AstrotalkUK
72 episodes - English - Latest episode: about 1 month ago - ★★★★★ - 1 ratingNot for profit website/blog on astronomy, space and my writing
Homepage Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Overcast Castro Pocket Casts RSS feed
Episodes
Episode 112 – Brown Dwarfs, Dark Matter and Dark Energy
March 15, 2024 10:00 - 48 minutes - 89.5 MBEuclid, a @esa science mission, will shed light on both dark matter and dark energy. It was launched in July 2023 and arrived in its L2 orbit a month later. It has just two instruments which will produce a high-resolution 3-D map of a third of the sky, stretching back 10 billion years during its initial 6-year operational lifetime.
Episode 111 – Chandrayaan-3
November 30, 2023 15:15 - 35 minutes - 48.2 MBFollowing the successful landing of @isro #Chandrayaan-3, Associate Project Director Kalpana Kalahasti was the first female to speak at the ISRO live stream event. As a seasoned engineer, Kalahasti contributed to numerous projects including SARAL in 2013. Here she talks about her journey with ISRO which began in 1999 as a radar engineer.
Episode 110 – Humanity’s spiritual destiny and the 100 year starship
November 10, 2023 12:02 - 34 minutes - 27.4 MBThe 100 year starship project @100YSS aims to get humanity to develop the capability to travel to the stars in one hundred years time. It started in 2012 headed by Dr Mae Jemison the first woman of colour to fly in to space in STS 47 in 1992.
Episode 109 – The Antikythera Mechanism with Prof Xenophon Moussas
December 16, 2022 06:00 - 45 minutes - 36.4 MBI first came across the Antikythera Mechanism just over a decade ago. It is still the most incredible artefact from history. It is as out of place in our time as William Shakespeare using an Iphone or Vasco De Gama travelling in a speedboat. The Antikythera Mechanism is a complex mechanical (clockwork) device that can determine the position of the planets and phases of the Moon and predict when solar and lunar eclipses will occur. Constructed about two thousand years ago, it was discovered ...
Episode 108 – NASA’s Europa Clipper Mission
November 25, 2022 06:00 - 25 minutes - 29.7 MBThe Clarke Exobelt is the name that Dr Hector Socas-Navarro has given to perhaps the largest structure humans have built. A collection of satellites in earth orbit (geosynchronous) 36,000 km radius. All circling the earth at the same speed in the same direction. The density of this orbit has been increasing since the 1960s but is not yet sufficiently dense for detection from interstellar distances. But in 200 years it may be. In the meantime, this concept works the other way around too. SETI...
Episode 107 – SETI’s new tool – Technosignatures
November 18, 2022 06:00 - 40 minutes - 92.5 MBThe Clarke Exobelt is the name that Dr Hector Socas-Navarro has given to perhaps the largest structure humans have built. A collection of satellites in earth orbit (geosynchronous) 36,000 km radius. All circling the earth at the same speed in the same direction. The density of this orbit has been increasing since the 1960s but is not yet sufficiently dense for detection from interstellar distances. But in 200 years it may be. In the meantime, this concept works the other way around too. SETI...
Episode 106 – ESA’s new science missions
November 11, 2022 06:00 - 43 minutes - 98.4 MBEuropean Space Agency's Dr Paul McNamara was studying low-frequency gravitational waves just before they were discovered in 2015. Now he is the astronomy and astrophysics coordinator for the European Space Agency. In this interview, recorded in Athens during Cospar2022, he speaks about some of the exciting science missions that ESA will be launching later this decade.
Episode 105 – Return to Titan – Dragonfly
November 04, 2022 06:00 - 44 minutes - 50.4 MBDr Ralph Lorenz speaks about Dragonfly, a return mission to land on Titan. This mission, for which he is the mission architect, is like no other. It is not really a lander or rover but a quadcopter that will sample different regions near the landing site during its 3.3-year lifetime.
Episode 104 – William Leitch. The forgotten Scottish Rocket Pioneer
October 28, 2022 05:00 - 1 hour - 55.3 MBWhen it comes to the pioneers of rocketry, tradition has it that it was Tsiolkovsky, Goddard and Oberth. in this episode, author Rob Godwin talks about William Leitch from Scotland. He was writing about rocketry from the 1850s
Episode 103 -Observing the Solar System with the JWST
October 21, 2022 05:00 - 35 minutes - 28.3 MBAstronomer Dr Connor Nixon @shamrocketeer speaks about the @nasawebb program to observe solar system objects using the #JWST led by @hbhammel
Episode 102 – Martian Geology with Prof Sanjeev Gupta
October 14, 2022 13:10 - 30 minutes - 24.6 MBIn 1972, Harrison Schmitt became the first (and so far only), scientist to walk on the surface of the Moon. Since then many scientists have brought their scientific insights to understanding to the solar system and their moons. geologist @sanjeevgupta45 from @imperialcollege talks about Mars
Episode 101 UNOOSA – Peaceful Uses of Outer Space
October 07, 2022 13:52 - 30 minutes - 70.2 MBNiklas Hedman, the Acting Director of the @UN Office for the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (UNOOSA) talks about @UNOOSA ongoing role in facilitating and promoting the peaceful uses of space in Low Earth orbit and beyond.
Episode 100 Sandra Benitez Herrera – ESA Education Outreach
September 18, 2022 07:00 - 27 minutes - 31.2 MBSandra Benitez-Herrera talks about the opportunities for teachers and students made available by the European Space Agency 's CESAR (Cooperation through Education in Science and Astronomy Research) program. @esa
Episode 99 Professor Stamatios Krimigis – Exploring the Solar System with Voyager
September 09, 2022 05:01 - 40 minutes - 46.6 MBA chance meeting with James van Allen led Stamatios Krimigis to build instruments for Mariner 3 and 4. Eventually became a Principle Investigator for the charged particle instrument on voyager which was initially known as Mariner Jupiter Saturn 77 program
Episode 98 Astrophotography with Nik Szymanek
October 18, 2021 14:05 - 1 hour - 48.2 MBAstrophotographer Nik Szymanek shares his unique perspective on how astrophotography has evolved since the 1980s when he first started. We speak about software and robotic telescopes @telescopelivehq @APinSpain & @astronomynow get a mention.
Episode 97 Bob Heil’s Moon Bounce Experiment with NASA
October 08, 2021 13:37 - 53 minutes - 43 MBFollowing an unexpected meeting with USA's first Astronaut, Alan Shepard in around 1962. In this episode he recounts a Moon-Bounce experiments with @Nasa.
Episode 96 Seti – The search so far with Jill Tarter
October 01, 2021 13:21 - 35 minutes - 28.1 MBSince the beginning of human civilisation, people have looked up at the night sky and wondered – are we alone? Science and technology of the 20th century has made it possible to try to address that question. So how is are we doing? With Jill Tarter from @SETIInstitute
Episode 95 European Space Cooperation DeGaulle to ExoMars with Brian Harvey
September 24, 2021 13:02 - 1 hour - 86.7 MBThe latest book from author Brian Harvey @BrianHarveyAut1, this is probably the first English language analysis of the individuals, institutions and early space projects that would eventually lead, not just France, but Europe to its status as a leader in designing, building and operating complex space infrastructure.
Episode 94 Seti – Techniques and Technology with Jill Tarter
September 17, 2021 13:44 - 31 minutes - 24.9 MBHow has the ¢SETI evolved over the last 6 decades and especially what can modern technology allow today that was not possible then? With Jill Tarter from @SETIInstitute
Episode 93: Exploring the surface of Titan
January 14, 2021 12:30 - 59 minutes - 48.4 MBOn 14th January 2005, the Huygens probe landed on Titan. Saturns and the solar systems largest Moon. This was a joint NAS/ESA mission called Cassini-Huygens. Whilst Huygens landed on Titan, Cassini continued to orbit Saturn. Professor John Zarnecki, the prinicpal investigator for the Surface Science Package, recalls the experience of that mission and what we learnt about Titan then and since.
Episode 92: Revisiting Panspermia with Prof. Wickramasinghe
January 01, 2021 02:03 - 1 hour - 60.1 MBThe idea of Panspermia, that life exists throughout the universe and spreads via asteroids, comets and cosmic dust, has been around for a long time. Two of the strongest advocates were Professor Fred Hoyle and Professor Chandra Wickramasinghe.
Episode 91 – ISRO and the Spy who was not
November 15, 2019 06:00 - 47 minutes - 67.9 MBIn 1994, Narayan Nambi an ISRO aerospace engineer was falsely arrested by the Investigation Beuro on charges of espionage. He was accused of passing on confidential launch vehicle flight test data to foreign nationals. In 1996 he was cleared by the Central Investigations Bureau and India's Supreme Court found him not guilty in 1998. In 2019 he was presented with India's third-highest civilian award, the Padma Bhushan.
Episode 90 – An update on ISRO’s activities with S Somanath and R Umamaheshwaran
October 28, 2019 20:31 - 50 minutes - 40.5 MBThis interview with S Somanath (director of the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre) and R Umamaheshwaran (Scientific Secretary) was recorded on 24th October 2019 during the International Astronautical Congress in Washington DC. It was not focused on a specific theme but rather an update on all things @ISRO - current and future activities.
IAC2019 Heads of Space Agency – Press Conference
October 27, 2019 09:00 - 41 minutes - 57.2 MBThis audio recording captures most of the Q&A that took place on Monday 21st October #IAC2019. The audio quality is variable. The agencies represented included #isro #nasa #jaxa #china #Russia
Episode 89 – Carbon Nanotubes
October 25, 2019 05:00 - 42 minutes - 34.6 MBIn his 1979 novel, Fountains of Paradise, Arthur C Clarke imagines a cable stretching from the Earth's equator to Geosynchronous orbit. He called it a "space elevator" and imagined it would be constructed from continuous pseudo-one-dimensional diamond crystals. Bangalore based NoPo Technologies is now commercially producing Carbon Nanotubes. Could this material, one day be used to construct Clarke's space elevator?
Episode 88 – India’s Private Space Sector
October 11, 2019 05:00 - 1 hour - 68.2 MBAs in other nations, the private space sector is now emerging in India. One name that pops up when discussing private and commercial space in India is Narayanan Prasad
Episode 87 – Apollo Era recollections of a Brit working in NASA
July 12, 2019 05:00 - 52 minutes - 55.9 MBEpisode 87 - Apollo Era recollections of a Brit working in @NASA
Episode 86 – Moon: Art, Science, Culture
June 28, 2019 05:00 - 42 minutes - 34.4 MBMoon: Art, Science, Culture The 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 landing was a momentous event and expected to be marked by numerous publications. Most books cover the technologies, events, personal recollections and politics of the first human voyage to another world. One book jointly authored by an art historian and an astronomer has a fresh perspective. The guests in this episode are the authors of the book Moon: Art, Science, Culture - Dr Alexandra Loske Associate Tutor in Art History...
Episode 85 – Russia’s Space programme with Brian Harvey
April 19, 2019 05:00 - 43 minutes - 35.1 MBBrian Harvey is a Dublin based writer who has authored more than 14 books the space programmes of USSR/Russia, USA, India, Korea Japan and China. He has a deep understanding of the motivations and politics as well as the space technology that has emerged.
Enabling democracy through an App?
April 12, 2019 05:00 - 51 minutes - 41.4 MBGovernEye and is designed to facilitate democratic engagement by allowing voters elected politician and all stakeholders. @GovernEye founder Anant Ahuja talks about how Governeye works and what motivated it.
Episode 84: NASA after the Shuttle. SLS and The Gateway
April 05, 2019 05:00 - 30 minutes - 24.8 MBWhy has NASA not been able to launch American astronauts to space on American rockets since 2011? What is the SLS and the Gateway? Will China and US cooperate in space?
Episode 83: India’s Human Spaceflight Programme with R Umamaheswaran
January 18, 2019 06:00 - 18 minutes - 14.9 MBAstrotalkuk.org - Episode 83 - India's Human Spaceflight Programme. R Umamaheswaren talks about @ISRO Human Space Flight Programme #gaganyaan and thinks the chances of a woman as a member of the first crew "highly likely". recorded at #IAC2018
Episode 82: Jaxa and International Collaboration with Professor Fujimoto Masaki
January 04, 2019 06:00 - 22 minutes - 18.1 MBA conversation with Prof. Fujimoto Masaki about @JAXA current and future plans to explore the inner solar system and #samplereturn missions. Recorded in Bremen just after #IAC2018
Episode 81: United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs
December 14, 2018 06:00 - 25 minutes - 20.2 MBAstrotalkuk.org. Episode 81 - United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs. Simonetta Di Pippo, Director of UNOOSA# talks about some of UNOOSA's current projects. recorded during #IAC2018
Episode 80 – S Somnath Director of Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre
November 30, 2018 06:00 - 27 minutes - 22 MBAstrotakuk.org Episode 80. S. Somnath joined the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC), Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala in 1985 and today he is its director. Recorded at #IAC2018
Episode 79: satsearch.co – A single digital marketplace for the global space supply chain?
November 16, 2018 06:00 - 27 minutes - 22.1 MBAstrotalkuk.org - Episode 79 satsearch.co A digital marketplace for the global space supply chain? With @satsearchco. Recorded at #iac2018.
Episode 78: ISRO’s early Earth Observation Cameras with former chairman Mr Kiran Kumar
September 28, 2018 05:00 - 52 minutes - 42 MBDr Kiran Kumar. Credit ISRO Mr Kiran Kumar studied physics, physical engineering and electronics in educational institutions in India including the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) in Bangalore. He specialised in electro-optical imaging systems and in 1975 was recruited by Dr Yash Pal (one of a few key individuals who played a pivotal role in the early days of India’s space programme) to ISRO’s Space Application Centre in Ahmedabad. During the 1970’s, state of the art imaging sensor consi...
Episode 77: Satellite tracking – the early days
July 13, 2018 05:00 - 1 ByteSven Grahn has been working in the space field in one way or another for over fifty years. Officially retired, he continues to work as a project leader of a student satellite at the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm. He is perhaps best known for his work in tracking satellites launched by the secretive Soviet Union during the 1960s and 1970s.In those pre-internet days, his work along with others helped to identify individual mission characteristics such as mission types, members of ...
Episode 76: Space law
June 23, 2018 07:00 - 47.6 MBBayar Goswami One of the earliest characteristics of human civilisation (large populations living together in organised cities) was the creation of rules or laws that everyone who lived there agreed to abide by. The 50th anniversary of first humans to visit the Moon is celebrated later this year. In 1968 it was pretty much just two countries and a few space missions per year. Today, over 70 countries have something in the way of a space programme and along with a blossoming private space se...
Episode 75: China -back to the Moon with Chang’ E 4
June 01, 2018 04:00 - 1 ByteOne mission two spacecraft, China is going back to the Moon with Chang'E 4 mission that I think is the most exciting lunar mission since the 1970s. By the end of 2018, the China National Space Administration (CNSA) will launch Chang'E 4 that will explore the far side of the Moon with a lander and a rover. Since it is on the other side of the Moon, it will be totally out of sight from the Earth. To facilitate communication, a relay satellite will be launched in advance of the lander/rover's ar...
Episode 74: Space Debris and Sustainable use of Space
May 18, 2018 04:00 - 1 ByteDr Brian Weeden Space, as the author Douglas Adams said "is big. Really big. You just won't believe how vastly, hugely, mind-bogglingly big it is". After 6 decades of launching spacecraft, some orbits are now congested with space debris from collisions and poor end-of-life mission management. This has now become a serious hazard and even a danger to operational spacecraft. With plans to launch thousands of additional satellites, the Mega Constellations, in the coming decade, the need for som...
Episode 73: Using Commercial Of the Shelf (COTs) Components to build spacecraft
May 01, 2018 04:00 - 23.9 MBIf you follow this podcast, you will notice a very long pause since the previous episode. I have been busy writing my second book, the Indian Space Programme which is now finally complete. So I am now back to my familiar but irregular podcasting mode. The growth in the space sector now widely estimated to be worth annually over 300 billion USD globally. It is primarily being driven by the commercial sector. The bulk of the expenditure is in satellite television, communication services, Eart...
Quick Update
April 29, 2018 09:55 - 1 ByteIts been a while since I posted episode 72. Now that the book The Indian Space Programme has been published, I am resuming the podcasting. You can see some Amazon Reviews and if you have one, add your own too. More about that book on this short BBC radio interview here. . If you want you can subscribe to my monthly newsletter. The previous newsletter (March 2018) available here. April's newsletter coming out tomorrow! Scheduled episodes currently looks like this Episode 73. Dr. Rajan Be...
Episode 72: Satish Dhawan Space Centre
June 01, 2015 05:00 - 1 ByteLocated about 80km from Chennai on India's east coast, Satish Dhawan Space centre is used by ISRO to launch all of its satellites including those to the Moon and Mars. Also known as Sriharikota, it was established during the late 1960s but today it has a vehicle assembly building, two launch pads and a state of the art mission control centre
Episode 71: TATA Institute for Fundamental Research
May 25, 2015 12:17 - 1 ByteThe Indian Space Program was initiated by a brilliant nuclear physicist Homi Bhabha who pretty much immediately handed over the space program to Vikram Sarabhai. Bhabha himself pursued the goal of bringing institutionalised fundamental research to India. At the time he saw that as essential for the new emerging independent India.
Episode 70: India’s Deep Space Network and ISRO Satellite Centre
April 30, 2015 20:15 - 500 BytesIndia's space program is now over half a century old. During this time its Infrastructure has evolved. This episode looks at the current communication capabilities used to support space vehicles during launch, in Earth orbit or on a interplanetary missions. ISRO has an extensive network of ground stations on the Indian mainland, off-shore and neighbouring countries (Mauritius and Fiji) and collaborates with Norway, Russia, USA and European countries for mission specific needs. ISRO also has ...
Episode 69: Mars Orbiter Mission
November 18, 2014 04:00 - 500 BytesInterview recorded at ISRO's satellite Centre in Bangalore with Mars Orbiter Mission program director Dr Mylswamy Annadurai. This interview was recorded on 26th March 2014 after MOM was launched but before it arrived at Mars.
Episode 68: Stephen H Smith – India’s forgotten rocketeer
May 06, 2014 18:44 - 30 minutes - 28.2 MBContribution of Stephen H Smith to development of rocketry and the Anglo Indian community in India of which he is a member.
Episode 67: Technik Museum Speyer
February 03, 2014 00:05 - 1 ByteThis episode is a preview of some of the space related exhibits in Europe's largest aerospace museum - Speyer Technik Museum, in Germany. If you ever go and the following may entice you to do so, four space exhibits to look out for include the following: Soyuz TM19 - The landing capsule Soyuz TM-19 was used by the German astronaut Ulf Merbold to return to Earth on 4th November 1994 following his launch in Soyuz TM-20 on 3rd October 1994. Buran - The Soviet Space shuttle Buran was a the Sov...
Episode 66: Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre
December 05, 2013 08:00 - 1 ByteNovember 21st 2013 was the 50th anniversary of a rocket launched from India in to space. The launch itself was an all Indian affair but with lots of international support. The rocket was American, carried a French Sodium Vapour payload with assisted by a computer and a helicopter from the Soviet Union. From this meagre beginning, India has become a key player not only in building and launching rockets but also designing , building and deploying satellites. This episode was recorded on the ...