Gravity Assist
194 episodes - English - Latest episode: over 1 year ago - ★★★★★ - 442 ratingsNASA’s interplanetary talk show, hosted by former Chief Scientist Jim Green, introduces you to space professionals working to take exploration into the future.
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Episodes
Season 5, Episode 32: Finale: Thanks for All the Gravity Assists
August 12, 2022 18:21 - 24 minutes - 33.1 MBOn the Gravity Assist podcast we have interviewed dozens of scientists, engineers, and others dedicated to the mission of NASA space exploration. After five years, the show is coming to a close. Here are some final thoughts and episode highlights from the podcast team.
Gravity Assist Finale: Thanks for All the Gravity Assists
August 12, 2022 14:21 - 33.1 MBOn the Gravity Assist podcast we have interviewed dozens of scientists, engineers, and others dedicated to the mission of NASA space exploration. After five years, the show is coming to a close. Here are some final thoughts and episode highlights from the podcast team.
Season 5, Episode 31: Meet a Webb Scientist Who Looks Back in Time
July 29, 2022 19:25 - 27 minutes - 38.4 MBThe James Webb Space Telescope awed the world on July 12 with its first images and data. And it’s just getting started with its exploration of the cosmos. Dr. John Mather, the observatory’s senior project scientist, has been working toward this milestone for more than 25 years.
Gravity Assist: Meet a Webb Scientist Who Looks Back in Time
July 29, 2022 15:25 - 38.4 MBThe James Webb Space Telescope awed the world on July 12 with its first images and data. And it’s just getting started with its exploration of the cosmos. Dr. John Mather, the observatory’s senior project scientist, has been working toward this milestone for more than 25 years.
Season 5, Ep. 30: Gravity Assist: How We Make Webb (and Hubble) Images
July 08, 2022 17:00 - 17 minutes - 24.4 MBThe world will get a first glimpse of the universe as never before when the first images from the James Webb Space Telescope come out on July 12. And this is only the beginning — the telescope will deliver all kinds of insights about galaxies, planets, and more, for years to come.
Gravity Assist: How We Make Webb (and Hubble) Images
July 08, 2022 13:00 - 24.4 MBThe world will get a first glimpse of the universe as never before when the first images from the James Webb Space Telescope come out on July 12. And this is only the beginning — the telescope will deliver all kinds of insights about galaxies, planets, and more, for years to come.
Gravity Assist: It’s Raining Diamonds on These Planets
July 01, 2022 17:44 - 21 minutes - 29.8 MBUranus and Neptune are two of the many exciting and mysterious objects in our universe that the James Webb Space Telescope will soon begin to explore. Learn more about these planets and the Webb telescope’s upcoming observations from astrophysicist Naomi Rowe-Gurney, our guest on this week’s Gravity Assist.
Season 5, Episode 28: This is What Mars Sounds Like, with Nina Lanza
June 17, 2022 16:11 - 22 minutes - 30.8 MBWith two microphones aboard the Perseverance rover, we can listen to Mars from its surface like never before. In addition to hearing how wind sounds on Mars, we can also listen to Perseverance driving on the surface, the Ingenuity helicopter flying nearby, and more.
Gravity Assist: This is What Mars Sounds Like, with Nina Lanza
June 17, 2022 12:11 - 30.8 MBWith two microphones aboard the Perseverance rover, we can listen to Mars from its surface like never before. In addition to hearing how wind sounds on Mars, we can also listen to Perseverance driving on the surface, the Ingenuity helicopter flying nearby, and more.
Season 5, Episode 27: What Will We Eat on Mars?
May 20, 2022 18:00 - 25 minutes - 34.3 MBAstronauts on the International Space Station have been conducting experiments to grow food, including peppers and radishes. Christina Johnson, a NASA postdoc fellow at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, has been working on a variety of techniques to grow food in space. Learn what she thinks about the future of growing food beyond our planet.
Gravity Assist: What Will We Eat on Mars?
May 20, 2022 14:00 - 34.3 MBAstronauts on the International Space Station have been conducting experiments to grow food, including peppers and radishes. Christina Johnson, a NASA postdoc fellow at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, has been working on a variety of techniques to grow food in space. Learn what she thinks about the future of growing food beyond our planet.
Season 5, Episode 26: How to Grow Food on the Moon
May 13, 2022 16:45 - 20 minutes - 28.3 MBSpace botanists are working on strategies to grow crops on the lunar surface, as NASA makes strides toward sending astronauts to the Moon through the Artemis program.
Gravity Assist: How to Grow Food on the Moon
May 13, 2022 12:45 - 28.3 MBSpace botanists are working on strategies to grow crops on the lunar surface, as NASA makes strides toward sending astronauts to the Moon through the Artemis program.
Season 5,Episode 25: Walking on Broken Ice, with Catherine Walker
April 22, 2022 18:00 - 23 minutes - 31.7 MBAn ice shelf collapsed in East Antarctica in March 2022, concerning scientists who track melting glaciers, sea level rise, and other effects of climate change.
Gravity Assist: Walking on Broken Ice, with Catherine Walker
April 22, 2022 14:00 - 31.7 MBAn ice shelf collapsed in East Antarctica in March 2022, concerning scientists who track melting glaciers, sea level rise, and other effects of climate change.
Season 5, Episode 24: Do Other Planets Make Pollution?
April 08, 2022 18:41 - 21 minutes - 30.2 MBOn a quest to find out if we are not alone in the universe, Ravi Kopparapu at NASA Goddard studies how we could use telescopes to detect signs of life beyond our solar system.
Gravity Assist: Do Other Planets Make Pollution? With Ravi Kopparapu
April 08, 2022 14:41 - 30.2 MBOn a quest to find out if we are not alone in the universe, Ravi Kopparapu at NASA Goddard studies how we could use telescopes to detect signs of life beyond our solar system.
Season 5, Episode 23: These Space Rocks Have Seen It All
March 18, 2022 19:13 - 25 minutes - 34.9 MBHow do we know if a rock came from the Moon, Mars, or an asteroid? Planetary scientist Neyda Abreu has looked inside all kinds of meteorites to understand where they came from and what’s inside them. She also traveled to Antarctica to hunt for space rock treasure.
Gravity Assist: These Space Rocks Have Seen It All, with Neyda Abreu
March 18, 2022 15:13 - 34.9 MBHow do we know if a rock came from the Moon, Mars, or an asteroid? Planetary scientist Neyda Abreu has looked inside all kinds of meteorites to understand where they came from and what’s inside them. She also traveled to Antarctica to hunt for space rock treasure.
Season 5, Episode 22: Using Webb to Trace Galactic Histories
March 04, 2022 19:31 - 22 minutes - 30.4 MBThe James Webb Space Telescope, which launched Dec. 25, will allow us to see the farthest galaxies and better understand the origins of the Milky Way. Aaron Yung at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center is preparing for these historic observations by simulating what Webb will see in the early universe.
Gravity Assist: Using Webb to Trace Galactic Histories, with Aaron Yung
March 04, 2022 15:31 - 30.4 MBThe James Webb Space Telescope, which launched Dec. 25, will allow us to see the farthest galaxies and better understand the origins of the Milky Way. Aaron Yung at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center is preparing for these historic observations by simulating what Webb will see in the early universe.
Season 5, Episode 21: In Case of Space Station Emergency
February 18, 2022 19:08 - 24 minutes - 33.5 MBIn space, we have to expect the unexpected. Sunny Panjwani of NASA’s Johnson Space Center shares how he got thrown into an emergency situation on his first day as a flight controller. His team makes sure that astronauts have a safe environment on board the International Space Station.
Gravity Assist: In Case of Space Station Emergency, with Sunny Panjwani
February 18, 2022 15:08 - 33.5 MBIn space, we have to expect the unexpected. Sunny Panjwani of NASA’s Johnson Space Center shares how he got thrown into an emergency situation on his first day as a flight controller. His team makes sure that astronauts have a safe environment on board the International Space Station.
Gravity Assist: Meet NASA’s New Chief Scientist, Kate Calvin
January 28, 2022 19:45 - 19 minutes - 26.9 MBClimate change is one of the most important issues facing our planet, and NASA has lots of space missions and programs in the works to monitor and understand its drivers and effects. Kate Calvin, NASA’s new chief scientist, is also the agency’s senior climate advisor. In this episode, Kate previews upcoming Earth science missions and discusses cut
Gravity Assist: Meet NASA’s New Chief Scientist and Senior Climate Advisor, with Kate Calvin
January 28, 2022 15:45 - 26.9 MBClimate change is one of the most important issues facing our planet, and NASA has lots of space missions and programs in the works to monitor and understand its drivers and effects. Kate Calvin, NASA’s new chief scientist, is also the agency’s senior climate advisor. In this episode, Kate previews upcoming Earth science missions and discusses cut
Season 5, Episode 19: A New Set of X-Ray Eyes is Launching
December 03, 2021 19:16 - 22 minutes - 31.4 MBNASA is about to launch a new spacecraft to look at the universe in X-ray light. The Imaging X-Ray Polarimetry Explorer, IXPE, will look at extreme objects such as black holes, neutron stars, and supernovae, asking fundamental questions about how high-energy light gets produced.
Gravity Assist: A New Set of X-Ray Eyes is Launching, with Martin Weisskopf
December 03, 2021 15:16 - 31.4 MBNASA is about to launch a new spacecraft to look at the universe in X-ray light. The Imaging X-Ray Polarimetry Explorer, IXPE, will look at extreme objects such as black holes, neutron stars, and supernovae, asking fundamental questions about how high-energy light gets produced.
Season 5, Episode 18: How to Move an Asteroid, with Nancy Chabot
November 19, 2021 17:19 - 25 minutes - 35.4 MBNASA’s Double Asteroid Redirection Test Mission, or DART, will deliberately impact a small asteroid called Dimorphos to deflect its orbit around a bigger object, Didymos. Nancy Chabot, planetary scientist at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, has the details.
Gravity Assist: How to Move an Asteroid, with Nancy Chabot
November 19, 2021 13:19 - 35.4 MBNASA’s Double Asteroid Redirection Test Mission, or DART, will deliberately impact a small asteroid called Dimorphos to deflect its orbit around a bigger object, Didymos. Nancy Chabot, planetary scientist at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, has the details.
Season 5, Episode 17: Solar Power for the Moon
October 29, 2021 19:28 - 19 minutes - 27.2 MBAs NASA prepares to send astronauts to the Moon through the Artemis program, engineers are working on technologies that will give these explorers power – solar power, that is. In space, the harsh radiation and huge temperature changes make for a challenging environment.
Gravity Assist: Solar Power for the Moon, with Lyndsey McMillon-Brown
October 29, 2021 15:28 - 27.2 MBAs NASA prepares to send astronauts to the Moon through the Artemis program, engineers are working on technologies that will give these explorers power – solar power, that is. In space, the harsh radiation and huge temperature changes make for a challenging environment.
Season 5, Episode 16:Meet a Space Weather Scientist
October 22, 2021 20:10 - 25 minutes - 35.5 MBYaireska Collado-Vega leads a team at NASA’s Goddard Spacecraft Center that is studying the solar weather environment so that robots and people exploring space can be protected. In this episode of Gravity Assist, she describes the excitement and challenges of understanding space weather, and how she got to be a NASA scientist.
Gravity Assist: Meet a Space Weather Scientist, with Yaireska Collado-Vega
October 22, 2021 16:10 - 35.5 MBYaireska Collado-Vega leads a team at NASA’s Goddard Spacecraft Center that is studying the solar weather environment so that robots and people exploring space can be protected. In this episode of Gravity Assist, she describes the excitement and challenges of understanding space weather, and how she got to be a NASA scientist.
Season 5, Episode 15: Lucy and the Space Fossils, with Hal Levison
October 08, 2021 17:27 - 26 minutes - 36.5 MBTo get a more complete understanding of the full history of our solar system, NASA is sending a spacecraft called Lucy to investigate the Trojans, mysterious small objects that share an orbit of the Sun with Jupiter. Principal investigator Hal Levison of the Southwest Research Institute
Gravity Assist: Lucy and the Space Fossils, with Hal Levison
October 08, 2021 13:27 - 36.5 MBTo get a more complete understanding of the full history of our solar system, NASA is sending a spacecraft called Lucy to investigate the Trojans, mysterious small objects that share an orbit of the Sun with Jupiter. Principal investigator Hal Levison of the Southwest Research Institute
Season 5, Episode 14: Goodbye Saturn, Hello Earth
August 27, 2021 18:14 - 26 minutes - 36.8 MBJanelle Wellons likes to say that she operates “fancy space cameras.” At NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, she creates commands that allow spacecraft to take valuable scientific data in our solar system and here at planet Earth.
Gravity Assist: Goodbye Saturn, Hello Earth, with Janelle Wellons
August 27, 2021 14:14 - 36.8 MBJanelle Wellons likes to say that she operates “fancy space cameras.” At NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, she creates commands that allow spacecraft to take valuable scientific data in our solar system and here at planet Earth.
Season 5, Episode 13: Freaky Physics on the Space Station
August 06, 2021 17:34 - 23 minutes - 32 MBThe laws of physics get very, very weird in the realm of particles too small for the eye to see. Aboard the International Space Station, an experiment called the Cold Atom Laboratory (CAL) is exploring how the universe works .
Gravity Assist: Freaky Physics on the Space Station, with Ethan Elliott
August 06, 2021 13:34 - 32 MBThe laws of physics get very, very weird in the realm of particles too small for the eye to see. Aboard the International Space Station, an experiment called the Cold Atom Laboratory (CAL) is exploring how the universe works .
Season 5, Episode 12: Diving Into NASA History
July 30, 2021 18:02 - 21 minutes - 30.2 MBIn honor of National Intern Day, Gravity Assist features Felicia Ragucci, an undergraduate at Dartmouth College who recently completed an internship with NASA’s History Office and the Office of the Chief Scientist. During her time at NASA, Felicia researched the history of the Neutral Buoyancy Simulator, an underwater training facility where astron
Gravity Assist: Diving Into NASA History, with NASA Intern Felicia Ragucci
July 30, 2021 14:02 - 30.2 MBIn honor of National Intern Day, Gravity Assist features Felicia Ragucci, an undergraduate at Dartmouth College who recently completed an internship with NASA’s History Office and the Office of the Chief Scientist. During her time at NASA, Felicia researched the history of the Neutral Buoyancy Simulator, an underwater training facility where astron
Season 5, Episode 11: Onward to Venus, with Lori Glaze
July 23, 2021 19:25 - 25 minutes - 34.5 MBNASA is sending two missions to Venus this decade and participating in a European Space Agency mission there, too. Lori Glaze, director of planetary science at NASA, discusses these missions and why she’s so excited about what we’re about to learn.
Gravity Assist: Onward to Venus, with Lori Glaze
July 23, 2021 15:25 - 34.5 MBNASA is sending two missions to Venus this decade and participating in a European Space Agency mission there, too. Lori Glaze, director of planetary science at NASA, discusses these missions and why she’s so excited about what we’re about to learn.
Season 5, Episode 10: A Chance to Fly on Mars, with MiMi Aung
July 09, 2021 19:23 - 27 minutes - 38.2 MBThe idea for NASA’s Mars Ingenuity helicopter began at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory with a team of dedicated engineers who believed in something seemingly impossible. MiMi Aung served as the project manager on the helicopter, which has now achieved nine flights on Mars.
Gravity Assist: A Dream, a Team, a Chance to Fly on Mars, with MiMi Aung
July 09, 2021 15:23 - 38.2 MBThe idea for NASA’s Mars Ingenuity helicopter began at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory with a team of dedicated engineers who believed in something seemingly impossible. MiMi Aung served as the project manager on the helicopter, which has now achieved nine flights on Mars.
Season 5, Episode 9: This Asteroid Is Metal
July 02, 2021 19:29 - 25 minutes - 34.7 MBScientists will soon have the opportunity to visit a unique object in the asteroid belt called Psyche, which may be the exposed metallic core of a planetary body that stopped growing before it became a big planet like Earth. Dr. Lindy Elkins-Tanton explains.
Gravity Assist: This Asteroid Is Metal, With Lindy Elkins-Tanton
July 02, 2021 15:29 - 34.7 MBScientists will soon have the opportunity to visit a unique object in the asteroid belt called Psyche, which may be the exposed metallic core of a planetary body that stopped growing before it became a big planet like Earth. Dr. Lindy Elkins-Tanton explains.
Season 5, Episode 8: Let’s Talk About Climate Change
June 18, 2021 18:19 - 25 minutes - 34.8 MBWhat’s the difference between climate and weather? How does NASA monitor changing sea levels, melting glaciers, and other effects of climate change? Gavin Schmidt, NASA’s acting senior climate advisor, explains how rising temperatures lead to many complex changes both in the oceans and on land.
Gravity Assist: Let’s Talk About Climate Change, with Gavin Schmidt
June 18, 2021 14:19 - 34.8 MBWhat’s the difference between climate and weather? How does NASA monitor changing sea levels, melting glaciers, and other effects of climate change? Gavin Schmidt, NASA’s acting senior climate advisor, explains how rising temperatures lead to many complex changes both in the oceans and on land.
Season 5, Episode 7: From Space Camp to Mission Control
June 11, 2021 17:17 - 23 minutes - 32.4 MBHow do astronauts exercise on the International Space Station? How do they train underwater? Tara Ruttley, associate chief scientist for microgravity research at NASA Headquarters, has worked on a lot of fascinating projects to support the human spaceflight program.