Planetary Radio: Space Exploration, Astronomy And Science

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.

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, tells the tale of how Jupiter's radiant beginnings might have turned Io from a water-rich moon into a world with lakes of lava. You'll also hear from two legendary figures of space exploration, Voyager project manager Suzanne Dodd and Voyager project scientist Linda Spilker, as they delve into the endeavor to reestablish contact with the iconic Voyager 2 spacecraft with our senior communications advisor, Mat Kaplan. And don't miss "What's Up" with our chief scientist, Bruce Betts, as he answers a question from our Planetary Society member community. Discover more at: https://www.planetary.org/planetary-radio/2023-lost-oceans-and-found-signals See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Lujendra Ojha, assistant professor at Rutgers University, joins Planetary Radio to discuss how subsurface liquid water on exoplanets orbiting red dwarf stars could increase the likelihood of finding habitable worlds beyond our Solar System. Then we check in with Bruce Betts, chief scientist of The Planetary Society, for What's Up. Discover more at: https://www.planetary.org/planetary-radio/2023-subsurface-oceansSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A next-generation asteroid discovery algorithm, HelioLinc3D, has successfully identified its first potentially hazardous asteroid. Mario Jurić and Ari Heinze from the University of Washington join Planetary Radio to discuss the upcoming Vera Rubin Observatory and how their team's new asteroid detection algorithm can help defend our world. The Planetary Society editorial director, Rae Paoletta, marks the successful landing of the Indian Space Research Organization's (ISRO's) Chandrayaan-3 mission on the Moon. Then Bruce Betts, the chief scientist of The Planetary Society, pops in for What's Up and a conversation about space dreams.    Discover more at: https://www.planetary.org/planetary-radio/2023-algorithm-potentially-hazardous-asteroid See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 potential subsurface ocean. This week, Kevin Trinh from Arizona State University joins Planetary Radio to discuss his research into Europa's formation history and the consequences for the moon's habitability. The Planetary Society's senior editor, Jason Davis, looks forward to the upcoming total solar eclipse in 2024. Then Bruce Betts joins in for What's Up and a cometary random space fact. Discover more at: https://www.planetary.org/planetary-radio/2023-europa-slow-evolutionSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 protoplanetary disc that is already forming worlds. Giulia Perotti and Thomas Henning from the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy in Germany join Planetary Radio to discuss their team's research on PDS 70 and what it can tell us about the formation of planets like Earth. The Planetary Society's most recent intern, Ariel Barreiro, reflects on her summer working with The Planetary Society, and Bruce Betts, our chief scientist, pops in for What's Up and a conversation about terminator zones. Discover more at: https://www.planetary.org/planetary-radio/2023-water-vapor-in-a-planet-forming-disk See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Many missions are working to understand Mars' past habitability, but could there still be microbial life on the red planet today? This week on Planetary Radio, we discuss the proposed Mars Life Explorer mission with Amy Williams, assistant professor of geology at the University of Florida. Then Bruce Betts, the chief scientist of The Planetary Society, pops in for What's Up and a celebratory conversation about reestablishing contact with the beloved Voyager 2 spacecraft. Discover more at: https://www.planetary.org/planetary-radio/2023-mars-life-explorer See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 exploration. Casey also discusses the latest congressional budgets news and what it means for NASA’s Mars Sample Return program. Note: the Space Policy Edition will go on hiatus for two months and return in November 2023. Discover more at: https://www.planetary.org/planetary-radio/lunar-exploration-enduring-national-interestSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 surprising findings about the granite formation that might lie beneath Compton-Belkovich, a thorium-rich hot spot on the far side of the Moon. Ambre Trujillo, Planetary Society Digital Community Manager, gives an update on the new member community app Space Trivia Contest, and Bruce Betts, chief scientist of The Planetary Society, shares What's Up in the night sky. Discover more at: https://www.planetary.org/planetary-radio/2023-subsurface-granite-on-the-moonSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 scientist at the Southwest Research Institute, joins Planetary Radio to talk about the discovery and its implications for the search for life. Then Bruce Betts shares what's up in the night sky this week. Discover more at: https://www.planetary.org/planetary-radio/2023-phosphorus-in-enceladus See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 Dickson joins Planetary Radio to discuss the planet’s changing axial tilt and the consequences of Martian climate change. Then Bruce Betts shares the beautiful dance of planets in the upcoming night sky and the reflections of the oldest person to ever travel to space. Discover more at: https://www.planetary.org/planetary-radio/2023-mars-gulliesSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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, explores what we know about the alluvial rivers of Earth, Mars, and Saturn’s moon Titan. Stay tuned for the What's Up segment with Bruce Betts and the last question in our on-air space trivia contest. Discover more at: https://www.planetary.org/planetary-radio/2023-rivers-of-earth-mars-and-titan See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 for human commercial space launch companies. Jack Kiraly, director of government relations for The Planetary Society, joins host Casey Dreier to provide the latest insight and analysis on these issues. Discover more at: https://www.planetary.org/planetary-radio/summer-2023-congressional-statusSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 communications adviser at The Planetary Society, takes us to the 2023 Humans to Mars Summit in Washington, D.C. We'll share his conversation with three NASA Associate Administrators, Nicola Fox, James Free, and James Reuter about the international, commercial, and robotic collaboration it will take to put the first humans on the Red Planet. Then Bruce Betts and Sarah Al-Ahmed share What's Up in the night sky and a chance to win a grab bag of prizes in one of our last space trivia contests. Discover more at: https://www.planetary.org/planetary-radio/2023-humans-to-mars See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 University of Maryland joins Planetary Radio this week to talk about the latest results from NASA's Parker Solar Probe as it soars closer to our star than any spacecraft in history. We share what to look forward to in the night sky and a Parker Solar Probe-themed question in our space trivia contest. Discover more at: https://www.planetary.org/planetary-radio/2023-fast-solar-windSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Saturn's rings are so young that they may have formed when dinosaurs walked the Earth. Richard Durisen, a Professor Emeritus of Astronomy from Indiana University Bloomington, and Paul Estrada, a Research Scientist at NASA Ames Research Center, join Planetary Radio to discuss their research on the surprisingly recent formation of Saturn's rings and why they are disappearing over time. Then Bruce Betts and host Sarah Al-Ahmed share what's in the upcoming night sky and chat about creepy-crawly constellations. Discover more at: https://www.planetary.org/planetary-radio/2023-saturn-young-ringsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Justin Spilker and his colleagues at Texas A&M University have detected the oldest and most distant organic molecules in the known Universe using the James Webb Space Telescope. Justin joins Planetary Radio to talk about the discovery and what it means for our understanding of star formation in the early Universe. We also share what to spot in the night sky this week and pay homage to the first women in space in this week’s What’s Up. Discover more at: https://www.planetary.org/planetary-radio/2023-oldest-organic-molecules See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 beautiful poem about exploration that will soon be on its way to Europa and let you know how you can put your name on the upcoming Europa Clipper mission. Then we check in with Bruce Betts for What's Up and an update on this week's night sky. Discover more at: https://www.planetary.org/planetary-radio/2023-starstruckSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Would meeting an extraterrestrial civilization be good or bad for humanity? Astronomer Dr. Jacob Haqq Misra argues that knowing the outcome in advance is fundamentally impossible, which results in a range of policy implications. Should we camouflage Earth's technosignatures or pour money into perhaps the most transformative event in human history? Should we fear the dark or embrace the unknown?  Discover more at: https://www.planetary.org/planetary-radio/2023-spe-policy-implications-of-active-setiSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.