Shows / Planetary Radio: Space Exploration, Astronomy and Science
Planetary Radio: Space Exploration, Astronomy and Science
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…
Episodes
Planetary Radio: Space Exploration, Astronomy and ScienceEclipse-O-Rama
On April 8, 2024, a total solar eclipse passed over Mexico, the United States, and Canada. This week on Planetary Radio, we take a trip to The Planetary…
Planetary Radio: Space Exploration, Astronomy and ScienceTabletops and telescopes: NASA’s RPG and the hunt for habitable worlds
This week on Planetary Radio, we explore "The Lost Universe," NASA's first tabletop role-playing game, with Christina Mitchell, a senior multimedia specialist…
Planetary Radio: Space Exploration, Astronomy and ScienceRadiolab helps name a quasi-moon of Venus
Sometimes, misunderstandings can spark beautiful adventures. This week on Planetary Radio, we explore the story behind the naming of Zoozve, a quasi-moon of…
Planetary Radio: Space Exploration, Astronomy and ScienceSpace Policy Edition: Real and Acceptable Reasons for Space Exploration
Former NASA Administrator Mike Griffin joins the Space Policy Edition to discuss his notable 2007 speech outlining the tension between so-called “real” and…
Planetary Radio: Space Exploration, Astronomy and ScienceSyzygy science: Discoveries made during total solar eclipses
Planetary Radio marks its last show before the Apr. 8 total solar eclipse with a look back at discoveries made during totality. Planetary Society science…
Planetary Radio: Space Exploration, Astronomy and ScienceEclipse Tips: A guide to safe observing and astrophotography
On April 8, 2024, a total solar eclipse will sweep across North America. Ron Benner, the President of the American Optometric Association, joins Planetary…
Planetary Radio: Space Exploration, Astronomy and ScienceThe asteroid hunter
Behind every space mission is a tale of hard work, love, and perseverance. Dante Lauretta, the principal investigator for NASA's OSIRIS-REx mission, joins…
Planetary Radio: Space Exploration, Astronomy and ScienceTales of totality: The adventures of an eclipse chaser
The countdown is on! With less than a month until the total solar eclipse on April 8, 2024, Planetary Radio is buzzing with anticipation. This celestial event…
Planetary Radio: Space Exploration, Astronomy and ScienceGeothermal activity on the icy dwarf planets Eris and Makemake
A team co-led by the Southwest Research Institute has made a groundbreaking discovery, revealing evidence of hydrothermal or metamorphic activity on the icy…
Planetary Radio: Space Exploration, Astronomy and ScienceSpace Policy Edition: The ahistorical era of commercial lunar exploration
The successful landing of IM-1 on the Moon ushered in a new era of commercial lunar exploration, one that has little to no historical precedent. The future…
Planetary Radio: Space Exploration, Astronomy and ScienceThe legacy of Red Rover Goes to Mars
Over two decades ago, an innovative partnership between The Planetary Society, NASA, and LEGO created the Red Rover Goes to Mars program. Today, we reflect on…
Planetary Radio: Space Exploration, Astronomy and ScienceOSIRIS-REx becomes APEX
After NASA's OSIRIS-REx spacecraft's successful sample retrieval from asteroid Bennu, it's onto its next adventure as OSIRIS-APEX, the Apophis Explorer. Scott…
Planetary Radio: Space Exploration, Astronomy and ScienceThe Space Race: Honoring the first African-American space explorers
This week on Planetary Radio, we take a peek behind the scenes at National Geographic's new documentary, “The Space Race,” which celebrates the triumphs and…
Planetary Radio: Space Exploration, Astronomy and ScienceExploring solar eclipses through time
This week on Planetary Radio, we delve into the evolution of humanity's relationship with one of our planet's most awe-inspiring phenomena: total solar…
Planetary Radio: Space Exploration, Astronomy and ScienceSpace Policy Edition: Space isn’t black — it’s grey
It’s a policy paper episode! Laura Delgado López joins the show to break down “Clearing the Fog: The Grey Zones of Space Governance” by Jessica West and Jordan…
Planetary Radio: Space Exploration, Astronomy and ScienceThe 20th landing anniversary of Spirit and Opportunity
January marks 20 years since NASA’s twin Mars rovers, Spirit and Opportunity, touched down on the surface of the red planet. Matt Golombek, project scientist…
Planetary Radio: Space Exploration, Astronomy and ScienceBlazing a trail to the Moon
We're celebrating lunar missions and the space advocacy that helps make them happen this week on Planetary Radio. Casey Dreier and Jack Kiraly, chief of space…
Planetary Radio: Space Exploration, Astronomy and ScienceWhat’s hidden inside planets?
Venture into the hearts of worlds and uncover how we study planetary interiors this week on Planetary Radio. Sabine Stanley, professor of planetary physics at…
Planetary Radio: Space Exploration, Astronomy and ScienceJWST finds a new lead in the search for life on a mysterious exoplanet
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)…
Planetary Radio: Space Exploration, Astronomy and ScienceSpace Policy Edition: India’s growing space ambitions
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…
Planetary Radio: Space Exploration, Astronomy and ScienceRevisiting the discovery of phosphorus on Enceladus
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…
Planetary Radio: Space Exploration, Astronomy and ScienceLooking back on 2023
Members of The Planetary Society staff revisit some of 2023's most exhilarating moments and groundbreaking discoveries in space this week on Planetary Radio…
Planetary Radio: Space Exploration, Astronomy and ScienceDragonfly soars to final design phase
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…
Planetary Radio: Space Exploration, Astronomy and ScienceAn astrogeologic experience with Kirby Runyon
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…
Planetary Radio: Space Exploration, Astronomy and ScienceThe mystery of the largest marsquake ever recorded
What caused the largest marsquake ever recorded? Benjamin Fernando, a post-doctoral fellow from the University of Oxford, joins Planetary Radio this week to…
Planetary Radio: Space Exploration, Astronomy and ScienceSpace Policy Edition: Was the Space Shuttle a policy failure?
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…
Planetary Radio: Space Exploration, Astronomy and ScienceLucy's first asteroid flyby reveals a surprise moon
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…
Planetary Radio: Space Exploration, Astronomy and ScienceDeep Sky: A JWST IMAX experience
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…
Planetary Radio: Space Exploration, Astronomy and ScienceNASA’s STEM program looks to the Moon
Steven Smith, an Education Specialist from NASA's Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (or STEM) Program, joins Planetary Radio to share some of…
Planetary Radio: Space Exploration, Astronomy and ScienceA City on Mars
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…
Planetary Radio: Space Exploration, Astronomy and ScienceSpace Policy Edition: What went wrong with Mars Sample Return
NASA’s Mars Sample Return mission was supposed to be lean, fast, and focused — no extra science instruments, no dedicated communications systems, and launching…
Planetary Radio: Space Exploration, Astronomy and SciencePsyche and Eclipse Company blast off
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…
Planetary Radio: Space Exploration, Astronomy and ScienceSimulating Psyche: Modeling craters on a metallic world
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…
Planetary Radio: Space Exploration, Astronomy and ScienceInSight's revelation on Mars’ rotation
Data from the now-retired NASA InSight mission suggests that Mars' rotation is speeding up. The InSight RISE instrument's principal investigator, Sebastien Le…
Planetary Radio: Space Exploration, Astronomy and ScienceCelebrating the OSIRIS-REx sample return
On September 24th, NASA's OSIRIS-REx spacecraft triumphantly delivered a sample from asteroid Bennu to Earth. Rae Paoletta, the Director of Content and…
Planetary Radio: Space Exploration, Astronomy and Science2023 NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts Symposium: Part 2
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…
Planetary Radio: Space Exploration, Astronomy and Science2023 NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts Symposium: Part 1
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…
Planetary Radio: Space Exploration, Astronomy and ScienceAlone but not lonely with Louis Friedman
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…
Planetary Radio: Space Exploration, Astronomy and ScienceIo and Voyager 2: Lost oceans and found signals
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…
Planetary Radio: Space Exploration, Astronomy and ScienceSubsurface oceans: The hidden potential of Earth-like exoplanets
Lujendra Ojha, assistant professor at Rutgers University, joins Planetary Radio to discuss how subsurface liquid water on exoplanets orbiting red dwarf stars…
Planetary Radio: Space Exploration, Astronomy and ScienceA new algorithm finds its first potentially hazardous asteroid
A next-generation asteroid discovery algorithm, HelioLinc3D, has successfully identified its first potentially hazardous asteroid. Mario Jurić and Ari Heinze…
Planetary Radio: Space Exploration, Astronomy and ScienceThe slow evolution of Europa
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…
Planetary Radio: Space Exploration, Astronomy and ScienceJWST detects water vapor in a planet-forming disk
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…
Planetary Radio: Space Exploration, Astronomy and ScienceMars Life Explorer: The search for extant life on the red planet
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…
Planetary Radio: Space Exploration, Astronomy and ScienceSpace Policy Edition: Why lunar exploration must be of enduring national interest
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…
Planetary Radio: Space Exploration, Astronomy and ScienceSubsurface granite on the Moon? The anatomy of a lunar hot spot
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…
Planetary Radio: Space Exploration, Astronomy and ScienceAn essential ingredient for life in the oceans of Enceladus
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…
Planetary Radio: Space Exploration, Astronomy and ScienceMars' Axial Tilt: A Key to Gully Formation
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: Space Exploration, Astronomy and ScienceComparing the rivers of Earth, Mars, and Titan
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…
Planetary Radio: Space Exploration, Astronomy and ScienceSpace Policy Edition: What’s Going on with: Congress, MSR, and ?
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…
Planetary Radio: Space Exploration, Astronomy and ScienceHumans to Mars by the 2030s? NASA Associate Administrators weigh in
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…
Planetary Radio: Space Exploration, Astronomy and Science2Fast 2Curious: Finding the source of the fast solar wind
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…
Planetary Radio: Space Exploration, Astronomy and ScienceThe disappearing act of Saturn's young rings
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…
Planetary Radio: Space Exploration, Astronomy and ScienceThe oldest organic molecules in the known Universe
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…
Planetary Radio: Space Exploration, Astronomy and ScienceStarstruck with Sarafina El-Badry Nance
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…
Planetary Radio: Space Exploration, Astronomy and ScienceSpace Policy Edition: The policy implications of active SETI
Would meeting an extraterrestrial civilization be good or bad for humanity? Astronomer Dr. Jacob Haqq Misra argues that knowing the outcome in advance is…
Planetary Radio: Space Exploration, Astronomy and ScienceThe Science You’ve Enabled
The Planetary Society has just announced the latest awards in its Science and Technology Enabled by the Public (STEP) Grant program. With regular host Sarah…
Planetary Radio: Space Exploration, Astronomy and ScienceExoplanet enigma: Unpacking the discovery of a "forbidden" planet
This week on Planetary Radio, Shubham Kanodia, the lead on a paper about a so-called“forbidden planet,” TOI 5202 b, joins us to talk about this strange world…
Planetary Radio: Space Exploration, Astronomy and ScienceInspiring the next generation through space education
In this week's episode of Planetary Radio, we're honoring the educators who inspire young, curious minds to explore the marvels of the Cosmos. We’ll speak with…
Planetary Radio: Space Exploration, Astronomy and ScienceThe case for saving VERITAS
NASA's VERITAS mission to Venus is currently on an indefinite hold. Darby Dyar, Deputy Principal Investigator for the mission, joins Planetary Radio to share…