Planetary Radio: Space Exploration, Astronomy and Science

1,197 episodes - English - Latest episode: 19 days ago - ★★★★★ - 1.2K ratings

Planetary Radio brings you the human adventure across our Solar System and beyond. We visit each week with the scientists, engineers, leaders, advocates, and astronauts who are taking us across the final frontier. Regular features raise your space IQ while they put a smile on your face. Join host Sarah Al-Ahmed and Planetary Society colleagues including Bill Nye the Science Guy and Bruce Betts as they dive deep into space science and exploration. The monthly Space Policy Edition takes you inside the DC beltway where the future of the US space program hangs in the balance. Visit planetary.org/radio for an episode guide and much more.

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Episodes

The Gigantic ALMA Radio Telescope in Chile

January 21, 2013 06:00 - 28 minutes - 26.4 MB

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 your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Visiting the AAS Meeting for a JWST Update and More

January 14, 2013 06:00 - 52 minutes - 48.2 MB

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 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Listening Once Again to Amateur Astronomy Pioneer John Dobson

January 07, 2013 06:00 - 28 minutes - 26.4 MB

A reprise of our very popular conversation with the delightful 97-year old John Dobson, inventor of the Dobsonian telescope that brings the universe within everyone’s reach.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Looking Back, Looking Forward: Beginning a New Year In Space

December 31, 2012 06:00 - 28 minutes - 26.4 MB

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 Science,” and Bruce Betts’ review of great projects, as well as a musical rendition of “Random Space Fact.”Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

PLANETARY RADIO LIVE: Special Curiosity Report Continues

December 24, 2012 06:00 - 28 minutes - 26.4 MB

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 Kaplan.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

PLANETARY RADIO LIVE: Celebrating Rover Curiosity

December 17, 2012 06:00 - 28 minutes - 26.4 MB

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 omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

First Earth-Sized Exoplanet is Next Door!

December 10, 2012 06:00 - 28 minutes - 26.4 MB

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 outside our own system.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

All Together Now! The News From Curiosity

December 03, 2012 06:00 - 28 minutes - 26.4 MB

Mars Science Laboratory Project Scientist John Grotzinger's fascinating comments at the December 3 press conference, followed by analysis from Emily Lakdawalla.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Approaching Pluto, and Learning About Uwingu From Alan Stern

November 26, 2012 06:00 - 28 minutes - 26.4 MB

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 information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dawn Mission Update and At Home With Marc Rayman

November 19, 2012 06:00 - 28 minutes - 26.4 MB

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 megaphone.fm/adchoices See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Celebrating Carl Sagan With Lou Friedman, Lynda Obst, Kip Thorne and More

November 12, 2012 06:00 - 30 minutes - 28.1 MB

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 Radio's 10th anniversary! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Curiosity Sniffs Martian Air/Shuttle Endeavour Opens to the World

November 05, 2012 06:00 - 30 minutes - 28.4 MB

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. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A Vacuum Cleaner on Mars

October 29, 2012 05:00 - 28 minutes - 26.4 MB

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 from Kris Zacny of Honeybee Robotics. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Amazing Science at the 2012 DPS Meeting

October 22, 2012 05:00 - 28 minutes - 26.4 MB

The 44th Annual Meeting of the AAS Division of Planetary Sciences hosted hundreds of researchers and revealed volumes of scientific results. Join us at the conference.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Amateur Astronomers Work to Save Earth!

October 15, 2012 05:00 - 28 minutes - 26.4 MB

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 omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Exploring the XDF, The Deepest Image of Our Universe, With Garth Illingworth

October 08, 2012 05:00 - 28 minutes - 26.4 MB

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 privacy information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Curiosity Finds a Martian Stream Bed and Endeavour Flies Home

October 01, 2012 05:00 - 28 minutes - 26.4 MB

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 omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Live at PATS With OSIRIS REx!

September 24, 2012 05:00 - 37 minutes - 34.5 MB

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 asteroid and then back to Earth with a precious soil sample. Enter the contest to name the asteroid! Bill Nye and Emily Lakdawalla check in, and one listener will win a Celestron FirstScope telescope.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices See omnystudio.com/lis...

Celebrating 35 Years of the Voyager Mission

September 17, 2012 05:00 - 28 minutes - 26.4 MB

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 show. Bill Nye reports on a separate celebration in London and on the International Space Station, and Bruce Betts is back in fine form with Mat Kaplan for this week’s What’s Up.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices See omnystudio.com/listener for priv...

A Conversation With Telescope Inventor John Dobson

September 10, 2012 05:00 - 28 minutes - 26.4 MB

When John Dobson invented the Dobsonian telescope he changed the face of amateur astronomy. The 96-year old pioneer talks with Mat Kaplan. Emily Lakdawalla loves Curiosity’s self-portraits. Bill Nye the Science Guy is in London to host a youth webcast with International Space Station astronaut Sunita Williams. Bruce Betts keeps us from getting Lost in Space and helps Mat give away a cool Curiosity bumper sticker in What’s Up.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices See ...

Author David Brin Considers and Writes "Existence"

September 03, 2012 05:00 - 28 minutes - 26.4 MB

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 invites listeners to learn about a campaign to restore funding for the exploration of our solar system. Bruce Betts and Mat Kaplan give away another space pen in this week’s What’s Up look at the night sky, and a look back at this week in space history.Learn more about your ad c...

Remembering Neil Armstrong/ChemCam is Zapping Martian Rocks!

August 27, 2012 05:00 - 32 minutes - 29.5 MB

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 that is using its powerful laser to zap and analyze Martian rocks. It’s just one of the Curiosity Rover success stories. Win a ChemCam bumper sticker and a Planetary Radio t-shirt in the weekly What’s Up space trivia contest!Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/...

More From Planetfest With Andrew Chaikin and Scott Hubbard

August 20, 2012 05:00 - 1 hour - 55 MB

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. Emily breaks the news about NASA’s choice for a Discovery mission, and Bruce Betts joins Mat Kaplan for a What’s Up look at the night sky and a new space trivia contest.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy info...

Planetary Radio Live at Planetfest 2012!

August 13, 2012 05:00 - 29 minutes - 27.3 MB

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 before the triumphant landing of the big new rover on Mars. Host Mat Kaplan is also joined by Emily Lakdawalla, Bruce Betts and award-winning barbershop quartet Hi-Fidelity.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy informa...

Astronaut Tom Jones at SETIcon

August 06, 2012 05:00 - 43 minutes - 39.4 MB

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 mission of Curiosity, the MSL Rover, even if it had not landed successfully. What’s Up in the night sky.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

More Planetary Radio Live at the Aquarium of the Pacific: Oceans Everywhere

July 30, 2012 05:00 - 28 minutes - 26.4 MB

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 and instruments.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Planetary Radio Live at the Aquarium of the Pacific

July 23, 2012 05:00 - 28 minutes - 26.4 MB

What better place to talk about Earth's oceans and the seas of other worlds?Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Fire and Ice With Volcanologist Rosaly Lopes

July 16, 2012 05:00 - 45 minutes - 42.1 MB

JPL volcanologist Rosaly Lopes has discovered more volcanos than anyone else, including 71 on Jupiter’s moon Io. She is fascinated by these fiery (and sometimes frigid) features of our dynamic solar system, and shared her love at the recent SETIcon.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mae Jemison of the 100 Year Starship Initiative

July 09, 2012 05:00 - 28 minutes - 26.4 MB

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 megaphone.fm/adchoices See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Lockheed Martin CTO Ray Johnson

July 02, 2012 05:00 - 28 minutes - 26.4 MB

The Chief Technology Officer for the world's largest aerospace company wants more young people to consider careers as engineers.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

More From the Air and Space Museum

June 25, 2012 05:00 - 28 minutes - 26.4 MB

Our special live show at the National Air and Space Museum continues with curator David DeVorkin, Space Policy Institute founder John Logsdon, Bill Nye the Science Guy, Planetary Society blogger Emily Lakdawalla and science rapper Funky 49.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Live at the National Air and Space Museum

June 18, 2012 05:00 - 29 minutes - 27.4 MB

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 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Remembering Ray

June 11, 2012 05:00 - 28 minutes - 26.4 MB

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 megaphone.fm/adchoices See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Cassini Project Scientist Linda Spilker With a Saturn Mission Update

June 04, 2012 05:00 - 28 minutes - 26.4 MB

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 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Author Kim Stanley Robinson Takes Us to 2312

May 28, 2012 05:00 - 39 minutes - 36 MB

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. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

VIP Tour of a Huge Solar Sail BONUS: Falcon 9 and Dragon Head for the ISS!

May 21, 2012 05:00 - 28 minutes - 26.4 MB

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 Dana Rohrabacher, NASA Chief Technologist Mason Peck, and L’Garde co-founder Gordon Veal.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Visiting the Spacecraft Technology Expo

May 14, 2012 05:00 - 29 minutes - 27.1 MB

Spaceplanes, spacesuits and rockets, oh my! Mat Kaplan talks to exhibitors and others at the first ever Spacecraft Technology Expo in Los Angeles.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Planetary Astronomer Franck Marchis

May 07, 2012 05:00 - 28 minutes - 26.4 MB

Based now at the SETI Institute’s Carl Sagan Center, Franck Marchis recently visited the Planetary Society for a conversation with host Mat Kaplan. He uses several of Earth’s most powerful telescopes to study what he calls multiple asteroid systems.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Cutting-edge Approaches to Protecting Interplanetary Astronauts

April 30, 2012 05:00 - 28 minutes - 26.4 MB

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 into our solar system. Not so, say three teams of NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC)-funded researchers. Each is exploring a cutting-edge approach to protecting astronauts on their way to Mars and other destinations. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See o...

The Pioneer Anomaly... Solved!

April 23, 2012 05:00 - 28 minutes - 26.4 MB

After decades of mystery and investigation, after the recovery of gigabyte after gigabyte of data stored in obsolete computer formats, the whatdunit surrounding Pioneers 10 and 11 has finally reached its conclusion.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Taking Back the Night -- International Dark Skies Week

April 16, 2012 05:00 - 28 minutes - 26.4 MB

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 fighting to restore the sky our ancestors knew so well. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Searching for Pandora With Debra Fischer

April 09, 2012 05:00 - 31 minutes - 29.1 MB

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 technology enabling this effort, and how you can join the search.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

SETI Scientist Jill Tarter Continues the Search

April 02, 2012 05:00 - 35 minutes - 32.6 MB

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 megaphone.fm/adchoices See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Big News All Around the Solar System From Emily Lakdawalla

March 26, 2012 05:00 - 28 minutes - 26.4 MB

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 amazing new discoveries about our solar system. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

"Drifting on Alien Winds" With Author and Artist Michael Carroll

March 19, 2012 05:00 - 28 minutes - 26.4 MB

"Drifting on Alien Winds" With Author and Artist Michael CarrollLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Discovery of a New and Neighborly Asteroid

March 12, 2012 05:00 - 28 minutes - 26.4 MB

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 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Planetary Radio: Space Exploration, Astronomy and Science

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