds the meaning of life everywhere—with her family, around the world, and especially among the stars of the cosmos. Read her work; you’ll have a deeper appreciation for …
How Long Was Mars Wet?
October 23rd, 2019
28:51
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. Long enough for life to appear and thrive? New work comparing Earth’s …
NASA’s Home for the Bleeding Edge: The 2019 NIAC Symposium
October 16th, 2019
1:17:58
The NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts program gathers its “fellows” each year to share what they’ve learned about some of the most fascinating science and engineering imaginable. Mat Kaplan visits with Program Executive …
Space Policy Edition: Happy Fiscal New Year!
October 11th, 2019
56:35
October 1st kicked off federal fiscal year 2020—a day that should also have kicked off a new budget for NASA. But Congress has not funded the space …
Nobel Prize Winner Michel Mayor…and More
October 9th, 2019
47:08
Astronomer and astrophysicist Michel Mayor has just been awarded the 2019 Nobel Prize for physics. Listen to Mat’s 2016 conversation with this revered scientist, the first to discover an exoplanet. The Beresheet …
How to Defend Your Planet
October 2nd, 2019
45:27
Planetary scientist Vishnu Reddy studies space objects ranging from satellite debris to planet-killing asteroids. He shares the status of our effort to avoid the fate of the dinosaurs in a conversation with host Mat …
Ad Astra: The Movie!
September 25th, 2019
51:06
Brad Pitt sets out across the solar system to save Earth in the new space epic. Host Mat Kaplan enjoys a far-reaching conversation with the …
How to Build a Starship: The 2019 Starship Congress
September 18th, 2019
1:07:45
The biannual Starship Congress attracts starry-eyed believers in humankind’s destiny among the stars. We talk with several of them about their ideas …
The Unexpected Space Center: Los Alamos National Laboratory
September 11th, 2019
49:00
This US research center has been part of more than 200 space missions, but it’s not a NASA facility! The Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico gave the Voyager spacecraft their power sources, is building nuclear …
Space Policy Edition: Why Apollo Ended (with John Logsdon)
September 6th, 2019
1:49:14
As NASA struggles to return humans to the Moon by 2024, it's worth asking: why did it stop in the first place? Space historian John Logsdon joins the …
A Comet’s Legacy, and a Helicopter is Ready for Mars
September 4th, 2019
1:01:12
First we return to JPL for an update on the Mars Helicopter that has just been attached to the belly of the 2020 Mars Rover. Then it’s across the pond for a review of the amazing science coming from the Rosetta mission …
What Will You Send to the Moon?
August 28th, 2019
44:20
Astrobotic is one of several companies that are building small, robotic landers to take commercial payloads to the surface of the Moon. With a new contract from NASA to support his company’s work, CEO John Thornton …
NASA’s Red Planet Rick and Putting Humans on Mars
August 21st, 2019
1:04:20
Rick Davis is the perfect person to co-lead NASA’s Mars Human Landing Sites Study. No one is more devoted to putting human bootprints on the Red Planet. He returns to Planetary Radio for this inspiring and informative …
Reflections of Humanity in a Spacesuit for Moonwalkers
August 14th, 2019
1:07:40
Host Mat Kaplan in a long and fascinating conversation with Nicholas de Monchaux, author of Spacesuit: Fashioning Apollo. This great book is about …
Planetary Radio Live at Science Museum Oklahoma
August 7th, 2019
1:14:47
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 …
Planetary Radio Live with Bill Nye at Science Museum Oklahoma
August 7th, 2019
1:14:47
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 …
Space Policy Edition: The Home Front During Apollo (with Emily Margolis)
August 2nd, 2019
1:23:26
Did the public support Project Apollo? Dr. Emily Margolis joins the show to explore the domestic politics and cultural impact of the space age …
A Helicopter for Mars and a Major LightSail Announcement
July 31st, 2019
37:40
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 …
Ready to Sail! LightSail 2 Deploys its Silvery Wings
July 24th, 2019
39:29
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 …
Apollo 11 and the Woman Who Helped Get It Home
July 17th, 2019
55:27
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 …
We’re Sending a Flying Machine to Titan
July 10th, 2019
56:45
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 …
Space Policy Edition: Why Apollo Happened (with Roger Launius)
July 5th, 2019
1:45:17
Half a century has passed since Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin imprinted humanity's first footsteps upon another world. Apollo 11 was the culmination …
LightSail Takes Flight!
July 3rd, 2019
50:29
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 …
The News From Saturn-With Linda Spilker
June 26th, 2019
38:28
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 …
Flight by Light: A LightSail 2 Mission Preview
June 19th, 2019
48:22
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 …
Quasars and Quanta: Exploring Einstein’s Quantum Riddle
June 12th, 2019
58:16
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 …
Space Policy Edition: The Soviet Moonshot (with Asif Siddiqi)
June 7th, 2019
2:03:54
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 …
Starchaser: Extraordinary Astronomer Jay Pasachoff
June 5th, 2019
1:01:21
Jay Pasachoff visits Planetary Society headquarters for a conversation about the latest edition of his and Alex Filippenko’s monumental textbook The …
Sharing a Passion for Mars at the Humans to Mars Summit
May 29th, 2019
55:14
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 …
Talking with NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine
May 22nd, 2019
45:09
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 …
BONUS: Introducing Science Rules! with Bill Nye
May 17th, 2019
4:05
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 …
A Last Visit With LightSail 2 at the Cubesat Developers Workshop
May 15th, 2019
45:05
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 …
Planetary Radio Live Defends Planet Earth!
May 8th, 2019
53:30
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 …
Space Policy Edition: Lessons From the Moonshot That Never Was-With Mark Albrecht
May 3rd, 2019
1:29:20
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. …
The Skies of Super-Earths and Mini-Neptunes
May 1st, 2019
55:30
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 …
Lucy in the Sky With Asteroids
April 24th, 2019
47:23
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 …
The Triumph of a Failed Moon Landing
April 17th, 2019
38:00
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. …
Celebrating Yuri’s Night with Legendary Astronaut Story Musgrave
April 10th, 2019
44:06
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 …
Space Policy Edition: T-minus Five Years and Counting
April 5th, 2019
1:01:18
Can NASA return astronauts to the Moon by 2024? Vice President Mike Pence shocked the space community by announcing this ambitious new goal just …
Ice Worlds, Landing on the Moon and Blasting an Asteroid
April 3rd, 2019
41:45
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 …
Dunes, Walnut Shells, Alien Impostors and Other Worlds: A Visit with Sarah Hörst
March 27th, 2019
1:33:38
A very special, extended conversation with Johns Hopkins University planetary scientist Sarah Hörst is capped by a tour of her fascinating lab. …
Bill Nye and Planetary Radio Live at Extreme STEAM
March 20th, 2019
1:10:23
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 …
Boosters, Breakthroughs and Budgets: Canada and the US Look Toward Space
March 13th, 2019
35:14
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 …
China on the Final Frontier
March 6th, 2019
51:32
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 …
Space Policy Edition: When a (Space) Cowboy Came to Washington
March 1st, 2019
1:29:57
Historian John Logsdon discusses his new book, Ronald Reagan and the Space Frontier. It explores the legacy of the 40th president’s major space …
An Israeli Lander Launches Toward the Moon
February 27th, 2019
48:03
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, …
A Fond Farewell to Spirit and Opportunity
February 20th, 2019
1:08:45
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 …
Watching the Births of Solar Systems
February 13th, 2019
40:35
Radio telescopes are delivering stunning images that, in some cases, current optical telescopes can’t equal. Witness the 20 beautiful protoplanetary …
The DART Mission: Learning How to Swat Dangerous Asteroids
February 6th, 2019
47:17
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 …
Space Policy Edition: Should the U.S. be in a space race with China?
February 1st, 2019
1:06:01
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 …
Where Do We Come From? The Origin of Life
January 30th, 2019
54:42
Astrobiology is the discipline that explores the origin of life in the universe, and whether life exists anywhere other than Earth. It’s an …
Asteroid Bennu’s Visitor From Earth
January 23rd, 2019
31:32
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, …
Space Policy Edition: Shutdown
January 18th, 2019
58:54
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 …
Flying the Skies of Saturn’s Moon Titan
January 16th, 2019
45:47
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 …
New Horizons Flyby: Join the Celebration!
January 9th, 2019
1:02:19
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, …
A Mission to Earth: OSIRIS-REx
January 2nd, 2019
37:01
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. …
Countdown to Ultima: Alan Stern and New Horizons
December 26th, 2018
42:28
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 …
Earthrise! The 50th Anniversary of Apollo 8
December 19th, 2018
50:52
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, …
At the Space Settlement Summit With Former NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden
December 12th, 2018
50:06
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 …
Space Policy Edition: Canada's Uncertain Future in Space (with Kate Howells)
December 7th, 2018
1:07:56
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, …
Last Week, Mars. This week, An Asteroid Called Bennu.
December 5th, 2018
40:17
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 …
A Great Day for Space Explorers: The Landing of InSight
November 28th, 2018
59:36
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 …
We Know Where the 2020 Rover Will Look for Martian Life
November 21st, 2018
42:34
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 …
Space Policy Edition: After the Midterms—Looking Ahead with Marcia Smith
November 16th, 2018
50:08
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 …
Moon Mission 3D from Queen Guitarist Brian May and David Eicher
November 14th, 2018
35:13
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 …
Where Do We Come From? – Exploring the Origins of Life Lab
November 7th, 2018
38:27
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 …
Celebrating Kepler
October 31st, 2018
43:04
The Kepler mission has ended. Listen to highlights of the October 30th media briefing that included the father of the fantastically successful …
Sailing to an Asteroid on the Light of the Sun
October 24th, 2018
49:25
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 …
Back to Saturn for Brand New Cassini Science
October 17th, 2018
36:23
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 …
Celebrating Astronomy Day with the Giant Magellan Telescope
October 10th, 2018
1:00:37
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 …
Space Policy Edition: How NASA Came to Be
October 5th, 2018
1:09:27
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 …
John Logsdon on the Dawn of the Space Age
October 3rd, 2018
48:48
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 …
SpaceX Builds a Big Falcon Rocket
September 26th, 2018
40:55
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 …
Return to Fiery Mercury With BepiColombo
September 19th, 2018
37:26
Elsa Montagnon is Spacecraft Operations Manager for the European/Japanese mission leaving for our solar system’s innermost planet very soon. She …
Opportunity, Phone Home!
September 12th, 2018
33:30
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 …
Space Policy Edition: Did NASA Ace its Midterms? With Special Guest Louise Prockter
September 7th, 2018
1:25:07
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 …
Big Science, Big Rocket at the Marshall Space Flight Center
September 5th, 2018
1:20:09
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 …
Space, Rockets, and a Senatorial Encounter in Huntsville, Alabama
August 29th, 2018
56:12
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 …
Pluto Occults! Join Us on the Mountain
August 22nd, 2018
36:24
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 …
Giving Mysterious Venus the Love (and Science) She Deserves
August 15th, 2018
55:55
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 …
Dark Energy’s Co-Discoverer and the Leader of Chinese Space Science
August 8th, 2018
39:25
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 …
Space Policy Edition: Destination…Mars? Contradictions and Principles
August 3rd, 2018
1:00:01
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 …
Diving Into That Lake on Mars
August 1st, 2018
47:34
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 …
Hayabusa2 Reaches a Dark Diamond in Space
July 25th, 2018
53:21
Japan’s Hayabusa2 is just 6 kilometers from asteroid Ryugu as it prepares to snatch samples of the space rock for return to Earth. ISAS/JAXA Director General and former Hayabusa Mission Project Manager Hitoshi Kuninaka …
An African Observatory Hunts Killer Asteroids
July 18th, 2018
42:56
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 …
Something Old and Something New: Exciting Research on the International Space Station
July 11th, 2018
50:46
Sextants have helped sailors find their way across oceans for centuries. Now one is onboard the International Space Station so that astronauts can …
Space Policy Edition: Space Force! With Special Guest Brian Weeden
July 6th, 2018
1:46:33
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 …
Dwarf Planet Ceres Thrills as a Dying Visitor Closes In
July 4th, 2018
32:08
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 …
It’s Asteroid Week with NASA’s Planetary Defense Officer
June 27th, 2018
40:45
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. …
Kathryn Sullivan, Space Dentistry and More at the International Space Development Conference
June 20th, 2018
45:51
Freeman Dyson wasn’t the only space star at the ISDC. Mat talks with former astronaut and NOAA Administrator Kathryn Sullivan, leaders of the …
A Conversation with Freeman Dyson
June 13th, 2018
39:40
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 …
It’s Rocket Science: Testing PlanetVac in the Mojave Desert
June 6th, 2018
48:59
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 …
Space Policy Edition: Space Policy Directive 2—This Time it's Commercial
June 1st, 2018
1:11:49
President Trump just signed a new space policy directive targeting the regulations surrounding commercial spaceflight. Casey Dreier, Jason Davis and …
A Sacred Place: The National Air and Space Museum with Ellen Stofan
May 30th, 2018
35:00
Planetary geologist Ellen Stofan has just become Director of the most popular museum in the United States. The NASM protects and shares the greatest …
Chasing New Horizons to Pluto with Alan Stern and David Grinspoon
May 23rd, 2018
54:49
The New Horizons mission was a triumph, revealing Pluto as an utterly unique and beautiful world. But the mission first had to survive challenge …
Why Mars? We’ve Got the Answers
May 16th, 2018
38:54
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 …
Amy Mainzer: Asteroid Hunter
May 9th, 2018
36:21
After taking over 10 million images of more than 30,000 solar system objects, the NEOWISE mission is finally in its last months. Principal …
Space Policy Edition: A Commercial Future for the Space Station?
May 4th, 2018
1:03:04
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. …
All Shook Up: The InSight Mission to Mars
May 2nd, 2018
1:21:51
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 …
Planetary Radio Live! – Celebrating Curiosity on Mars
April 25th, 2018
1:35:22
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 …
Yuri’s Night 2018!
April 18th, 2018
54:38
Host Mat Kaplan once again attends the worldwide party for space. Join him at the Los Angeles celebration under Space Shuttle Endeavour. You’ll …
Visiting the Earth-Like Worlds of TRAPPIST-1
April 11th, 2018
31:24
We have begun to understand the composition of worlds that are hundreds of trillions of kilometers from Earth. Astronomer Nikole Lewis is co-leader …
Space Policy Edition: Lori Garver on what a NASA Administrator (and Deputy) actually does
April 6th, 2018
1:17:07
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 …
AI, Space, and Humanity’s Future—A Conversation with David Brin
April 4th, 2018
1:08:03
The multi-award winning science fiction author, futurist and speaker returns to Planetary Radio for a wide-ranging conversation about robots and …
A Space Station Crashes to Earth
March 28th, 2018
50:01
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 …
Stephen Hawking: Spaceflight Pioneer!
March 21st, 2018
39:07
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 …
Amateur Astronomers Work To Save Earth From Asteroids!
March 14th, 2018
36:35
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 …
Visiting the Birthplace of PlanetVac
March 7th, 2018
44:54
Space is hard. Sample collection and return is harder still. That’s why the radically-simplified PlanetVac system from Honeybee Robotics is so …
Space Policy Edition #23 - Blitzing Congress: Planetary Society volunteers visit Capitol Hill
March 2nd, 2018
35:34
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 …
Experience A Message From Earth - Inspired by the Voyager Golden Record
February 28th, 2018
49:05
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 …
The Eyes of a New Mars Rover: Mastcam-Z
February 21st, 2018
49:33
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 …
Space Policy Edition Special: The 2019 President’s Budget Request Unveiled
February 16th, 2018
53:13
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? …
A New Congressional Caucus Backs Planetary Science
February 14th, 2018
42:00
Republican Randy Hultgren and Democrat Derek Kilmer celebrate formation of the new bipartisan, bicameral caucus of US representatives and senators. …
Space, SETI, the Singularity and Shostak
February 7th, 2018
59:05
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?Learn more about your ad choices. Visit …
Space Policy Edition #21: Bill Nye and the State of the Union
February 2nd, 2018
30:29
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 …
Going to Sea to Sail Through Space: Orion Ocean Recovery Testing
January 31st, 2018
38:32
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.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit …
Living in Space!
January 24th, 2018
37:57
Mat Kaplan talks with participants in the National Space Society’s recent Space Settlement Summit about human destiny in space.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
See omnystudio.com/listener …
It’s a Hard Rain on Titan
January 17th, 2018
43:42
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 …
Mysterious Tabby’s Star, With Tabby Herself
January 10th, 2018
44:47
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 …
Space Policy Edition #20: Looking back on the year in space policy. Also, your questions!
January 5th, 2018
1:03:49
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?Learn more …
Looking Back, Looking Forward with the Planetary Society All-Stars
January 3rd, 2018
1:18:52
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.Learn …
Flowing Water on Mars? Not So Much
December 27th, 2017
30:59
Mars scientists dubbed them recurring slope lineae or RSLs. They sure looked like evidence of liquid water flowing down hillsides and ridges on the …
Exploring the Latest Planetary Science Discoveries With Emily Lakdawalla
December 20th, 2017
37:57
A holiday edition of Planetary Radio welcomes the Planetary Society’s Senior Editor back from the annual meeting of the American Geophysical Union. …
President Trump Sets Course for the Moon
December 13th, 2017
31:54
On December 11th President Donald Trump signed a memorandum that firmly points the US space effort toward the Moon, but without providing many …
A Visitor From the Stars: ‘Oumuamua
December 6th, 2017
47:24
The first confirmed interstellar visitor to our solar system is a needle-shaped asteroid given the Hawaiian name ‘Oumuamua. Karen Meech leads the …
Space Policy Edition #19: When did the private space age begin? Much earlier than you think.
December 1st, 2017
1:32:59
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 Quincy Adams, James Lick, or Charles Yerkes? Space economist and …
Bob Richards of Moon Express
November 29th, 2017
58:23
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 …
Canada Rises…And So Does the Sun
November 22nd, 2017
32:31
Canada has a new Space Advisory Board, and The Planetary Society’s Kate Howells is a member.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
See …
The Honorable Adam Schiff: Another Congressional Space Enthusiast
November 15th, 2017
36:09
Congressman Adam Schiff’s California district includes the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. He is as enthusiastic a fan of the final frontier as you are …
Andy Weir’s New Novel Puts a City on the Moon
November 8th, 2017
50:28
The author of #1 bestseller "The Martian" is back with "Artemis," a superbly-researched, rollicking adventure in the first city on the Moon. Learn …
Space Policy Edition #18: Jim Bridenstine vs. the Senate and First Meeting of the National Space Council
November 3rd, 2017
59:46
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 …
André Bormanis and Emily Lakdawalla on Life, the Universe and Everything
November 1st, 2017
1:06:55
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 …
Searching for ET With Pete Worden
October 25th, 2017
41:07
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 …
Pamela Gay and the Image Detective
October 18th, 2017
38:45
Astronomer Pamela Gay tells us how anyone can work with images of Earth taken by astronauts, turning them into terrific scientific resources.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
See …
Dawn: Ten Years of Exploration
October 11th, 2017
59:04
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 …
Space Policy Edition #17: The 75th Anniversary of the Rocket Age, with Dr. Michael Neufeld
October 6th, 2017
1:30:20
Fifteen years before Sputnik, on a bright 1942 afternoon in northern Germany, a thundering machine of metal and fire pierced the sky, ultimately …
Australia Gets Serious About Space
October 4th, 2017
44:09
The Australian government announced that it would create a national space agency at the 68th annual International Astronautical Congress in Adelaide. …
Celebrating Cassini…Live!
September 27th, 2017
1:28:49
More than 1,100 fans of the just-completed 20-year mission to Saturn joined us for a live tribute.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
See …
Long Live Cassini!
September 20th, 2017
1:00:04
Join us at JPL and Caltech on the bittersweet morning the Cassini spacecraft plunged into Saturn.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
See …
Science Fiction Greats on Humanity’s Destiny in Space
September 13th, 2017
1:10:41
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.Learn more about your ad choices. …
Sailing on the Light of the Sun With Lou Friedman
September 6th, 2017
49:23
The co-founder and Executive Director Emeritus of The Planetary Society returns for a conversation about the allure of sailing through space. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
See …
Space Policy Edition #16: NASA's Flagship Missions: Are They Worth It?
August 31st, 2017
1:26:02
The multi-billion dollar, multi-decade Cassini mission is about to end. A new report tries to answer an important question: are flagship science …
Planetary Radio Live on the Eve of the Eclipse
August 30th, 2017
1:14:01
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.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit …
Cassini Project Scientist Linda Spilker’s Last Appearance Before the Grand Finale
August 23rd, 2017
35:09
It’s the Grandest Finale. The spectacular Cassini mission’s exploration of Saturn will end on September 15th when the spacecraft plunges into the …
Ed Stone and Forty Years of Voyager in Space
August 16th, 2017
32:02
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.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit …
Dark Energy Attracts? Astrophysicists Jason Rhodes and Alina Kiessling
August 9th, 2017
1:00:17
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 …
Space Policy Edition #15 – Congressman Rick Larsen, Could Russia Exit the ISS?
August 4th, 2017
1:23:09
New U.S. sanctions against Russia have reignited speculation that global politics could undermine cooperation in the International Space Station. …
An Eye on the Sun (In the Middle of a Lake)
August 2nd, 2017
52:30
The world’s most powerful solar telescope has just been renamed for the man responsible for its creation. We’ll meet astrophysicist and …
Planetary Radio Live! Living on Mars
July 26th, 2017
1:26:44
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 …
Emily Lakdawalla on the Last Orbits of Cassini
July 19th, 2017
28:52
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 …
20 Years on Mars with Matt Golombek
July 12th, 2017
49:45
When the Pathfinder lander reached Mars 20 years ago it began a Martian renaissance that has never paused. JPL scientist Matt Golombek was the …
Space Policy Edition #14 – Ice Giants and Ocean Worlds Beckon
July 7th, 2017
1:04:42
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 …
A Cosmic Voyage with Astronomer Sandra Faber
July 5th, 2017
1:04:13
Veteran astronomer and cosmologist Sandra Faber has just been awarded the Gruber Prize for Cosmology, honoring more than forty years of pioneering …
Happy Asteroid Day!
June 28th, 2017
39:08
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 …
Thomas Edison, Eclipse Chaser!
June 21st, 2017
1:02:38
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 …
Julie Webster and the Art of Spacecraft Endurance
June 14th, 2017
47:54
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 …
Spectacular Jupiter!
June 7th, 2017
42:47
Have you seen its stunning image of Jupiter’s south pole? The Juno orbiter is surpassing expectations and delivering surprising science. Scott …
Space Policy Edition #13 – The 2018 Budget Proposal and Is Mars Exploration in Retrograde?
June 2nd, 2017
1:10:29
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 …
Buzz Aldrin and Other Martians
May 31st, 2017
58:28
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.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit …
Human Spaceflight: Coming Back to America
May 24th, 2017
47:39
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 …
NASA Leaders on Getting Humans to Mars
May 17th, 2017
1:04:29
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.Learn more about your ad choices. …
Visiting Worlds Fantastic with Bonnie Buratti
May 10th, 2017
56:09
Veteran Jet Propulsion Lab planetary scientist Bonnie Buratti talks with Mat about the wonder of our solar neighborhood that she explores in "Worlds …
Space Policy Edition #12 – Is Space Policy Stagnant? With Special Guest Marcia Smith
May 5th, 2017
1:27:26
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 …
Be There! The Great American Eclipse
May 3rd, 2017
53:59
Our ongoing coverage of preparation for the Great American Eclipse takes us to Southern Illinois University Carbondale where a huge celebration is planned.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
…
Bill Nye Saves the World…With Space
April 26th, 2017
34:53
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. Two of …
McDonald Observatory and the Quest for Dark Energy
April 19th, 2017
48:21
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 …
Aerospace Corporation President and CEO Steve Isakowitz
April 12th, 2017
58:10
The Aerospace Corporation has been innovating since 1960. Now it’s headed by a former leader of “New Space” company Virgin Galactic. President and …
Space Policy Edition #11 – Big Science and a Skinny Budget
April 7th, 2017
1:19:07
Whether it’s discovering gravity waves, curing cancer or building a space station, the biggest science challenges increasingly require investments …
Mars’ Atmosphere…Lost in Space!
April 5th, 2017
33:17
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 …
Nancy Atkinson’s Incredible Stories from Space
March 29th, 2017
47:09
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 …
Ready for Space: LightSail 2 Update
March 22nd, 2017
34:50
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 …
The Great American Eclipse—Be Part of It!
March 15th, 2017
36:27
It’s coming! Will you be in the path of totality? Astronomers Without Borders President Mike Simmons says be there if you can.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
See omnystudio.com/listener for …
Hope for Pluto—Should We Re-Redefine Planets?
March 8th, 2017
33:51
Planetary geologist Kirby Runyon is lead author of an abstract that proposes a new, geophysical definition of what a planet is.Learn more about your …
Space Policy Edition #10 - Special Guest Laura Delgado Lopez, SpaceX to the Moon, looming budget cuts
March 3rd, 2017
1:19:25
Laura Delgado Lopez from the Harris Corporation joins us to talk about the growing number of countries getting into the space business, particularly …
The Worlds of TRAPPIST-1
March 1st, 2017
33:56
The discovery of seven, Earth-sized planets in a nearby solar system was announced last week. Astrophysicist and planetary scientist Sara Seager …
Planetary Radio Live: Near Earth Objects—The Killer Asteroid Threat
February 22nd, 2017
1:38:52
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.Learn …
Nazis in Space? Rod Pyle’s Amazing Stories of the Space Age
February 15th, 2017
52:55
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.Learn more about your ad …
Earth Microbes! Welcome to Mars
February 7th, 2017
33:42
University of Arkansas grad student Rebecca Mickol and her team have demonstrated that some Earth bacteria can survive in the extremely thin …
Space Policy Edition #9 – Congress Plots New Space Legislation Amid Trump’s Tumultuous First Two Weeks
February 6th, 2017
48:34
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 …
The Final Countdown at Saturn
January 31st, 2017
46:17
Planetary Radio’s most frequent guest, Project Scientist Linda Spilker, returns with another update on the Cassini mission that is approaching its grand finale.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit …
Ice, Snow and Lava: Exploring Antarctica’s Mount Erebus
January 24th, 2017
42:27
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 …
Chief Scientist Ellen Stofan Leaves NASA
January 17th, 2017
50:22
For well over three years, planetary scientist Ellen Stofan has worked directly with NASA Administrator Charles Bolden to help coordinate and expand …
Ben Miller Says The Aliens are Coming!
January 10th, 2017
1:13:11
We are joined by British physicist turned comedian and actor Ben Miller, author of The Aliens are Coming! The Extraordinary Science Behind our Search for Life in the Universe.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit …
Space Policy Edition #8 - A Transition "Trumpdate", 2016 in Review, and Answering Your Questions
January 5th, 2017
1:19:19
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 …
A Little Rocket Company Shoots for the Moon
January 3rd, 2017
57:33
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?Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
See …
Marvelous Martian MAVEN
December 27th, 2016
38:32
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. …
Art That Captures the Beauty and Science of Space
December 20th, 2016
44:52
Marilynn Flynn, Simon Kregar and Rick Sternbach are masters of space art. They talk about how their work furthers science and captures the imagination.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
See …
A Giant Telescope and Remembering John Glenn
December 13th, 2016
49:23
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 …
Running Before the Sun: Astronomer Jay Pasachoff
December 6th, 2016
39:59
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 …
Space Policy Edition #7 - The Trump Administration: What Can We Expect for Space?
December 2nd, 2016
1:01:51
The SPE team reviews the outlook for human spaceflight, planetary science, Earth observation and much more under the upcoming Trump administration. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
See …
Leading the Search: Bill Diamond of the SETI Institute
November 29th, 2016
31:44
The SETI Institute is about much more than the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence. President and CEO Bill Diamond of the Institute explains.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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To Mars! With National Geographic
November 22nd, 2016
46:14
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 …
Pluto and Titan and Iran, Oh My!
November 15th, 2016
36:14
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.Learn more about …
Inside Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo
November 8th, 2016
45:43
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 …
Space Policy Edition #6: Election 2016! Where Do Clinton and Trump Stand on Space?
November 4th, 2016
1:02:15
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 …
Matt Taylor Rocks Rosetta
November 1st, 2016
30:13
Mat Kaplan talks with Matt Taylor, the Rosetta Project Scientist, just two weeks after the spacecraft touched down on 67/P.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
See omnystudio.com/listener for …
Alan Stern and a Triumph at Pluto
October 25th, 2016
38:02
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 …
Charley Kohlhase and the Greatest Voyage
October 18th, 2016
58:54
How did the Voyager spacecraft manage to weave their magnificent way through the outer planets of our solar system? Mission Design Manager Charley …
Trekkin’ Across the Universe With Andrew Fazekas
October 11th, 2016
46:06
The Night Sky Guy, Andrew Fazekas, talks about his beautiful new, Star Trek-inspired guide to the real wonders of astronomy.Learn more about your ad …
Space Policy Edition #5: The U.S. Senate takes on the politics of Mars
October 7th, 2016
1:03:19
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 …
Farewell Rosetta!
October 4th, 2016
30:38
The European Space Agency’s magnificent Rosetta mission ended last week as the spacecraft gently touched down on the comet it has revealed.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
See …
Rocket Road Trip!
September 27th, 2016
33:18
Planetary Society Digital Editor Jason Davis returns with the story of the ten-day trek across the South he just completed with two Society …
Cassini at Saturn: The Final Year
September 20th, 2016
29:02
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.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit …
OSIRIS-REx: The Voyage to Bennu Begins, With Dante Lauretta
September 13th, 2016
28:51
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 …
Spinoffs! Sharing NASA Technology
September 6th, 2016
28:51
In its nearly five decades, NASA has created or improved thousands of technologies, processes and innovations. Dan Lockney is in charge of making …
Space Policy Edition #4: Near Earth Asteroids—Why we go, how we find them, and maybe mine them
September 2nd, 2016
1:04:19
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 …
The Pale Red Dot: A Planet Called Proxima b
August 30th, 2016
35:32
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.Learn more about your ad …
Could the Soviet Union Have Won the Space Race?
August 23rd, 2016
46:50
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 …
Sailing the Canyons of Titan
August 16th, 2016
38:40
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.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit …
Subcontractors: Making Space Happen
August 9th, 2016
28:51
You may never hear their names, but there are thousands of small to medium-sized companies without which space exploration and development wouldn’t …
Space Policy Edition #3: Plutonium-238, Europa via SLS, Cost of the Next Mars Rover Rises
August 5th, 2016
1:03:06
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 …
Interstellar Dreams Turn Real
August 2nd, 2016
1:26:01
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 …
Anatomy of a Rover—Getting Down to Mars
July 26th, 2016
36:40
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 Eagle Has Landed: Remembering Neil Armstrong
July 19th, 2016
28:50
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.Learn more about your ad choices. …
Juno Reaches Jupiter!
July 12th, 2016
48:26
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 …
Fighting for Space: Former NASA Deputy Administrator Lori Garver
July 5th, 2016
38:09
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.Learn …
Space Policy Edition #2: Why Juno? Why Jupiter? Why Now?
July 1st, 2016
1:09:15
This month Jason Callahan, Casey Dreier and Mat Kaplan ask whether the Moon vs. Mars human destination debate makes sense, highlight a new report on the science potential of CubeSats by the National Academies, and …
Planetary Radio Extra: Shining a Million Watt Flashlight on an Asteroid
June 28th, 2016
19:36
PlanRad’s celebration of Asteroid Day (June 30th) continues as we call UCLA grad student Adam Greenberg at the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
See …
Countdown to Jupiter
June 28th, 2016
40:14
Juno will enter Jupiter orbit on July 4th. Mat Kaplan talks with the mission’s Principal Investigator, Scott Bolton at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. …
OSIRIS REx: Ready for a Voyage to Bennu
June 21st, 2016
34:18
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 …
JunoCam, The People’s Jupiter Camera
June 14th, 2016
31:46
The Juno spacecraft will enter orbit at Jupiter on July 4th. It carries a camera that will send back spectacular images from just above the swirling …
Chris McKay, Larry Niven and Andy Weir at the Contact Conference
June 7th, 2016
32:32
Space art and science fiction joined science fact at the 2016 Contact Conference in Sunnyvale, California. We talk with three well-known visionaries.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
See …
Space Policy Edition #1: How We Got Here: Human Spaceflight at the End of the Obama Era
June 3rd, 2016
1:08:34
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 …
Getting Humans to Mars
May 31st, 2016
56:31
Three NASA leaders talk with host Mat Kaplan about the progress we're making toward leaving footprints on the Red Planet.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
See omnystudio.com/listener for …
A Big Test for LightSail 2
May 24th, 2016
29:57
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.Learn …
NASA’s Science Leader John Grunsfeld
May 17th, 2016
28:51
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 …
Dream Chaser: The Return of the Spaceplane
May 10th, 2016
28:51
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 …
At Space Symposium With the Leader of the European Space Agency
May 3rd, 2016
31:23
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 …
A Death Valley Conversation About Life, The Universe and Everything With Tyler Nordgren and Jill Tarter
April 26th, 2016
1:11:38
Beautiful Death Valley National Park was the setting for a fascinating conversation with famed SETI researcher Jill Tarter and celebrated astronomer, …
Exploring Europa and Mining Asteroids at Yuri’s Night
April 19th, 2016
41:06
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 …
Celebrating Yuri’s Night 2016 with Astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti
April 12th, 2016
28:51
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 …
Michel Mayor, Discoverer of the First Extrasolar World
April 5th, 2016
39:42
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.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
See …
Ashwin Vasavada, Leader of Scientists Roving Mars
March 29th, 2016
38:02
The new Mars Science Laboratory Project Scientist is not new to the mission. Ashwin Vasavada has worked on the Curiosity rover since 2004.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
See …
Planetary Radio Live: All These Worlds…
March 22nd, 2016
28:51
Our live conversation about “Planet 9” and the amazing diversity of our solar system, featuring Konstantin Batygin and Mike Brown of Caltech, Senior …
Neil Gehrels and WFIRST—A Space Telescope for the 2020s
March 15th, 2016
35:30
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.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit …
HERA Heroine Julielynn Wong and Printing Medical Tools in Deep Space
March 8th, 2016
34:48
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 …
Interstellar Dreams: Kim Stanley Robinson’s “Aurora”
March 1st, 2016
1:08:15
Famed science fiction author Kim Stanley Robinson is back with Aurora, a cautionary tale about just how difficult interstellar travel may be.Learn …
Exploring Saturn With Cassini
February 23rd, 2016
32:24
Cassini Mission Project Scientist Linda Spilker returns with the latest discoveries at the beautiful ringed planet, its moons and its rings.Learn …
Planetary Radio Extra: Our Space Policy Experts Analyze NASA's Proposed 2017 Budget
February 23rd, 2016
1:03:37
Casey Dreier, the Planetary Society's Director of Space Policy, and Jason Callahan, the Society's Space Policy Advisor, talk with Mat Kaplan about …
Zero-G With OK Go!
February 16th, 2016
38:50
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 …
Planetary Radio Extra: LightSail Update
February 9th, 2016
21:11
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 …
Planet 9 From Outer Space!
February 9th, 2016
49:11
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 …
NASA’s New Planetary Defense Office
February 2nd, 2016
50:36
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.Learn more about your …
Civilizations Among the Clustered Stars?
January 26th, 2016
41:49
New research indicates that globular clusters—collections of up to a million stars—could provide stable environments for life, along with …
Marc Rayman’s Dawn Mission Update
January 19th, 2016
30:51
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.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit …
Master of the Moon Rocks: NASA Astromaterials Curator Francis McCubbin
January 12th, 2016
38:18
Francis McCubbin is the new Astromaterials Curator at NASA's Johnson Space Center, where the priceless collection includes the Apollo moonrocks. Join …
Ad Astra Builds “The Martian’s” Rocket Engine
January 5th, 2016
34:40
Mat Kaplan visits the Ad Astra Rocket Company in Texas where they are perfecting the VASIMIR electric rocket engine. Emily Lakdawalla has created a …
Planetary Radio Extra: Ad Astra Rocket Company Audio Tour
January 5th, 2016
36:36
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. Learn more …
Planetary Radio Extra: Planetary Society Experts 2015 Review
January 5th, 2016
1:01:40
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.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit …
2015: A Great Year for Space Exploration
December 29th, 2015
28:50
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 …
Planetary Radio Extra: Casey Dreier on the 2016 NASA Budget
December 22nd, 2015
38:45
Mat Kaplan sits down with our Director of Advocacy, Casey Dreier, for a discussion of NASA's 2016 budget.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
…
Congressman John Culberson on a Good Day for Space
December 22nd, 2015
33:59
The newly-approved federal budget includes great news for fans of space exploration and development. Texas Congressman John Culberson led the fight …
Field Test: Planetary Deep Drill
December 15th, 2015
28:50
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 …
A Journey to Space
December 8th, 2015
34:35
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 …
A Tiny Explorer Called Twinkle
December 1st, 2015
28:50
A small but talented UK team is building Twinkle, a small spacecraft with a big mission—exploring the atmospheres of planets orbiting other stars.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
See …
Movers and Shakers at SpaceCom Expo
November 24th, 2015
31:16
We join 1,600 space entrepreneurs and visionaries in Houston, and talk with Boeing, XCOR, Johnson Space Center Director Ellen Ochoa and more.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
See …
Solar System Revelations, and the World’s Biggest Telescope Threatened?
November 17th, 2015
28:50
Emily Lakdawalla returns from the annual Division for Planetary Sciences meeting with big news from around the solar system. Then we talk with …
From Mars to the Stars With Lou Friedman
November 10th, 2015
28:50
The founding Executive Director of the Planetary Society has just written “Human Spaceflight: From Mars to the Stars,” an optimistic view of …
A 35th Anniversary Party With Neil Tyson!
November 3rd, 2015
31:47
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 …
A Conversation with Andy Weir of “The Martian”
October 27th, 2015
1:07:52
“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, …
Pluto Amazes!
October 20th, 2015
38:40
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.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit …
Big Rockets and Little LightSails
October 13th, 2015
28:50
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, …
Imaging Hot Young Jupiters
October 6th, 2015
28:51
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.Learn more about your ad …
Humans Orbiting Mars!
September 29th, 2015
37:56
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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit …
Zibi Turtle and a Mission to the Ice Giants
September 22nd, 2015
28:51
They are the most neglected planets in our solar system, but that status may be changing. Planetary scientist Elizabeth “Zibi” Turtle celebrates …
OSIRIS-REx Readies for Asteroid Bennu
September 15th, 2015
28:51
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.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Flying High on SOFIA
September 8th, 2015
32:26
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.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit …
Zooming In On Mars With Mastcam-Z
September 1st, 2015
28:51
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.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
See …
The Right Site: Choosing A Landing Spot on Mars
August 25th, 2015
33:34
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 …
Living Under the Sea With NASA Aquanaut David Coan
August 18th, 2015
32:14
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. Learn more about your ad choices. …
Planetary Radio Extra: Checking in on NASA's Budget with the Planetary Society's Director of Advocacy Casey Dreier
August 18th, 2015
36:19
Mat Kaplan sits down with our Director of Advocacy, Casey Dreier, for a deep dive into current space policy.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit …
A New Era For SETI Research: More on the Breakthrough Initiatives
August 11th, 2015
39:23
We follow last week’s conversation with Ann Druyan about the $100 million funding of the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence by visiting with …
Ann Druyan and the Breakthrough SETI Initiatives
August 4th, 2015
30:07
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 …
The Royal Observatory, Greenwich and the Quest for Longitude
July 28th, 2015
43:09
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.Learn more about …
Planetary Radio Live at the New Horizons Pluto Encounter
July 21st, 2015
28:51
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.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit …
A Small, Distant World: Kepler 138b
July 14th, 2015
28:51
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 …
Emily Lakdawalla’s Pluto Preview
July 7th, 2015
28:51
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 …
Saving the Planet: Voices From the Planetary Defense Conference
June 30th, 2015
28:51
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, …
Exploring the Seas of Earth and Other Worlds
June 23rd, 2015
28:51
We return to the beautiful Aquarium of the Pacific in southern California for a fascinating conversation about ocean science. What we learn down …
LightSail Triumphant! A Mission Press Conference
June 16th, 2015
28:51
After a roller coaster ride that included a maddening eight-day silence, the LightSail test mission finally achieved all of its major goals. Leaders …
Cassini Update AND LightSail Spreads its Wings!
June 9th, 2015
28:51
Cassini Project Scientist Linda Spilker, returns with another update on the magnificent mission at Saturn. You’ll also hear Bill Nye and the moment …
Chris Carberry and Getting Humans to Mars
June 2nd, 2015
28:51
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 …
The Launch of LightSail
May 26th, 2015
28:51
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 …
Spiraling Closer to Ceres With the Dawn Mission’s Marc Rayman
May 19th, 2015
33:59
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 …
Alan Stern and the Rise of Pluto
May 12th, 2015
28:51
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 …
Sean Solomon on the Climactic End of the MESSENGER Mission to Mercury
May 5th, 2015
28:51
We open with the countdown to destruction—the MESSENGER spacecraft’s impact on Mercury ended its spectacularly successful mission. Principal …
Countdown to LightSail: An Update
April 28th, 2015
28:51
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 …
Saving the Planet at the Planetary Defense Conference
April 21st, 2015
28:51
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 …
Rob Manning and Landing on Mars
April 14th, 2015
39:57
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 Orbiting Mars: Report on the Workshop
April 7th, 2015
37:29
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 …
Robert Bigelow and His Expandable Space Habs
March 31st, 2015
28:50
Bigelow Aerospace’s BEAM expandable/inflatable space module will be attached to the International Space Station later this year. Mat travels to the …
Big News From Little Worlds
March 24th, 2015
28:50
Senior Editor Emily Lakdawalla has returned from the Lunar and Planetary Science Conference in Texas with the latest revelations about our solar …
Leaving Behind a Life on Mars—Former Curiosity Project Scientist John Grotzinger
March 17th, 2015
34:47
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 …
Virgin Galactic CEO George Whitesides on LauncherOne and the Return of SpaceShipTwo
March 10th, 2015
28:51
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 …
Jim Bell Welcomes “The Interstellar Age”
March 3rd, 2015
46:08
Planetary scientist and author Jim Bell has just written “The Interstellar Age—Inside the Forty-Year Voyager Mission.” He talks with Mat Kaplan about …
Jonathan Goff Says Let’s Redirect an Asteroid
February 24th, 2015
28:50
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.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit …
Found! Beagle 2 on Mars
February 17th, 2015
28:50
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 …
Planetary Radio Extra: A Deep Dive into the New NASA Budget—A New Mission to Europa, But the End of Opportunity?
February 10th, 2015
40:02
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.Learn …
Year of the Icy Worlds
February 10th, 2015
28:50
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 …
Tales From a 4 Billion Year Old Piece of Mars...On Earth
February 3rd, 2015
28:50
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 …
LightSail Prepares to Take Flight
January 27th, 2015
28:50
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 …
A Recipe for a Small Planet
January 20th, 2015
28:50
Astronomer and planetary scientist Courtney Dressing is the lead author of research that may have found the formula for the mass and composition of …
Dr. J and the World’s Biggest Telescope
January 13th, 2015
36:12
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 …
The Exciting Year Ahead on the Final Frontier
January 6th, 2015
28:51
The Planetary Society’s experts look forward to a great year of firsts in the solar system and beyond.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit …
2014: The Year in Space
December 30th, 2014
28:51
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 …
Where Did The Air Go? Bruce Jakosky on the MAVEN Mars Mission
December 23rd, 2014
28:51
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 …
Sara Seager and the Search for Earth’s Twin
December 16th, 2014
29:43
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 …
Orion Launches Into History
December 9th, 2014
28:51
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.Learn more about your ad choices. …
Kip Thorne and the Science of Interstellar
December 2nd, 2014
28:51
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 …
2014: The Year We Landed on a Comet
November 25th, 2014
28:50
Not just landed. Orbited, too. European Space Agency Senior Science Advisor Mark McCaughrean helps us celebrate the Rosetta orbiter and the Philae lander.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Cassini Mission Update From Project Scientist Linda Spilker
November 18th, 2014
28:51
Cassini is safe! Project scientist Linda Spilker returns with a regular update on Saturn, its moons and rings not long after learning that the …
Digging Deep With Kris Zacny and the Planetary Deep Drill
November 11th, 2014
28:51
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 …
The SpaceShipTwo and Antares Disasters: Special Coverage With John Logsdon
November 4th, 2014
28:51
It was a terrible, tragic week for commercial space development. Historian and space policy analyst John Logsdon helps up understand the greater …
A MESSENGER From Mercury—Principal Investigator Sean Solomon Returns
October 28th, 2014
28:51
MESSENGER has been orbiting the innermost planet for more than three-and-half-years. Principal Investigator Sean Solomon returns with a status report …
Ancient Water Was Here Before the Sun
October 21st, 2014
28:51
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 …
Yale’s Debra Fischer and the Ever More Precise Search for New Worlds
October 14th, 2014
28:51
It’s terribly hard to find exoplanets that look like our homeworld. The search requires development of astoundingly powerful and precise …
Planetary Radio Live! We See Thee Rise: The Canadian Space Program
October 7th, 2014
28:50
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, …
A Conversation With Congressman Lamar Smith
September 30th, 2014
28:50
The Chairman of the powerful Science, Space and Technology Committee in the U.S. House of Representatives joins us for a talk about planetary …
Planetary Radio Live: MAVEN Arrives at Mars!
September 23rd, 2014
28:51
The latest guest of the Red Planet arrived in orbit on the evening of September 22, 2014. Planetary Radio Live was watching with fingers crossed in Pasadena, California.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit …
Dr. Bell Goes to Washington
September 16th, 2014
28:51
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.Learn more about your ad choices. …
Miguel Alcubierre, Inventor of Warp Drive?
September 9th, 2014
28:51
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 …
Smashing Holes in Mars to Look for Life
September 2nd, 2014
28:51
Explore Mars wants to look for life on the Red Planet. Not past life. Life thriving under the Martian surface right now. Chris Carberry will tell us how the ExoLance project might find it.Learn more about your ad …
Alan Stern and a Big Milestone on the Way to Pluto
August 26th, 2014
28:51
New Horizons passed through the orbit of Neptune on August 25th. By cosmic coincidence, this was the 25th anniversary of Voyager 2’s flyby of that big, blue world. We catch Principal Investigator Alan Stern right after …
Journey to the Center of Jupiter: Creating Fantastic Pressure With the World’s Largest Lasers
August 19th, 2014
29:52
Physicist Gilbert "Rip" Collins of the Lawrence Livermore National Lab will tell us about recent use of the world’s most powerful lasers to recreate …
The Search for Extraterrestrial Polluters?
August 12th, 2014
28:51
Harvard’s Henry Lin led work that determined the soon-to-be-launched James Webb Space Telescope may be able to detect an alien civilization by analyzing its atmosphere.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit …
A Death-Defying Climax for Venus Express
August 5th, 2014
28:51
Venus Express Project Scientist Håkan Svedhem tells us about the spacecraft’s harrowing descent into the Venusian atmosphere, what it is currently up to, and what he’d like to see next at that forbidding planet.Learn …
Jay Barbree on “Neil Armstrong: A Life of Flight”
July 29th, 2014
39:52
In his 55 years as NBC’s space correspondent, Jay Barbree has won the respect and friendship of many astronauts. Neil Armstrong stands above them all. Now Jay has created this very personal chronicle about his friend, …
Keith Cowing and the ISEE-3 Rebooters
July 22nd, 2014
28:51
They have generated excitement, enthusiasm and support throughout the world. The ISEE-3 Reboot Project has succeeded in gaining control over the …
Planetary Radio Live: The LightSail Countdown Begins!
July 15th, 2014
28:51
LightSail, the Planetary Society’s innovative solar sail cubesat, will ride into space on the huge SpaceX Falcon Heavy, now in development. Bill Nye …
Discovered: Titan's Magic Island
July 8th, 2014
28:51
Cornell grad student Jason Hofgartner reports on the discovery of what appears (and disappears!) to be an island on one of Titan’s frigid lakes.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
See …
Was a Natural Fuel Cell Key to the Origin of Life on Earth?
July 1st, 2014
28:51
There’s so much we don’t know about the origin of life here or anywhere else in the universe. But there must have been an energy source. Researcher …
Elisa Quintana on the Discovery of Earth 2.0
June 24th, 2014
28:51
Kepler-186f is the very first exoplanet that is both the size of our own world and in the habitable zone surrounding its star. SETI Institute scientist Elisa Quintana is lead author of the paper announcing its …
Pathways To Exploration: John Logsdon Analyzes the Human Spaceflight Report
June 17th, 2014
35:43
The National Research Council released its long-awaited report June 4th. Distinguished space policy analyst John Logsdon returns to Planetary Radio …
Astronomers Without Borders: Spreading the Wonder Worldwide
June 10th, 2014
28:50
Astronomers Without Borders Founder and President Mike Simmons and his colleagues share the passion, beauty and joy of the night sky from Argentina …
A Starlight Festival Cassini Mission Update
June 3rd, 2014
42:38
Cassini Project Scientist Linda Spilker joins us at the first Starlight Festival in Big Bear Lake, California, and festival MC Andre Bormanis makes a bonus appearance on the show.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit …
At Spacefest VI With Apollo Astronaut Gene Cernan and a Host of Proud Space Geeks
May 27th, 2014
34:48
Planetary Radio visited Spacefest in Pasadena to talk with planetary scientist and space artist Dan Durda, Marc Rayman of the Dawn asteroid mission, and a guy who calls himself the Space Cowboy. We also eavesdrop on …
Living and Working on Mars—A Conversation at the International Space Development Conference
May 20th, 2014
56:44
Planetary Radio visits the 33rd ISDC to talk with three explorers who’ve set their sights on the Red Planet: MD and space medicine researcher Susan …
Special Planetary Radio Advocacy Report From Casey Dreier: A Good Week in Washington
May 13th, 2014
23:49
Planetary Radio host Mat Kaplan learns why Director of Advocacy Casey Dreier is cautiously optimistic about the budget outlook for planetary science and exploration, so long as Planetary Society members and others keep …
Spinoff 2013: Bringing Space Technology Home
May 13th, 2014
32:44
NASA has just published "Spinoff 2013," the latest of its annual reports on outstanding innovations developed for space that are solving problems and …
Neil deGrasse Tyson
May 6th, 2014
39:55
The host of COSMOS: A Spacetime Odyssey, returns to our show with a behind the scenes look at the spectacular television series.Learn more about your …
Planetary Radio Live at the USA Science and Engineering Festival with Mike Rowe of Dirty Jobs
April 29th, 2014
52:29
Join us at the world’s biggest public science event in Washington DC, where we talk about dirty jobs in space with television’s terrific Mike Rowe.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
See …
A Second Earth, and OSIRIS REx is Go for Asteroid Bennu
April 22nd, 2014
28:51
Finally found: an Earth-sized planet in the habitable zone. You’ll hear lead scientist Elisa Quintana make the announcement. Then OSIRIS REx mission Principal Investigator Dante Lauretta will tell us how the spacecraft …
Planetary Radio Live at Yuri’s Night—Under Space Shuttle Endeavour
April 15th, 2014
31:53
Join the party as we celebrate the 53rd anniversary of humanity’s transition to spacefaring species with Yuri’s Night Executive Director Loretta Hidalgo Whitesides, Virgin Galactic CEO and Yuri’s Night co-founder George …
Microbes in Orbit: Cheryl Nickerson’s Revealing Biomedical Research
April 8th, 2014
42:43
You may have heard that the sometimes deadly Salmonella bacterium becomes stronger in microgravity. Cheryl Nickerson tell us about this and other …
Rocketing Into the Aurora With Neal Brown
April 1st, 2014
28:51
It’s back to Alaska, this time to the Poker Flat Research Range, where former Director Neal Brown and his staff launched sounding rockets into the heart of the Aurora Borealis. Emily Lakdawalla explores newly-discovered …
Emily Lakdawalla At Her Favorite Conference While Alan Stern Stirs Up the Solar System
March 25th, 2014
28:51
Emily shares highlights from last week’s Lunar and Planetary Science Conference, and Alan Stern provides updates on the Rosetta comet mission and his New Horizons probe that is nearing Pluto, and addresses the …
Alaskan Aurora Adventure!
March 18th, 2014
28:51
Join Mat Kaplan and other Aurora “virgins” as they seek the Northern Lights in Fairbanks, Alaska, and meet retired rocketeer and Director of the Poker Flat Research Range, Neal BrownLearn more about your ad choices. …
Exploring Black Holes and Supernovae With NuSTAR
March 11th, 2014
35:01
Principal Investigator Fiona Harrison provides an X-ray tour of some of the universe's most fascinating objects, Casey Dreier has analysis of NASA's 2015 budget plans, and Bill Nye sees the inherent optimism of science …
A Planetary Radio Special Feature: NASA Unveils Its Proposed FY2015 Budget
March 5th, 2014
35:47
NASA unveiled its 2015 budget plans in a March 4 media briefing. Minutes later, Planetary Radio host Mat Kaplan got an enlightening and engaging analysis from Planetary Society Director of Advocacy Casey Dreier. You’ll …
Verified: More Than 700 New Worlds
March 4th, 2014
28:51
SETI Institute researcher and member of the Kepler team Jason Rowe helps us dig into the latest big announcement about hundreds of planets in solar …
Talking with JPL's Blaine Baggett and Ed Stone About "The Stuff of Dreams"
February 25th, 2014
33:41
JPL’s Blaine Baggett and former JPL director Ed Stone talk “The Stuff of Dreams,” a documentary about an era in planetary exploration that was both exhilarating and exasperating. Emily Lakdawalla explains why Curiosity …
Getting Humans to Mars Without Breaking the Bank
February 18th, 2014
28:51
NASA scientist Harley Thronson tells us about a new initiative that is figuring out how we will get men and women to the red planet at a reasonable price. You can read their initial report. Emily Lakdawalla reports on …
Surprising Budget News for Planetary Exploration
February 11th, 2014
28:51
Good news, for a change! Congress decided to provide $127 million more for planetary science than was requested by the President. Bill Adkins of Adkins Strategies in Washington and the Society’s Director of Advocacy, …
Back to Planetary Radio Live With the Mars Rovers
February 4th, 2014
38:52
Our celebration of the Mars rovers continues from Southern California Public Radio’s Crawford Family Forum, this week featuring planetary scientist and author Jim Bell, Curiosity Project Scientist John Grotzinger, JPL …
Planetary Radio Live Celebrates the Mars Rovers
January 28th, 2014
28:51
Opportunity has been rolling across Mars for 10 years! We celebrate the Mars Exploration Rovers and their sisters on the red planet at Planetary …
From Earth to the Edge of the Universe: A New Edition of “The Cosmos”
January 21st, 2014
30:51
Astronomers Jay Pasachoff and Alex Filippenko join us for a conversation about their newest version of their monumental textbook, "The Cosmos." Emily Lakdawalla helps us say good morning to the just-awakened Rosetta …
The Gemini Planet Imager: Worlds Made Visible
January 13th, 2014
31:20
Principal Investigator and physicist Bruce Macintosh joins astronomer Franck Marchis to celebrate first light from the most powerful instrument for …
A 2014 Preview From Emily Lakdawalla
January 6th, 2014
28:51
24 spacecraft are either busy exploring the solar system or speeding toward an exciting destination. The Planetary Society's Senior Editor takes us …
Amy Mainzer Is Hunting Asteroids With NEOWISE
December 30th, 2013
34:12
Take a spacecraft that can no longer survey the realm of galaxies and repurpose it to discover thousands of much nearer asteroids and comets. Put it to sleep for 2.5 years, then wake it up and start discovering even …
10 Years A Roving: A.J.S. Rayl on the Mars Exploration Rovers
December 23rd, 2013
53:18
What a long, wonderful trip it has been for Spirit and Opportunity, the Mars Exploration Rovers. Planetary Society reporter A.J.S. Rayl has been …
A Big Week for Space Science at the AGU and Beyond
December 16th, 2013
28:51
The annual fall meeting of the American Geophysical Union revealed lots of science, some of it astounding. Emily Lakdawalla was there with Advocacy and Outreach Coordinator Casey Dreier, whose news was not quite as …
Comet ISON: Much More Than a Memory
December 9th, 2013
28:51
Maybe it wasn’t “the comet of the century,” but ISON has left a scientific legacy that is beyond compare. That’s according to Karl Battams of NASA’s Comet ISON Observing Campaign on this week’s show. Learn more about …
Celebrating the Admiral of the Solar System
December 2nd, 2013
29:31
The life of explorer and teacher Dr. Bruce Murray was celebrated last November 10th at Caltech. This week we present a few excerpts from the tributes paid to the former JPL Director and co-founder of the Planetary …
Alyssa Rhoden and the Rise of the Europa Underground
November 25th, 2013
30:21
Alyssa Rhoden studies Jupiter’s moon Europa…from a distance. She, many other scientists and millions of space exploration fans around the globe want to see a mission to this ice world that hides a vast, warm ocean. …
Planetary Radio Live Celebrates the Launch of MAVEN
November 18th, 2013
28:51
The successful launch of MAVEN was covered by Mat Kaplan, Bruce Betts and Emily Lakdawalla, with special, launch site reports from Jim Bell and Bill …
SpaceUp LA: What would you do with $13 Billion?
November 11th, 2013
32:32
What would YOU do with an extra $10 Billion for space exploration and development? That’s what Mat Kaplan asked the passionate space enthusiasts at …
All-Sky Optical Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence
November 4th, 2013
31:55
A burst of laser light could let humanity know it is not alone in the universe. Harvard’s Paul Horowitz and Curtis Mead will give us an update on the …
It's Hot! Plutonium 238 is Back
October 28th, 2013
32:09
Casey Dreier tells the winding tale of Plutonium 238, the radioactive isotope that is vital for exploration of the solar system. The US came …
Juno's Brief Home Visit on the Road to Jupiter
October 21st, 2013
28:50
Juno Principal Investigator Scott Bolton reviews the spacecraft's Earth flyby and previews its long stay at our solar system's king of planets.Learn …
Emily Lakawalla's DPS Report
October 14th, 2013
28:50
The Planetary Society’s Senior Editor and Planetary Evangelist recaps this year’s revealing meeting of the Division for Planetary Sciences (DPS). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
See …
The New Horizons Initiative
October 7th, 2013
28:50
Carl Sagan’s longtime artistic collaborator, Jon Lomberg, designed the cover for the Voyager Interstellar Record. Now he wants to upload another …
Gregory and James Benford on the "Starship Century"
September 30th, 2013
28:50
“Starship Century—Toward the Grandest Horizon” is the new collection of fact and fiction assembled by Gregory and James Benford. The brothers are …
Can We Touch the Stars? Lou Friedman at the 100-Year Starship Symposium
September 23rd, 2013
30:32
Only days after Voyager 1 reached interstellar space, forward thinkers met in Houston, Texas to consider how humans can become a starfaring species. Planetary Society Emeritus Executive Director Lou Friedman reports …
MAVEN Mars Mission's Bruce Jakosky
September 16th, 2013
28:50
The Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution Mission (MAVEN) orbiter leaves for the red planet in November of 2013. Bruce Jakosky of the University of …
PLANETARY RADIO LIVE: LADEE Launches for Luna
September 9th, 2013
28:50
Planetary Radio returned to the Crawford Family Forum for live coverage of the LADEE launch on September 6th.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy …
Remembering Bruce Murray
September 2nd, 2013
49:33
The passing of Planetary Society co-founder and former JPL Director Bruce Murray has been marked around the world. Planetary Radio takes its turn with this special tribute.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit …
Taikonauts on the Moon? A Conversation With Leonard David
August 26th, 2013
28:50
Leonard David has been writing about space exploration for more than five decades. Now he has turned his attention to China’s ambitious plans.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
See …
NASA's Charlie Bolden Visits Earth Missions at JPL
August 19th, 2013
28:50
Two missions are coming together in a high bay clean room at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. SMAP and ISS RapidScat went on display for a visit by …
Bleeding Edge--NIAC Chooses 12 New Out There Projects
August 12th, 2013
31:25
They might be happy if one in ten of the projects they fund makes it in the real world…because that project just might change the world. We talk with Jay Falker, Program Executive for the NASA Innovative Advanced …
The Ancient Snows of Mars
August 5th, 2013
28:50
When she was learning to forecast the weather in Hawaii, Brown University grad student Kat Scanlon didn’t suspect it would help her uncover evidence …
Europa Report--New Science Fiction Film Embraces the Science
July 29th, 2013
28:50
If you’re willing to accept the premise, the thrilling new independent feature film presents one of the most scientifically and technically accurate tales ever put on screen. We’ll talk with the director and producer, …
JPL and England Wave at Saturn
July 22nd, 2013
28:50
Hundreds came out on the JPL mall on Friday, July 19th to salute the Cassini spacecraft as it captured a rare image of Earth from the outer solar …
Touring Mt. Wilson with George Ellery Hale's Descendants
July 15th, 2013
28:50
On this special vacation edition of the show, we climb to the Mount Wilson Observatory to join a special tour for the descendants of the facility’s fascinating founder, George Ellery Hale.Learn more about your ad …
Tim Spahr of the Minor Planet Center
July 8th, 2013
28:50
There’s a place to go when you find a space rock headed our way, or headed any which way. Tim Spahr directs the Minor Planet Center, the global clearinghouse for all information about asteroids, comets and other …
Water on the Moon!
July 1st, 2013
28:50
Amanda Hendrix looks for and studies water in our solar system, where it has been found in surprising locales. Earth's moon, for instance. She talks …
A Cosmic Concert: Singer/Songwriter Peter Mayer on Planetary Radio Live
June 24th, 2013
1:27:37
Join us at the intersection of science, nature, music and wonder for a very special Planetary Radio Live with the great Peter Mayer. Bill Nye is with host Mat Kaplan on stage in this unique episode, the longest we've …
Landing On Mars With JPL's Matt Golombek
June 17th, 2013
38:06
Join us at JPL for a conversation with Mars landing site selection leader Matt Golombek. Matt is also now Project Scientist for the Mars Exploration …
Saving Science Education With Pamela Gay AND Creating the Blackest Black
June 10th, 2013
35:13
A Planetary Radio double header includes a visit with CosmoQuest’s Pamela Gay. She and colleagues are working to replace vital federal funds for …
Tasting the Air of Distant Worlds
June 3rd, 2013
31:51
There will soon be one thousand confirmed exoplanets, but how do we learn more about such distant worlds? We talk to the leader of a team that has …
Live at the Space Tech Expo with Bill Nye, Xcor and Zero-G
May 27th, 2013
34:39
PlanRad Live takes to the road again, this time visiting the Space Tech Expo in Long Beach, California for a conversation with enthusiastic team members at Xcor Aerospace, where they are building the Lynx spaceplane, …
Advocating for Planetary Science/Star Trek Meets Spacefarers
May 20th, 2013
30:46
The director and cast of Star Trek: Into Darkness meet up with real space travelers. Also: Planetary science funding from NASA is in trouble, so a delegation led by Bill Nye the Science Guy descended on Washington DC …
Sun Rings: Music of the Spheres From the Kronos Quartet
May 13th, 2013
28:51
The internationally renown string quartet talk about creating and performing Terry Riley's Sun Rings, that incorporates Don Gurnett's space sounds.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
See …
Saving Earth: Asteroid Emergency Tabletop Exercise at the 2013 PDC
May 6th, 2013
41:37
The last installment of our Planetary Defense Conference coverage makes a deep impact as hundreds of attendees participate in an asteroid mitigation exercise. You’ll hear from astronauts Ed Lu and Rusty Schweikart, Near …
Kindred Spirits: Alison Gibbings and Carolyn Shoemaker at the Planetary Defense Conference
April 29th, 2013
28:51
Our special coverage of the PDC continues with two planetary scientists separated by almost 60 years in age, but with similar dedication and enthusiasm for saving the planet.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit …
Live at the Planetary Defense Conference!
April 22nd, 2013
28:51
Planetary Radio host Mat Kaplan joined Bill Nye and four passionate planetary explorers on stage at the Planetary Defense Conference in Flagstaff, Arizona.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
…
Yuri's Night 2013 Under Space Shuttle Endeavour
April 15th, 2013
30:31
Planetary Radio Live was on stage at the World Space Party with guests George and Loretta Whitesides and Bobak "Mohawk Guy" Ferdowsi.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
See …
Basics of Interplanetary Flight With Dave Doody
April 8th, 2013
28:51
JPL’s Dave Doody doesn’t just fly around the solar system, he teaches others how it's done. We talk about what students learn in his non-technical …
Saturn Update from Cassini Project Scientist Linda Spilker
April 1st, 2013
30:14
We pay another visit to the queen of planets with Cassini Mission Project Scientist Linda Spilker. She always brings us fascinating news from Saturn, its moons and rings. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit …
More of Our ALMA Adventure in Chile's Atacama Desert
March 25th, 2013
28:51
Our special coverage of the ALMA Observatory inauguration continues, with the President of Chile, the incoming ALMA Director, and much more from the Atacama Desert. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit …
ALMA Adventure
March 18th, 2013
28:51
The first of two shows about Mat Kaplan's journey to Chile's Atacama Desert for the inauguration of the Atacama Large Millimeter small millimter Array, the most ambitious, Earth-based astronomy project in history.Learn …
Drill Baby Drill! On Mars
March 11th, 2013
28:51
With the first use of its drill and delivery of samples to its internal instruments, Curiosity is now a fully-functioning science station on Mars. …
Alan Stern's Golden Spike Sets Sights on the Moon
March 4th, 2013
28:51
Alan Stern is back to tell us about Golden Spike, his new company that plans to put human clients on the surface of the moon by the end of this …
One In A Million!
February 25th, 2013
37:46
UC Berkeley SETI researcher Andrew Siemion and his colleagues have put an upper limit on the number of civilizations in our galaxy that are capable …
Chris Lewicki of Planetary Resources: Mining Asteroids For Fun and Profit
February 18th, 2013
31:26
Chris Lewicki is the passionate President of Planetary Resources. He leads the company's mission to find, capture and deliver asteroids to its space-resource hungry clients.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit …
2012 DA14--Coming Soon to a Planet Near You!
February 11th, 2013
28:50
The 45-meter Near Earth Asteroid flies by on February 15. NASA brought together asteroid experts to discuss it and others of its threatening kind.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
See …
An Imminent Asteroid Encounter
February 4th, 2013
28:50
Spain’s La Sagra Observatory discovered Asteroid 2012 DA14 just a year ago. Now it’s nearing Earth once again. Jaime Nomen of La Sagra is back to prepare us for this very close flyby. Learn more about your ad choices. …
Debra Fischer Hunts for a Second Earth at Alpha Centauri
January 28th, 2013
28:54
Yale Professor of Astronomy Debra Fischer is one of our planet’s most successful discoverers of exoplanets. She has set her sights on Alpha …
The Gigantic ALMA Radio Telescope in Chile
January 21st, 2013
28:50
ALMA will make sharper images than the Hubble Space Telescope, yet it’s a radio telescope! ALMA scientists Alison Peck and Al Wooten tell us about this array of 66 huge dishes in Chile’s Atacama desert.Learn more about …
Visiting the AAS Meeting for a JWST Update and More
January 14th, 2013
52:38
The 221st meeting of the American Astronomical Society was a great place to learn about the James Webb Space Telescope from Jason Kalirai and Dean C. Hines.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
…
Listening Once Again to Amateur Astronomy Pioneer John Dobson
January 7th, 2013
28:50
A reprise of our very popular conversation with the delightful 97-year old John Dobson, inventor of the Dobsonian telescope that brings the universe …
Looking Back, Looking Forward: Beginning a New Year In Space
December 31st, 2012
28:50
Planetary Society experts review the challenges and triumphs of 2012 and look forward to a new and exciting year. You’ll hear Bill Nye the Science Guy, Emily Lakdawalla on new missions, Casey Dreier on “Saving our …
PLANETARY RADIO LIVE: Special Curiosity Report Continues
December 24th, 2012
28:50
Our fascinating, live conversation with Curiosity Project Manager Richard Cook and Project Scientist John Grotzinger continues. Richard and John are joined on stage by Bill Nye the Science Guy, Emily Lakdawalla and Mat …
PLANETARY RADIO LIVE: Celebrating Rover Curiosity
December 17th, 2012
28:50
The leaders of the Curiosity mission join Bill Nye, Emily Lakdawalla and host Mat Kaplan for a live conversation about the thrilling mission on Mars.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
See …
First Earth-Sized Exoplanet is Next Door!
December 10th, 2012
28:50
Xavier Dumusque is the young astronomer who was lead author for the announcement of the first exoplanet found in the Alpha Centauri system, just 4.3 light years from Earth. It's also the first Earth-sized world found …
All Together Now! The News From Curiosity
December 3rd, 2012
28:50
Mars Science Laboratory Project Scientist John Grotzinger's fascinating comments at the December 3 press conference, followed by analysis from Emily …
Approaching Pluto, and Learning About Uwingu From Alan Stern
November 26th, 2012
28:50
New Horizons Principal Investigator Alan Stern returns with a Pluto mission update. He also introduces us to Uwingu.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy …
Dawn Mission Update and At Home With Marc Rayman
November 19th, 2012
28:50
Dawn is on its way from Vesta to Ceres, the biggest of the asteroids. Mission Director and Chief Engineer Marc Rayman says all is well, with much more great science to come.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit …
Celebrating Carl Sagan With Lou Friedman, Lynda Obst, Kip Thorne and More
November 12th, 2012
30:39
November 9 was Planetary Society founder Carl Sagan's birthday, so we gathered a few of his close friends and several young scientists he inspired in front of a live audience. They also helped us celebrate Planetary …
Curiosity Sniffs Martian Air/Shuttle Endeavour Opens to the World
November 5th, 2012
30:58
Scientists have revealed the first data gathered by Curiosity, the Mars Science Laboratory Rover, about the Martian atmosphere, while Space Shuttle Endeavour has opened to the public.Learn more about your ad choices. …
A Vacuum Cleaner on Mars
October 29th, 2012
28:50
It’s called PlanetVac, and it’s an amazingly simple way to collect a soil sample on Mars. Or on the moon. Or on an asteroid. We’ll learn about it …
Amazing Science at the 2012 DPS Meeting
October 22nd, 2012
28:50
The 44th Annual Meeting of the AAS Division of Planetary Sciences hosted hundreds of researchers and revealed volumes of scientific results. Join us …
Amateur Astronomers Work to Save Earth!
October 15th, 2012
28:50
The Planetary Society's Bruce Betts provides an overview of the Shoemaker NEO grant program, and we meet two dedicated grant recipients.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
See …
Exploring the XDF, The Deepest Image of Our Universe, With Garth Illingworth
October 8th, 2012
28:50
UC Santa Cruz astronomer and XDF Principal Investigator Garth Illingworth takes us on a tour of this magnificent new image.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
See omnystudio.com/listener for …
Curiosity Finds a Martian Stream Bed and Endeavour Flies Home
October 1st, 2012
28:50
Emily Lakdawalla reports on Curiosity's discovery of an ancient stream bed, and Endeavour flies over the California plant where it was built.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
See …
Live at PATS With OSIRIS REx!
September 24th, 2012
37:42
We're live at the Pacific Astronomy and Telescope Show, with JPL astrodynamicist Steve Chesley and Planetary Society Director of Projects Bruce Betts. Steve and Bruce reveal the exciting OSIRIS REx mission to an …
Celebrating 35 Years of the Voyager Mission
September 17th, 2012
28:50
Voyagers 1 and 2 just reached 35 years of travel in space. What a great reason to celebrate! Join Voyager Project Scientist Ed Stone, Ann Druyan, Emily Lakdawalla and Robert Picardo in this special live edition of our …
A Conversation With Telescope Inventor John Dobson
September 10th, 2012
28:50
When John Dobson invented the Dobsonian telescope he changed the face of amateur astronomy. The 96-year old pioneer talks with Mat Kaplan. Emily …
Author David Brin Considers and Writes "Existence"
September 3rd, 2012
28:50
Award-winning science fiction author, physicist and futurist David Brin returns to talk about his monumental new novel, Existence. Emily Lakdawalla previews a very busy month of great planetary science, while Bill Nye …
Remembering Neil Armstrong/ChemCam is Zapping Martian Rocks!
August 27th, 2012
32:12
Emily Lakdawalla and Bill Nye the Science Guy join Mat Kaplan for a special remembrance of Neil Armstrong. Then we visit with the principal investigator for the first ray gun on Mars. Roger Wiens leads the ChemCam team …
More From Planetfest With Andrew Chaikin and Scott Hubbard
August 20th, 2012
1:00:02
Our Planetary Radio Live celebration of Mars rover Curiosity at Planetfest continues with more from space historian Andrew Chaikin, former NASA Mars czar Scott Hubbard and Planetary Society CEO Bill Nye the Science Guy. …
Planetary Radio Live at Planetfest 2012!
August 13th, 2012
29:46
PlanRad Live welcomes space historian and writer Andrew Chaikin, former NASA Mars Czar Scott Hubbard, and Bill Nye the Science Guy to a live conversation at Planetfest: Curiosity Knows No Bounds, just a few hours …
Astronaut Tom Jones at SETIcon
August 6th, 2012
43:01
Skywalker, scientist and author Tom Jones joins us in a fireside chat about Near Earth Objects and much more. Emily Lakdawalla tours the Applied Physics Lab in Maryland. Bill Nye the Science Guy put high value on the …
More Planetary Radio Live at the Aquarium of the Pacific: Oceans Everywhere
July 30th, 2012
28:50
We return to the Aquarium for much more of our conversation about seas on Earth and seas on other worlds, featuring Dave Bader, Kevin Hand and Bill Nye. Emily Lakdawalla concludes her video tour of Curiosity's cameras …
Fire and Ice With Volcanologist Rosaly Lopes
July 16th, 2012
45:55
JPL volcanologist Rosaly Lopes has discovered more volcanos than anyone else, including 71 on Jupiter’s moon Io. She is fascinated by these fiery …
Mae Jemison of the 100 Year Starship Initiative
July 9th, 2012
28:50
Retired astronaut Dr. Mae Jemison leads the 100 Year Starship Initiative. You’ll hear Mat’s conversation with her about this ambitious project in a SETIcon II fireside chat.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit …
Lockheed Martin CTO Ray Johnson
July 2nd, 2012
28:50
The Chief Technology Officer for the world's largest aerospace company wants more young people to consider careers as engineers.Learn more about your …
More From the Air and Space Museum
June 25th, 2012
28:50
Our special live show at the National Air and Space Museum continues with curator David DeVorkin, Space Policy Institute founder John Logsdon, Bill …
Live at the National Air and Space Museum
June 18th, 2012
29:52
Join us for the first half of a conversation with David DeVorkin, John Logsdon and Bill Nye.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Remembering Ray
June 11th, 2012
28:50
We look back to the Planetary Society's 2003 birthday party for Ray Bradbury, with tributes from distinguished fans and eloquent words from the master himself.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit …
Cassini Project Scientist Linda Spilker With a Saturn Mission Update
June 4th, 2012
28:50
Planetary Radio's most frequent guest returns with the latest news from the great ringed world, its moons, and its rings.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Author Kim Stanley Robinson Takes Us to 2312
May 28th, 2012
39:15
Kim Stanley Robinson shares his vision of a brave new solar system 300 years in the future with his new novel, 2312.Learn more about your ad choices. …
VIP Tour of a Huge Solar Sail BONUS: Falcon 9 and Dragon Head for the ISS!
May 21st, 2012
28:50
Join the VIP tour! Planetary Radio visited L’Garde, Incorporated to see how its giant solar sail is coming together. You’ll hear from Congressman …
Visiting the Spacecraft Technology Expo
May 14th, 2012
29:37
Spaceplanes, spacesuits and rockets, oh my! Mat Kaplan talks to exhibitors and others at the first ever Spacecraft Technology Expo in Los …
Planetary Astronomer Franck Marchis
May 7th, 2012
28:50
Based now at the SETI Institute’s Carl Sagan Center, Franck Marchis recently visited the Planetary Society for a conversation with host Mat Kaplan. …
Cutting-edge Approaches to Protecting Interplanetary Astronauts
April 30th, 2012
28:50
As if extremes of temperature and lack of air weren’t enough! Some scientists believe it’s space radiation that will keep humans from venturing deep …
The Pioneer Anomaly... Solved!
April 23rd, 2012
28:50
After decades of mystery and investigation, after the recovery of gigabyte after gigabyte of data stored in obsolete computer formats, the whatdunit …
Taking Back the Night -- International Dark Skies Week
April 16th, 2012
28:50
There are millions of urbanites who have never seen the wonders of a truly dark night sky. Scott Kardel of the International Dark Sky Association is …
Searching for Pandora With Debra Fischer
April 9th, 2012
31:46
Yale exoplanet hunter Debra Fischer is about to begin looking for worlds in the star system that is nearest to Earth. She'll tell us about new …
SETI Scientist Jill Tarter Continues the Search
April 2nd, 2012
35:35
The Director of the Center for SETI Research is thrilled to have the Allen Telescope Array back in the hunt for extraterrestrial intelligence. She also tells us about SETILive.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit …
Big News All Around the Solar System From Emily Lakdawalla
March 26th, 2012
28:50
The 2012 Lunar and Planetary Science Conference attracted many of the world's finest planetary scientists. This year it also attracted Emily Lakdawalla and Bill Nye the Planetary Guy. Emily provides a special report on …
"Drifting on Alien Winds" With Author and Artist Michael Carroll
March 19th, 2012
28:50
"Drifting on Alien Winds" With Author and Artist Michael CarrollLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Discovery of a New and Neighborly Asteroid
March 12th, 2012
28:50
With Planetary Society help, La Sagra Observatory discovered big near-Earth object 2012 DA14. Guest: Jaime Nomen.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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James Webb Space Telescope Status Report from Deputy Program Director Eric Smith
February 6th, 2012
28:50
James Webb Space Telescope Status Report from Deputy Program Director Eric SmithLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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How "Outside In" Will Rock Your Solar System
January 16th, 2012
28:50
Outside In is a spectacular IMAX movie being made out of nothing but actual photos of our solar system and beyond -- no computer-generated images. …
Planetary Radio LIVE Continues! With John Callas of the Mars Exploration Rovers and Joy Crisp of the Mars Science Laboratory
January 2nd, 2012
28:50
Here's the second half of our December show recorded in front of a live audience: Mars rover updates, two more spacey songs from KJ Williams, and the big finish of Emily Lakdawalla's proof that she is not covering up …
Planetary Radio LIVE! With John Callas of the Mars Exploration Rovers and Joy Crisp of the Mars Science Laboratory
December 26th, 2011
28:50
We once again go before a live audience for an all Mars rover show. We've also got singer KJ Williams, Bill Nye the Planetary Guy, and Emily …
Emily Lakdawalla's Special Report on the American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting
December 12th, 2011
28:50
Emily Lakdawalla's Special Report on the American Geophysical Union Fall MeetingLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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New Mexico Space Adventure: Back to the First International Planetary Caves Workshop
November 28th, 2011
28:50
New Mexico Space Adventure: Back to the First International Planetary Caves WorkshopLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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New Mexico Cave Adventure With Penny Boston and the First International Planetary Caves Workshop
November 21st, 2011
28:50
New Mexico Cave Adventure With Penny Boston and the First International Planetary Caves WorkshopLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Touring the National Solar Observatory at Sacramento Peak
November 14th, 2011
28:50
Touring the National Solar Observatory at Sacramento PeakLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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One Planet, Two Stars, With Laurance Doyle
November 1st, 2011
28:50
Multidisciplinary scientist Laurance Doyle led the team that has announced discovery of the first extrasolar planet circling two stars. He also talks …
Opportunity Reaches Endeavour, and Planetary Radio Wins an Award!
September 5th, 2011
28:50
Opportunity reaches Endeavour Crater, Emily Lakdawalla visits a New Horizons science meeting about Pluto, Bill Nye discusses a planet made of diamond, and Bruce Betts and Mat Kaplan celebrate the award of a Parsec award …
Apollo 15 Astronaut Al Worden
August 29th, 2011
28:50
Apollo 15 Astronaut Al WordenLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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An Optical SETI Update From Paul Horowitz
July 18th, 2011
28:50
An Optical SETI Update From Paul HorowitzLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Leaving for Jupiter with the Juno Mission's Scott Bolton
June 27th, 2011
28:50
Leaving for Jupiter with the Juno Mission's Scott BoltonLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Dawn Approaches Giant Asteroid Vesta
May 16th, 2011
28:50
After three-and-a-half years of ion-propelled flight, Dawn is finally on final approach to Vesta. We'll get a mission status report from Marc Rayman. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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PI Sean Solomon's MESSENGER is Orbiting Mercury!
March 28th, 2011
28:50
PI Sean Solomon's MESSENGER is Orbiting Mercury!Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Folksinger Peter Mayer Sings of the Cosmos
March 14th, 2011
28:50
Folksinger Peter Mayer Sings of the CosmosLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Stardust-NExT Encounters Comet Tempel 1
February 28th, 2011
28:50
Jessica Sunshine returns to talk about the flyby of comet Tempel 1 by Stardust-NExT. She is joined by Emily Lakdawalla and Mat Kaplan.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Kepler Discovers Hundreds of Extrasolar Planets!
February 21st, 2011
28:50
Kepler Discovers Hundreds of Extrasolar Planets!Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Voyager 1 at the Edge of the Solar System, With Ed Stone
February 7th, 2011
28:50
Voyager 1 at the Edge of the Solar System, With Ed StoneLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Rafael Navarro-Gonzalez and Chris McKay Say the Vikings Probably DID Discover Organics on Mars
January 24th, 2011
28:50
Rafael Navarro-Gonzalez and Chris McKay Say the Vikings Probably DID Discover Organics on MarsLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Return to DPS With Lucy McFadden and Carolyn Crow
October 25th, 2010
28:50
Return to DPS With Lucy McFadden and Carolyn CrowLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Solar Probe Plus Will Fly to the Sun
September 13th, 2010
28:50
Solar Probe Plus Will Fly to the SunLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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The Giant Magellan Telescope
August 9th, 2010
28:50
Giant Magellan Telescope Director Patrick McCarthy. Emily Lakdawalla on Mars' acne. Bill Nye says a solar sail could test relativity.Learn more about …
Looking for E.T.'s Laser Beam: An Optical SETI Update
July 12th, 2010
28:50
An update on the Optical Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence from Harvard's Paul Horowitz.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit …
Planetary Society Executive Director Lou Friedman on solar sails IKAROS and LightSail-1
May 17th, 2010
28:50
Planetary Society Executive Director Lou Friedman on solar sails IKAROS and LightSail-1Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Planetary Radio Live!
May 3rd, 2010
28:50
PlanRad goes before a live audience to talk rockets with Bill Nye, Jeff Richichi of SpaceX, and JPL pioneer James Burke.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Paul Davies, Author of The Eerie Silence""
April 26th, 2010
28:50
Paul Davies, Author of The Eerie Silence""Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Conference on the Future of the American Space Program with Bill Nye
April 19th, 2010
28:50
Bill Nye the Science Guy reports on last week's conference about the future of the US space program.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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It's Mars Rover Opportunity, Only Smarter
April 12th, 2010
28:50
JPL engineer Daniel Gaines helped develop new software for Opportunity to autonomously select objects for close-up imaging as she races across Mars. …
100 Millions Solar Systems Like Our Own?
March 1st, 2010
28:50
100 Millions Solar Systems Like Our Own?Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Mars Rover Project Manager John Callas
February 1st, 2010
28:50
John Callas tells us why an end to Spirit's roving does not mean the end of her work on the red planet. Emily Lakdawalla looks to the other side of …
The Dish(es): Australia and the Deep Space Network
December 14th, 2009
28:50
Australia's key role in the Deep Space Network is explored with Glen Nagle of the Canberra Deep Space Communication Complex.Learn more about your ad …
A MESSENGER Mercury Mission Update From Sean Solomon
December 7th, 2009
28:50
A MESSENGER Mercury Mission Update From Sean SolomonLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Celebrating our Anniversary With Arthur C. Clarke
November 30th, 2009
28:50
Planetary Radio is seven years old. We'll celebrate by looking back to our beginnings, with science fiction writer and futurist Sir Arthur C. …
Celebrating Carl Sagan and a New Solar Sail With Ann Druyan
November 9th, 2009
28:50
Solar sailing returns with LightSail, announced on the 75th anniversary of Carl Sagan's birth.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit …
Mars Exploration Rover Project Manager John Callas
July 27th, 2009
30:04
John Callas reports on Spirit and Opportunity, Bill Nye debates the future of humans on the Moon, and Bruce Betts looks to the Perseid meteor shower in his What's Up review of the night sky.Learn more about your ad …
Ray Bradbury Looks Back at Apollo 11
July 20th, 2009
28:50
Ray Bradbury Looks Back at Apollo 11Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Earth Observation at the World Resources Simulation Center Design Event
June 15th, 2009
30:27
Earth Observation at the World Resources Simulation Center Design EventLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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A Mars Exploration Rover Update with Project Scientist Bruce Banerdt
May 4th, 2009
28:50
Bruce Banerdt provides a status report on Spirit and Opportunity. Bill Nye has something old and something new to talk about, and Bruce Betts returns …
Celebrate the Mars Rovers With Jim Bell
January 19th, 2009
28:50
Jim Bell and Bill Nye talk Spirit and Opportunity in celebration of 5 years on Mars. Emily Lakdawalla's Q&A looks forward to a Mars flyby by the Dawn spacecraft.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit …
Looking Back at the Phoenix Mars Polar Lander With Peter Smith
January 5th, 2009
28:50
Looking Back at the Phoenix Mars Polar Lander With Peter SmithLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Andrew Chaikin on the 40th Anniversary of Apollo 8
December 29th, 2008
28:50
Andrew Chaikin on the 40th Anniversary of Apollo 8Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Lou Friedman on the Roadmap to Space
November 17th, 2008
30:07
Planetary Society Exec. Director Lou Friedman on the new plan for human exploration of space.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Future American Space Policy, Part 1: President-Elect Barack Obama's Plan
November 10th, 2008
30:14
Future American Space Policy, Part 1: President-Elect Barack Obama's PlanLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Ann Druyan on New Honors for Carl Sagan
September 22nd, 2008
28:51
Longtime partner Ann Druyan is proud of NASA's new Carl Sagan Fellowships. Bill Nye has a tribute for his old professor.Learn more about your ad …
Astropulse: A New Way for ET to Phone Home
September 15th, 2008
30:03
Astropulse: A New Way for ET to Phone HomeLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Northrop Grumman Space Technology President Alexis Livanos
September 8th, 2008
28:51
Northrop Grumman Space Technology President Alexis LivanosLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Ulysses Mission Operations Manager Nigel Angold on the End of the Solar Polar Journey
August 25th, 2008
28:51
Ulysses Mission Operations Manager Nigel Angold on the End of the Solar Polar JourneyLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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David Morrison of NASA's Lunar Science Institute and Jack Gregg on the Lunar Regolith Challenge
August 11th, 2008
28:51
Distinguished scientist David Morrison of NASA's Lunar Science Institute, while Jack Gregg heads speaks about the 2nd Lunar Regolith Challenge.Learn …
Phoenix Mars Lander Update: Taste the Water!
August 4th, 2008
28:51
An exciting update from the Phoenix Mars Lander team, with further insights from Emily Lakdawalla. Bill Nye also celebrates Phoenix.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Astonishing Mercury, With MESSENGER Principal Investigator Sean Solomon
July 21st, 2008
28:51
Astonishing Mercury, With MESSENGER Principal Investigator Sean SolomonLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Landing on Mars: How Hard Can It Be?
June 9th, 2008
28:51
JPL's Rob Manning explores just a few of the challenges of landing a spacecraft on another planet. We also get a Phoenix mission update from Emily Lakdawalla, who says not everything is going well.Learn more about your …
A Mars Rover Update From Steve Squyres
April 14th, 2008
28:51
Steve Squyres gives us a status report on Spirit and Opportunity, and Bill Nye comments on the rings that appear to surround one of Saturn's small …
Celebrating the MESSENGER Mercury Flyby With Sean Solomon
February 11th, 2008
28:51
Celebrating the MESSENGER Mercury Flyby With Sean SolomonLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Planetary Radio 5th Anniversary Show: Astronomer Geoff Marcy on Discovery of Fifth Planet in Star System
November 26th, 2007
28:51
We celebrate our 5th anniversary by learning about discovery of a five-planet star system, the largest found so far. Q&A on Jupiter's red spot.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Mars Exploration Rover Program Manager John Callas
November 19th, 2007
28:51
John Callas provides a status report on Spirit and Opportunity. Emily Lakdawalla is looking at brilliant Comet Holmes in her Q&A report, and …
The Universe in Ultraviolet: Bill Blair on the FUSE Mission
October 29th, 2007
28:51
The Universe in Ultraviolet: Bill Blair on the FUSE MissionLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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A Hole In The Universe
September 3rd, 2007
28:51
A Hole In The UniverseLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Bill McKinnon and Ices and Seas in the Outer Solar System
August 20th, 2007
28:51
Bill McKinnon and Ices and Seas in the Outer Solar SystemLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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The 7th International Conference on Mars
July 16th, 2007
28:51
500 members of Earth's Mars appreciation club gathered at CalTech in Pasadena, California last week. Scientists presented the latest research on Mars.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Digging for Dollars on the Moon: The Lunar Regolith Challenge
June 4th, 2007
28:51
Special coverage of NASA's Lunar Regolith Challenge, with robot excavators after a $250,000 prize.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit …
The Most Earthlike Extrasolar Planet Yet -- A Conversation With Co-Discoverer Stephane Udry
April 30th, 2007
28:51
The Most Earthlike Extrasolar Planet Yet -- A Conversation With Co-Discoverer Stephane UdryLearn more about your ad choices. Visit …
Cosmology: Five Big Things You Need to Know
April 9th, 2007
28:51
Cosmology: Five Big Things You Need to KnowLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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A Sea Under the South Pole of Enceladus?
April 2nd, 2007
28:51
A Sea Under the South Pole of Enceladus?Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Mars Express Confirms Lots of Polar Ice! Where's the Rest?
March 26th, 2007
28:51
Mars Express Confirms Lots of Polar Ice! Where's the Rest?Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Talking With the Top of the World: Stephen Grasby at the Europa Analog on Ellesmere Island
July 3rd, 2006
28:52
Talking With the Top of the World: Stephen Grasby at the Europa Analog on Ellesmere IslandLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Solving Cosmic Mysteries Deep Under the Earth
June 12th, 2006
28:52
Art McDonald is Director of the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory, two kilometers deep in a nickel mine in northern Canada.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Sending an SOS to Congress: Save Our Science!
June 5th, 2006
28:52
Planetary Society Executive Director Lou Friedman talks about the Save Our Science campaign's recent trip to Washington.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Big Eye in the Martian Sky: Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Project Scientist Rich Zurek
May 29th, 2006
15:39
Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Project Scientist Rich Zurek returns with an update on the craft now orbiting Mars.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Rusty Schweickart and More from the International Space Development Conference
May 15th, 2006
28:52
More from ISDC, including Apollo astronaut Rusty Schweickart on asteroid deflection, Elon Musk of SpaceX, and X Prize Foundation's Peter …
Join Us at the International Space Development Conference
May 8th, 2006
28:52
Special coverage from the 25th annual ISDC in Los Angeles, featuring Neil deGrasse Tyson, Bill Nye the Science Guy, and Burt Rutan.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Help Us Find Star Dust at Home!
May 1st, 2006
28:52
Stardust mission researcher Andrew Westphal returns with news about what the spacecraft brought back to Earth, and how the public will help find more.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Rob Manning Says Landing on Mars is Hard!
April 24th, 2006
28:52
Landing people on Mars will be hard, but JPL's Rob Manning and other engineers are working on solutions.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit …
News from Saturn and a New Companion for Venus
April 17th, 2006
28:52
The Planetary Society's Emily Lakdawalla reports on the arrival of Venus Express; Cassini Deputy Project Scientist Linda Spilker has news from Saturn.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Looking for Life with Chris McKay
April 10th, 2006
28:52
Planetary scientist Chris McKay talks about where and how we should look for life in the universe, including Europa and Mars.Learn more about your ad …
A Bright New Star in the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence
April 3rd, 2006
28:52
Paul Horowitz talks about his new attempt to detect pulses of laser light from distant civilizations with the Optical SETI Dedicated …
Oceanographer John Delaney Jumps in Europa's Ocean
March 27th, 2006
28:50
Oceanographer John Delaney believes our growing knowledge of Earth's oceans will help us explore the sea under Europa's ice.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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News From the 37th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference
March 20th, 2006
28:50
Emily Lakdawalla reports on the Lunar and Planetary Science Conference, while Stardust co-investigator Scott Sandford describes exciting …
Harvard Physicist Lisa Randall on Hidden Dimensions and New Universes to Explore
March 13th, 2006
28:50
Harvard physicist and author Lisa Randall talks about hidden dimensions and other universes.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Europa: Life Beneath the Ice?
March 6th, 2006
28:50
Highlights from a public forum on what may be found in Europa's ocean and how to reach it, w/ Chris McKay, Bob Pappalardo, Torrence Johnson, and more.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Third Time's the Charm for Dan McCleese and the Mars Climate Sounder
February 27th, 2006
28:50
Mars Climate Sounder Principal Investigator Dan McCleese on instrument's third chance to reach the red planet, on Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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On the Way to Pluto with New Horizons Principal Investigator Alan Stern
February 20th, 2006
28:50
Principal Investigator Alan Stern returns for the first time since launch of New Horizons toward Jupiter, Pluto and beyond.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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The Orion Nebula As You've Never Seen It
January 30th, 2006
28:50
The Orion Nebula As You've Never Seen ItLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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A Great Week for Space Exploration
January 23rd, 2006
28:50
Andrew Westphal on what's been found in the Stardust Sample Return Capsule and John Spencer on the New Horizons launch and the upcoming Jupiter …
A Martian Anniversary for Spirit and Opportunity!
November 28th, 2005
28:50
One Martian year of Spirit and Opportunity on Mars with Jim Bell, Cornell University; Q and A on a crusty moon; special trivia contest prize.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Off to Pluto and Its Three Moons with Alan Stern
November 21st, 2005
28:50
New Horizons PI Alan Stern on the mission to Pluto, and discovery of 2 new moons. Q&A: movies from rocket launches. New trivia contest.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Special Edition: Planetary Society's 25th Anniversary Gala
November 14th, 2005
28:50
The Planetary Society celebrates 25 years with 300 close friends, including Ray Bradbury and Bill Nye. Also, a new What's Up space trivia contest.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Peering Down at Huygens: Cassini Revisits Mysterious Titan
November 7th, 2005
28:50
Steve Wall, deputy leader of the Cassini RADAR team, on new images of Huygens' landing site and a shoreline. Asteroids on Q&A, new What's Up Contest.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Touring the Planets With Dava Sobel
October 31st, 2005
28:50
Dava Sobel has just written The Planets. Not a drop of water on Jupiter's moon Io in Q and A, space headlines, and Mars comes close.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Ray Bradbury Returns!
October 24th, 2005
28:50
The beloved author, poet and visionary is back to talk about his inspirations, the romance of space exploration, and much more. Q&A on the biggest object in the Kuiper Belt, and a new space trivia contest on What's …
Venus Express Leaves for Earth's Twin
October 17th, 2005
28:50
Venus Express Project Scientist Håkan Svedhem talks about the first mission to the mysterious planet in more than a decade. Q&A on Jupiter's Great Red Spot and other storms. What's Up announces TWO new space …
Gamma Ray Bursts: Explaining the Universe's Biggest Bangs
October 10th, 2005
28:50
Swift satellite principal investigator Neil Gehrels on what causes the universe's biggest explosions. Q&A on the rings of Saturn, and a new space trivia contest during our What's Up segment about the night sky and …
Going Up! Ben Shelef of the Spaceward Foundation on Space Elevator Development
October 3rd, 2005
28:50
The Spaceward Foundation is about to host the first Space Elevator Games. Founder Ben Shelef talks about this and other projects. Q&A on where …
NASA's Chief Scientist on the Vision for Space Exploration
September 26th, 2005
28:50
NASA's Jim Garvin comments on the agency's just announced plans for human exploration and new spacecraft. Also Lou Friedman, Q&A on craters …
Japanese Hayabusa Probe Reaches Asteroid
September 19th, 2005
28:50
Project Manger Junichiro Kawaguchi celebrates the arrival at asteroid Itokawa, with further insights provided by former JPL Director Bruce Murray. …
The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter's Project Manager and Project Scientist
September 12th, 2005
28:50
MRO Project Manager Jim Graf and Project Scientist Rich Zurek introduce us to their powerful new spacecraft. Running out of big Near Earth Objects on …
A Tour of the Solar System With Bill Hartmann
August 22nd, 2005
28:50
A Tour of the Solar System With Bill HartmannLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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NASA Goes for Star Trek Science: Bob Cassanova of the Institute for Advanced Concepts
July 25th, 2005
28:50
NASA Goes for Star Trek Science: Bob Cassanova of the Institute for Advanced ConceptsLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Cosmos 1: Solar Sail Special Report
June 27th, 2005
28:50
Cosmos 1: Solar Sail Special ReportLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Solar Sail Countdown
June 20th, 2005
28:50
Solar Sail CountdownLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Era of Solar Sailing Begins
May 23rd, 2005
28:50
Era of Solar Sailing BeginsLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Astronomer, Astrobiologist and Fast Pitch Outfielder Woody Sullivan
May 16th, 2005
28:50
Astronomer, Astrobiologist and Fast Pitch Outfielder Woody SullivanLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Chasing Volcanoes Around the Solar System
March 14th, 2005
28:50
Chasing Volcanoes Around the Solar SystemLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Sami Asmar: The Man Who Told Us The Huygens Probe Made It
February 7th, 2005
28:50
Sami Asmar: The Man Who Told Us The Huygens Probe Made ItLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Astronaut Owen Garriott on How to Explore the Solar System
January 31st, 2005
28:50
Astronaut Owen Garriott on How to Explore the Solar SystemLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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A Visit With Spirit Mission Manager Mark Adler
January 19th, 2005
28:48
As the incredibly successful Mars Exploration Rover mission continues, Planetary Radio talks with Spirit's manager about what is being accomplished. …
A Year of Roving Across Mars
January 3rd, 2005
28:50
We celebrate one (Earth) year of Mars Exploration Rovers on the red planet with Principal Investigator Steve Squyres and Project Manager Jim Erickson; Emily Lakdawalla goes where no spacecraft has gone before.Learn more …
Solar Sail Ready for Liftoff
November 15th, 2004
28:50
Solar Sail Ready for LiftoffLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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A Conversation With Jet Propulsion Lab Director Charles Elachi
October 18th, 2004
28:50
A Conversation With Jet Propulsion Lab Director Charles ElachiLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Apollo Astronauts Visit Planetary Radio
July 19th, 2004
28:50
Apollo Astronauts Visit Planetary RadioLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Hunting for Extrasolar Planets
May 31st, 2004
28:50
Hunting for Extrasolar PlanetsLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Opportunity Reaches Endurance Crater on Mars
May 10th, 2004
28:50
Steve Squyres and Phil Christensen discuss Opportunity's latest goal, Endeavour Crater; Emily Lakdawalla knows how to find a spacecraft sailing out beyond Pluto, and Bruce Betts has a lock on a couple of comets.Learn …
Magnets Roving on Mars
April 19th, 2004
25:16
This week we hear about the strategically located magnets on the Mars Exploration Rovers and how are telling us more about the red planet.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Celebrate With The Mars Exploration Rover Team
April 12th, 2004
22:41
With lots to celebrate, The Planetary Society threw a party for the scientists and engineers who have made Spirit and Opportunity such amazing successes, and you're invited!Learn more about your ad choices. Visit …
Life on Mars...and Earth
April 5th, 2004
29:55
We visit Harvard biologist Andrew Knoll for a conversation about finding life on the red planet. Emily Lakdawalla is seeing red on another of Earth's …
Jim Bell, The Pancam Man!
March 1st, 2004
29:22
Planetary Radio talks with the developer of the Pancam on the Mars Exploration Rovers, Jim Bell. We also feature the last pair of Student Astronauts, and another visit with Astrobots Biff Starling and Sandy …
The Astrobots are Back on Our Show!
February 9th, 2004
26:20
After a long hiatus, Biff Starling and Sandy Moondust return to the air. You'll also hear from Mars Exploration Rover Entry, Descent and Landing Chief Engineer Wayne Lee, and from two more of the Student …
Mars Exploration Rover Flight Director Chris Lewicki
February 2nd, 2004
29:12
Opportunity is on a roll and Spirit is almost back to full health as we visit with the young Flight Director for the mission. We also hear from two …
Opportunity Lands and Hope Builds for Spirit
January 26th, 2004
34:17
We celebrate the perfect landing of Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity with special guest Rob Manning, plus lots more, including two more Student Astronauts, and a "name that outcropping" contest from Bruce Betts.Learn …
Spirit Lands on Mars!
January 5th, 2004
30:32
Follow the incredibly exciting and finally triumphant arrival on Mars of the Mars Exploration Rover as it happened at Wild About Mars, the Planetary …
Columbia's Aftermath: "Butterfly on a Bullet"
December 29th, 2003
28:30
Columbia's Aftermath: Butterfly on a Bullet""Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Steve Squyres Is Ready for Mars
December 22nd, 2003
27:43
Doctor Steven Squyres talks about the challenges, human and robotic, facing the Mars Exploration Rover mission; Emily Lakdawalla is watching for shooting stars...on Mars, and Bruce Betts and Mat Kaplan attend the …
Mars Exploration Rover Update
December 15th, 2003
30:41
Planetary Radio gets a Mars Exploration Rover status report from Deputy Project Scientist, Dr. Albert Haldemann; Emily Lakdawalla can tell how old a …
The Moon, Ion Engines, and Helium 3 ...What More Could You Want?
October 6th, 2003
29:10
The Moon, Ion Engines, and Helium 3 ...What More Could You Want?Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Holographic Doctors and Galileo's Daughter: A Visit With Robert Picardo
September 8th, 2003
30:18
Holographic Doctors and Galileo's Daughter: A Visit With Robert PicardoLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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From Russia With Love: A Solar Sail Update
July 21st, 2003
26:55
From Russia With Love: A Solar Sail UpdateLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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An Encore for Sir Arthur and Another New Extrasolar Planet
July 7th, 2003
30:10
An Encore for Sir Arthur and Another New Extrasolar PlanetLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Getting a Rover's-Eye View of Mars
May 12th, 2003
28:57
Hear excerpts of the Mars Exploration Rover imaging team lead Jim Bell's presentation last week at Planetary Society headquarters; Emily looks for life on the moon, while Bruce Betts says to get ready for this week's …
Columbia Experiment Recovered!
May 5th, 2003
28:47
Columbia Experiment Recovered!Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Return to Mars: Two Rover Landing Sites Chosen
April 21st, 2003
29:51
Matt Golombek tells us about the Mars Exploration Rover landing site selection process and the exciting destinations just chosen. What objects hold …
A Microphone on Mars?
April 14th, 2003
29:48
What would you sound like on Mars? Berkeley researcher Greg Delory and the Planetary Society have developed the Mars Microphone, so that we can find …
Cool Science: Ice on Europa and Mars
March 3rd, 2003
29:11
Cool Science: Ice on Europa and MarsLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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The Volcanoes of Io
February 24th, 2003
29:57
The Volcanoes of IoLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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100 Extrasolar Planet Candidates...and Counting!
February 10th, 2003
29:54
100 Extrasolar Planet Candidates...and Counting!Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Special Live Edition of Planetary Radio: The Loss of Space Shuttle Columbia
February 3rd, 2003
27:33
Special Live Edition of Planetary Radio: The Loss of Space Shuttle ColumbiaLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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A Renaissance Space Man: Dr. William Hartmann Talks About His Novels, Art and Research
January 27th, 2003
31:28
A Renaissance Space Man: Dr. William Hartmann Talks About His Novels, Art and ResearchLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Another Benefit of Space Science? Shuttle Experiment Offers Glimmer of Hope in the Mideast
January 20th, 2003
31:12
Another Benefit of Space Science? Shuttle Experiment Offers Glimmer of Hope in the MideastLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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