Planetary Radio: Space Exploration, Astronomy And Science

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 atmosphere of K2-18 b. This discovery could reshape our search for life beyond Earth and teach us more about the enigmatic class of exoplanets known as sub-Neptunes. Our guest, Knicole Colón, is the deputy project scientist for exoplanet science for JWST. She'll fill us in on all of the details. Stick around for What's Up with Bruce Betts, the chief scientist of The Planetary Society.  Discover more at: https://www.planetary.org/planetary-radio/2024-jwst-new-lead-in-search-for-life See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 in space spectaculars in their early decades, India — which began its space program around the same time in 1963 — prioritized practical programs by developing its own launch capability and launching satellites for weather, communications, and regional positioning systems. It is only in the 21st century that India began embracing the more symbolic feats of spaceflight, first with its launches of robotic spacecraft, including the Chandrayaan series and the Mars Orbiter Mission, and now by establishing its own human spaceflight program. Buoyed by the success of Chandrayaan-3, as well as recognizing increasing competition with China, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced ambitious plans for Indian space stations and lunar missions in the coming decades. UK-based space writer Gurbir Singh, who literally wrote the book on the Indian space program, aptly titled The In

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 Earth, and this discovery marks the first time it has been found in an ocean off of Earth. Chris Glein, a lead scientist at the Southwest Research Institute, joins us to discuss the discovery and its implications for the search for life. Then Bruce Betts returns for What's Up. Discover more at: https://www.planetary.org/planetary-radio/2024-revisiting-phosphorus-on-enceladusSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 winners of The Planetary Society's Best of 2023 awards. Jack Kiraly, Director of Government Relations, shares the strides made in space advocacy. Then Rae Paoletta, Director of Content and Engagement, and Mat Kaplan, Senior Communications advisor and former host of Planetary Radio, return to break down their favorite space moments of the year. Stick around until the end for What's Up with Bruce Betts, the Chief Scientist of The Planetary Society, as he looks forward to the next year of space science and exploration. Discover more at: https://www.planetary.org/planetary-radio/2023-looking-back See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 progress and new timeline. You'll hear from Bobby Braun, head of the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Lab's Space Exploration Sector, Elizabeth (Zibi) Turtle, the principal investigator for Dragonfly, and Ken Hibbard, mission systems engineer for the spacecraft. If that doesn't convince you that Dragonfly is one of the most epic things humanity has attempted to date, stick around for What's Up with Bruce Betts as he shares even more reasons for us to explore Titan.   Discover more at: https://www.planetary.org/planetary-radio/2023-dragonfly-final-design-phase See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 host, takes us on an adventure with planetary geologist Kirby Runyon as they tour New Mexico, U.S.'s varied geology and compare it to other worlds. They'll explore the dunes of White Sands National Park, the Mars-like geology of Kilbourne Hole, and the rocks in the Carrizozo Lava flow. Then Bruce Betts, the chief scientist of The Planetary Society, and host Sarah Al-Ahmed discuss the most otherworldly places they've been in this week's What's Up. Discover more at: https://www.planetary.org/planetary-radio/2023-astrogeologic-experience See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 InSight Mars lander and the international effort it took to pinpoint the cause of the quake. Then Bruce Betts, the chief scientist of The Planetary Society, and host Sarah Al-Ahmed chat about their earthquake experiences and share a fresh Random Space Fact in this week's What's Up.  Discover more at: https://www.planetary.org/planetary-radio/2023-largest-marsquake See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 International Space Station. But, according to the goals of lower costs, rapid reusability, and reliability NASA stated at its conception, the Space Shuttle program was a failure. In this new recurring feature on SPE, Jack and Casey read through a classic paper in space policy and discuss its arguments, its conclusions, and whether the paper stands up to this day. Read along with us and suggest future episodes in our Planetary Society online member community. Discover more at: https://www.planetary.org/planetary-radio/space-shuttle-policy-failureSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 principal investigators, join Planetary Radio to discuss the asteroid rendezvous and the surprising discovery of Dinkinesh's moon. Stick around for What's Up with Bruce Betts, the chief scientist of The Planetary Society, as he digests the discovery. Discover more at: https://www.planetary.org/planetary-radio/2023-lucys-first-asteroid-flyby See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Deep Sky, a newly released IMAX documentary, tells the emotional and hopeful story of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). Nathaniel Kahn, an Oscar-nominated filmmaker and the director of Deep Sky, joins Planetary Radio this week to discuss the film's decade-long creation process and the magic of JWST images on the big screen. Then Bruce Betts, the chief scientist of The Planetary Society, joins for What's Up and a new random space fact. Discover more at: https://www.planetary.org/planetary-radio/2023-deep-skySee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Steven Smith, an Education Specialist from NASA's Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (or STEM) Program, joins Planetary Radio to share some of the unique opportunities available for students in the lead-up to humanity's return to the Moon. Then Bruce Betts, the chief scientist of The Planetary Society, pops in for What's Up and a new random space fact. Discover more at: https://www.planetary.org/planetary-radio/2023-nasa-stemSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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, Should We Settle Space, and Have We Really Thought This Through?" Then Bruce Betts, the chief scientist of The Planetary Society, and host Sarah Al-Ahmed chat about some of the most significant challenges humanity might face as we build habitats beyond Earth. Discover more at: https://www.planetary.org/planetary-radio/2023-a-city-on-mars See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 complexity and mismanagement. MSR’s total cost is likely to double to $10 billion or more and not launch until 2030 at the earliest. This month’s guest, Orlando Figueroa, chaired an independent review board which recently evaluated this project and identified management failures, unexpected design complexities, and external events such as the war in Ukraine as contributing to MSR’s difficulties. We review the board’s conclusions and recommendations for how NASA can fix MSR’s problems and ensure a successful return of the samples already selected by the Perseverance rover. Discover more at: https://www.planetary.org/planetary-radio/spe-what-went-wrong-with-msrSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 emotional retelling of that day. Then Jesse Tomlinson and Stephen Watkins from the Eclipse Company tell us about their partnership with The Planetary Society and the launch of their new eclipse map for the upcoming 2024 total solar eclipse in North America. Stick around for What's Up with Bruce Betts, the chief scientist of The Planetary Society, as we muse about the space moments that spark wonder. Discover more at: https://www.planetary.org/planetary-radio/2023-psyche-and-eclipse-company See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 their mission team is working to understand cratering on metallic worlds, including everything from computer modeling to blasting metallic meteorites with projectiles. The Planetary Society's Public Education Specialist Kate Howells will discuss the Japanese Space Agency's newest moon mission, SLIM. Then, Bruce Betts, the chief scientist of The Planetary Society, will share his experiences with crater modeling and a fresh random space fact. Discover more at: https://www.planetary.org/planetary-radio/2023-craters-on-psyche See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 Planetary Radio to get into the details. The Planetary Society's Digital Community Manager, Ambre Trujillo, shares her experience observing the October 14 annular solar eclipse and her adventure to the OSIRIS-REx sample return capsule opening at Johnson Space Center. Then, our Director of Government Relations, Jack Kiraly, shares the triumphs of The Planetary Society's in-person Day of Action. Stick around for What's Up with Bruce Betts, the chief scientist of The Planetary Society, as he shares an asteroid mission-themed random space fact. Discover more at: https://www.planetary.org/planetary-radio/2023-insight-mars-rotationSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On September 24th, NASA's OSIRIS-REx spacecraft triumphantly delivered a sample from asteroid Bennu to Earth. Rae Paoletta, the Director of Content and Engagement at The Planetary Society, joins Planetary Radio to recount her firsthand experience of the sample's return in Utah. She introduces us to Mike Puzio, the young man who named asteroid Bennu, and his father, Larry Puzio. Then Danny Glavin, the co-investigator for OSIRIS-REx, shares the next steps for the asteroid samples and the spacecraft. Stick around for What's Up with Bruce Betts, the chief scientist of The Planetary Society, as we digest this huge moment in space history.  Discover more at: https://www.planetary.org/planetary-radio/2023-osiris-rex-sample-return See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 Executive and Deputy Program Executive along with Theresa Benyo (NASA Glenn Research Center), Lynn Rothschild (NASA Ames Research Center), and Javid Bayandor (State University of New York). Stick around for What's Up with Bruce Betts, the chief scientist of The Planetary Society, to learn more about his favorite science conferences.    Discover more at: https://www.planetary.org/planetary-radio/2023-niac-part-2 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 NIAC fellows who are thinking up the technologies that could change the future of space exploration. In this episode, you’ll hear from Congrui Grace Jin (University of Nebraska, Lincoln), Quinn Morley (Planet Enterprises), Ronald Polidan (Lunar Resources, Inc.), and Edward Balaban (NASA Ames Research Center). Stick around for What's Up with Bruce Betts, the chief scientist of The Planetary Society, for a discussion about the advances in space exploration during our lifetimes.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 hopeful reflection on the search for life, from habitable worlds to the technologies that might allow us to explore exoplanets without leaving our stellar backyard. Then stick around for What's Up with Bruce Betts, chief scientist of The Planetary Society, as we get his hot take on life in the universe.   Discover more at: https://www.planetary.org/planetary-radio/2023-alone-but-not-lonely See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.