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 ScienceSpace Policy Edition: SpaceX's Starship vs. the environment, with Eric Roesch
Prior to Starship's inaugural launch, environmental policy expert Eric Roesch was outspoken about the possibility of catastrophe. As the rocket launched, it…
Planetary Radio: Space Exploration, Astronomy and ScienceAdventures at the 2023 Planetary Defense Conference
Planetary Radio creator Mat Kaplan shares a look behind the scenes at the 2023 Planetary Defense Conference in Vienna, Austria. You’ll hear exclusive…
Planetary Radio: Space Exploration, Astronomy and ScienceJuice mission liftoff: A new era of icy moon exploration begins
Join us as we celebrate the successful launch of the European Space Agency's Juice mission! Our special guest, project scientist Olivier Witasse, shares the…
Planetary Radio: Space Exploration, Astronomy and ScienceUnder Alien Skies with Phil Plait
Phil Plait, the Bad Astronomer, joins Planetary Radio to discuss his new book, “Under Alien Skies: A Sightseer’s Guide to the Galaxy.” The book takes the…
Planetary Radio: Space Exploration, Astronomy and ScienceYuri’s Night: For all SpaceKind
Join us as we delve into the heart of LA's 2023 Yuri's Night party, a celebration commemorating Yuri Gagarin's pioneering 1961 voyage into space. We'll bring…
Planetary Radio: Space Exploration, Astronomy and ScienceSpace Policy Edition: The motives behind NASA's billions — Jean Toal Eisen on how Congress funds the final frontier
For over a decade, Jean Toal Eisen drafted legislation directing billions of dollars to NASA as senior staff on the Senate Appropriations Committee. She joins…
Planetary Radio: Space Exploration, Astronomy and ScienceTwo Years of Hope: Celebrating the Emirates Mars Mission
Join us as we celebrate the accomplishments of a truly inspiring space mission - the United Arab Emirates' Hope probe, which has spent two amazing years…
Planetary Radio: Space Exploration, Astronomy and ScienceVolcanic Venus? New insights from vintage data
Is Venus hiding volcanic secrets beneath its shroud of clouds? Robbie Herrick and Scott Hensley, the minds behind a new paper on recent potential volcanic…
Planetary Radio: Space Exploration, Astronomy and ScienceGetting psyched for Psyche
NASA’s Psyche mission to explore a metallic asteroid will launch later this year. Lindy Elkins-Tanton, the principal investigator for Psyche, joins Planetary…
Planetary Radio: Space Exploration, Astronomy and ScienceUniversal Harmonies: Sonifying images for science and accessibility
Kim Arcand from NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory joins Planetary Radio to share her team’s new album “Universal Harmonies.” It’s a beautiful collection of…
Planetary Radio: Space Exploration, Astronomy and ScienceLooking back on Voyager’s 45th Anniversary
Planetary Radio’s creator Mat Kaplan guest hosts for this look back at the Jet Propulsion Lab’s celebration of the 45th anniversary of the Voyager mission…
Planetary Radio: Space Exploration, Astronomy and ScienceSpace Policy Edition: The Tricky Ethics of Space Settlement
Humanity is on the cusp of attempting permanent settlement on other worlds. But who gets to go? How will we govern ourselves or enforce laws off Earth? How can…
Planetary Radio: Space Exploration, Astronomy and ScienceThe Canadian Lunar Rover with Peter Visscher
In this week’s episode, Director of Canadensys West Peter Visscher fills us in on the upcoming Canadian lunar rover. Visscher has been working on the rover for…
Planetary Radio: Space Exploration, Astronomy and ScienceMartian rock collecting: From meteorites to Mars Sample Return
Exciting updates to the plans to return samples from Mars to Earth are underway. Meenakshi Wadhwa, principal scientist for Mars Sample Return at NASA JPL…
Planetary Radio: Space Exploration, Astronomy and ScienceAre we alone? The search for alien technosignatures
A new volunteer science project to search for alien technosignatures has launched! Jean-Luc Margot and Megan Li from UCLA join us to share the exciting debut…
Planetary Radio: Space Exploration, Astronomy and ScienceMore on Mars’ Watery History
Mars expert Tanya Harrison shares the details on some of the newest discoveries about Mars’ history, including the discovery of an impact crater thought to be…
Planetary Radio: Space Exploration, Astronomy and ScienceSpace Policy Edition: The White House's Matt Daniels on the U.S.'s New Cislunar Strategy
For the first time in history, the White House laid out a national policy for science and technology in the vast expanse of cislunar space. This policy is not…
Planetary Radio: Space Exploration, Astronomy and ScienceJWST confirms its first exoplanet
The James Webb Space Telescope has confirmed the discovery of its first exoplanet. Jacob Lustig-Yaeger, one of the leads on the team that made the detection…
Planetary Radio: Space Exploration, Astronomy and ScienceJuno Journeys to Jupiter’s Moons
Dive into the latest discoveries about Jupiter’s moons Ganymede, Europa, and Io with Scott Bolton, the principal investigator for NASA’s Juno mission. We share…
Planetary Radio: Space Exploration, Astronomy and ScienceMartian Mic Drop
Jason Achilles, a musician who partnered with NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory to help put one of the first microphones on Mars, shares his journey and the joy…
Planetary Radio: Space Exploration, Astronomy and ScienceCelebrating NASA’s Artemis I mission to the Moon
Jeremy Graeber, the assistant launch director at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, joins us to recount his experience on the night of Artemis I’s historic…
Planetary Radio: Space Exploration, Astronomy and ScienceSpace Policy Edition: JPL Director wants "every brain" to have the chance to work in space exploration
After the delay of the Psyche mission, an independent review board faulted management and workforce problems at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory as one of the…
Planetary Radio: Space Exploration, Astronomy and SciencePlanetary Radio stories with Mat Kaplan
New host Sarah Al-Ahmed bids a fond farewell to Mat Kaplan, Planetary Radio’s former host, with a heartwarming compilation of messages from fans, followed by a…
Planetary Radio: Space Exploration, Astronomy and SciencePlanetary Society All-Stars Review the Year in Space
It’s Mat Kaplan’s last episode as host of Planetary Radio. He has gathered several of his colleagues to celebrate an outstanding year across the Solar System…
Planetary Radio: Space Exploration, Astronomy and ScienceArtemis 1 Orion capsule comes home, and the best of Planetary Radio
Host Mat Kaplan returned to Naval Base San Diego to greet the return of the Artemis 1 Orion spacecraft aboard the USS Portland. Stay with us for a collage of…
Planetary Radio: Space Exploration, Astronomy and ScienceOne Last Blast: Author of ‘The Martian’ Andy Weir with JPL Chief Engineer Rob Manning
A rollicking conversation with two of the most entertaining, most creative Planetary Radio guests across our 20-year history about the role of creativity in…
Planetary Radio: Space Exploration, Astronomy and ScienceScientist and Hubble Repairman John Grunsfeld
John Grunsfeld didn’t just ride the Space Shuttle into orbit five times. He accumulated two-and-a-half days of spacewalk time as he worked on the Hubble Space…
Planetary Radio: Space Exploration, Astronomy and ScienceSpace Policy Edition: NASA's Economic Impact with Alex MacDonald and Joshua Drucker
NASA supports nearly 340,000 jobs spread throughout every state in the union, generates billions of dollars of tax revenue, and invests in critical high-tech…
Planetary Radio: Space Exploration, Astronomy and ScienceA Happy 20th Anniversary for Planetary Radio
Join our celebration with Planetary Society chief executive officer Bill Nye, Society co-founder Louis Friedman, and chief operating officer Jennifer Vaughn…
Planetary Radio: Space Exploration, Astronomy and ScienceGiving the University of Arizona Mirror Lab a spin
It has been on host Mat Kaplan’s bucket list for years. Join him for a tour of the cavernous Richard F. Caris Mirror Lab at the University of Arizona, where…
Planetary Radio: Space Exploration, Astronomy and ScienceVoyager Mission Project Scientist Linda Spilker
She has been heard on Planetary Radio more than any other guest. Linda Spilker returns in her new role as the Voyager project scientist, following the…
Planetary Radio: Space Exploration, Astronomy and ScienceSpace Policy Edition: What the Congressional Midterms Means for Space Science
Next year a new class of elected officials will enter Congress and usher in changes to the political focus and leadership of key space and science committees…
Planetary Radio: Space Exploration, Astronomy and ScienceAnn Druyan wishes you a happy Sagan Day
November 9 would have been our co-founder Carl Sagan’s 88th birthday. His professional and life partner, Ann Druyan, returns with a love story — the love…
Planetary Radio: Space Exploration, Astronomy and ScienceSpace Policy Edition Bonus: Q&A with Casey Dreier and Bill Nye
While we wait for the result of the upcoming U.S. midterm elections, enjoy this special bonus episode of Space Policy Edition featuring The Planetary Society's…
Planetary Radio: Space Exploration, Astronomy and ScienceDART smacked an asteroid! So what’s next in planetary defense?
The success of the Double Asteroid Redirection Test was just one more step toward protecting our world from wayward asteroids and comets. NASA Planetary…
Planetary Radio: Space Exploration, Astronomy and ScienceMeet the new Planetary Radio host! (and enjoy a beer with a cosmologist)
Join host Mat Kaplan as he proudly introduces the person who will take on the show he created 20 years ago. Then we’ll join astrophysicist Brian Keating at a…
Planetary Radio: Space Exploration, Astronomy and ScienceEyes on the Sky: Spacewatch and the Catalina Sky Survey
The University of Arizona in Tucson hosts two of the most successful asteroid searches on our planet. Together, they have discovered, tracked, and…
Planetary Radio: Space Exploration, Astronomy and ScienceInnovate! NASA’s leading-edge fellows share their amazing projects
Mat Kaplan once again hosted the live webcast from the annual NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts or NIAC symposium. He presents a speed dating sample of…
Planetary Radio: Space Exploration, Astronomy and ScienceSpace Policy Edition: The Geopolitics of a Successful SETI Detection
What would nation-states do in response to a signal from an alien intelligence? Would they compete for status and control of the message, or hope to gain some…
Planetary Radio: Space Exploration, Astronomy and ScienceGrounded: The director of the SOFIA flying observatory looks back
The Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) made its last flight on Sept. 30, 2022. Astronomer Margaret Meixner was onboard as the huge…
Planetary Radio: Space Exploration, Astronomy and ScienceBull’s-eye! DART impacts Dimorphos, and we meet space image artist and processor Judy Schmidt
They did it! The Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) spacecraft scored a direct hit on Dimorphos. We’ve got the thrilling last moments before impact…
Planetary Radio: Space Exploration, Astronomy and ScienceCountdown to DART: Will We Move an Asteroid?
We are less than a week from the DART spacecraft’s impact on asteroid moonlet Dimorphos as this episode is published. Mission Coordination Lead Nancy Chabot…
Planetary Radio: Space Exploration, Astronomy and ScienceIt’s Not Just NASA: Space Agency Leaders at the Artemis 1 Launch Attempt
More than 100,000 came to the Kennedy Space Center hoping to see Artemis 1 head for the Moon on August 29. Among them were leaders of the European Space Agency…
Planetary Radio: Space Exploration, Astronomy and ScienceCountdown to Artemis, The Return to the Moon
Come with us to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center for our special coverage of the first attempt to launch the giant Space Launch System rocket toward the Moon…
Planetary Radio: Space Exploration, Astronomy and ScienceSpace Policy Edition: Mike Gold on Crafting the Artemis Accords
As we wait for the launch of Artemis 1, we explore the Artemis Accords: a shared set of principles for exploring space, signed now by more than twenty nations…
Planetary Radio: Space Exploration, Astronomy and ScienceThe Voyager Mission: A 45th Anniversary Celebration
Join us at the Jet Propulsion Lab for the celebration of the two Voyager spacecrafts’ 45-year journey across the solar system and beyond. Stick around for a…
Planetary Radio: Space Exploration, Astronomy and SciencePieces of Mars: How We’ll Get Them to Earth
We now know the rough outline of how NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA) expect to get the samples collected by Perseverance off Mars and into labs on…
Planetary Radio: Space Exploration, Astronomy and ScienceA Venus Phosphine Scoop! The Return of Jane Greaves
Astronomer Jane Greaves and her worldwide team have had quite a ride. It has been two years since the Cardiff University professor announced evidence of…
Planetary Radio: Space Exploration, Astronomy and ScienceComets Stink! The Chemical Zoo Found at Comet Chury
Scientists have used data collected by an exquisitely sensitive instrument on the European Space Agency’s Rosetta probe to find a stunning collection of…
Planetary Radio: Space Exploration, Astronomy and ScienceSpace Policy Edition: Lori Garver on Bringing Change to NASA
As NASA’s deputy administrator, Lori Garver fought to cancel the Constellation program and shift NASA to use commercial partnerships in spaceflight. She failed…
Planetary Radio: Space Exploration, Astronomy and ScienceCitizen Science: Join the search for Martian clouds
NASA Jet Propulsion Lab scientists Armin Kleinboehl and Marek Slipski lead a new project that is recruiting thousands of citizen explorers. They explain to…
Planetary Radio: Space Exploration, Astronomy and ScienceNew Jet Propulsion Lab Director Laurie Leshin
She is only the tenth director of JPL, and the first woman to hold the position. It’s a homecoming for Laurie Leshin who got her PhD at Caltech, the operator…
Planetary Radio: Space Exploration, Astronomy and ScienceScience from the Moon, and former NASA chief scientist Jim Green looks back
Host Mat Kaplan leads with a special announcement. Then we spend a fascinating hour with the former director of NASA’s Planetary Science division and retired…
Planetary Radio: Space Exploration, Astronomy and ScienceThe JWST: An Awesome New Window on the Universe Opens Wide
Have you seen them? Five spectacular images have given us a taste of what’s ahead from the James Webb Space Telescope. Bill Nye will share his reactions after…
Planetary Radio: Space Exploration, Astronomy and ScienceA Hero of the New Space Age: Lori Garver and Escaping Gravity
No one deserves more credit for enabling the new era of commercial space development than former NASA deputy administrator Lori Garver. That includes the…
Planetary Radio: Space Exploration, Astronomy and ScienceSpace Policy Edition: Pathfinder and the Birth of the Discovery Program
It’s the 25th anniversary of the Pathfinder Mars mission and Sojourner, the first rover on the Red Planet. Historian Michael Neufeld joins the show to put this…
Planetary Radio: Space Exploration, Astronomy and ScienceAsteroid Day! Earth Plays Defense
We Earthlings are making progress toward defending our planet from near-Earth objects, which is reason enough for the annual Asteroid Day celebration…
Planetary Radio: Space Exploration, Astronomy and ScienceSail on! Bill Nye and others celebrate LightSail 2’s three years in space
The Planetary Society’s LightSail 2 rocketed into orbit three years ago. Society CEO Bill Nye, chief operating officer Jennifer Vaughn, and LightSail program…
Planetary Radio: Space Exploration, Astronomy and SciencePortrait of a Scientist: A Conversation with Psyche mission leader Lindy Elkins-Tanton
Lindy Elkins-Tanton’s wonderful new memoir is titled, “A Portrait of the Scientist as a Young Woman.” Host Mat Kaplan talks with Lindy about…
Planetary Radio: Space Exploration, Astronomy and SciencePlanetary Radio at the Humans to Mars Summit
Join host Mat Kaplan in Washington D.C. for conversations with outstanding presenters at the first in-person Humans to Mars Summit in three years. You’ll…