Emily Calandrelli becomes the hundredth woman in space

It was one of the most exciting planetary science announcements in 2018: Radar from an orbiting spacecraft might have found large pools of liquid water under the Martian south pole. But good science doesn’t end with first conclusions. Jeffrey Plaut and Isaac Smith are among the researchers who have found that a form of clay may better explain these reflections. We also talk with The Planetary Society’s Rae Paoletta about the Earth-like worlds found across our corner of the galaxy. Your chance to win the coveted Planetary Society rubber asteroid returns in this week’s What’s Up. Discover more at https://www.planetary.org/planetary-radio/jeffrey-plaut-isaac-smith-mars-polar-claySee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

1 Syys 202142min

Jupiter’s moon Europa hides a vast water ocean under a protective layer of ice. The Europa Clipper mission will send a powerful orbiter to investigate. Mission system manager L. Alberto (Al) Cangahuala tells us about the great strides made toward a planned 2024 launch and the challenges ahead. Bruce Betts faces one of the greatest challenges for any parent: getting a new college freshman installed in a distant university. Our chief scientist takes a break from the preparation to share the night sky and a new space trivia contest. Discover more at https://www.planetary.org/planetary-radio/al-cangahuala-europa-clipper-updateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

25 Elo 202144min

Cassini project scientist Linda Spilker is back to describe how data from the Saturn mission that ended four years ago is behind new, trailblazing science. Linda has also rejoined the team behind NASA'S Voyager mission that is celebrating important anniversaries. She closes with convincing arguments for missions to Saturn’s moon Enceladus and the ice giants Uranus and Neptune. Bruce Betts gets on the Cassini train with this week’s space trivia contest. Discover more at https://www.planetary.org/planetary-radio/linda-spilker-cassini-voyager-outer-planetsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

18 Elo 202146min

NASA’s Perseverance is driving farther and faster than any previous Mars rover, thanks to its advanced AutoNav system. Vandi Verma, the mission’s chief engineer for robotics at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, takes us inside the speedy, six-wheeled robot for a look at its marvelous mechanics and software. Vandi also describes the complex process of sample collection. There’s a high-flying surprise for Bruce Betts in the space trivia contest. Discover more at https://www.planetary.org/planetary-radio/vandi-verma-perseverance-autonav-sample-collectionSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

11 Elo 202154min

Can nuclear propulsion fundamentally transform our ability to send humans to Mars? Bhavya Lal, a policy and nuclear engineering expert now working at NASA, helped write a new report on the topic for the National Academies of Sciences. She joins the show to talk about the advantages of various types of nuclear propulsion, the engineering and policy challenges that face them, and the role of government versus the private sector in developing and deploying transformational technologies. Discover more here: https://www.planetary.org/planetary-radio/0804-2021-spe-bhavya-lal-nuclear-propulsionSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

6 Elo 20211h 10min

An experiment rode next to Richard Branson when he rocketed to the edge of space on Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo last month. Planetary scientist Alan Stern says we’ve begun a new era of affordable space research thanks to this vehicle and Blue Origin’s New Shepard. Alan also delivers an update on the New Horizons mission, including a new, definitive collection of everything we’ve learned about Pluto. Then it’s Olympic gold for Bruce Betts in our weekly What’s Up segment. Discover more at https://www.planetary.org/planetary-radio/alan-stern-suborbital-science-new-horizons-updateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

4 Elo 202146min

Apollo 17 commander Gene Cernan said of Andy Chaikin’s book A Man on the Moon, “I’ve been there. Chaikin took me back.” Andy returns to help us mark the 50th anniversary of Apollo 15 and the first use of the Lunar Rover. He also talks with Mat about what the Artemis generation should learn from Apollo, how astronauts have evolved, the challenge of putting humans on Mars, and much more. Bruce Betts picks up the Apollo 15 theme with this week in space history. Discover more at https://www.planetary.org/planetary-radio/andy-chaikin-apollo-15-and-moreSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

28 Heinä 20211h 27min

We may finally get the powerful telescope we’ve needed to find almost all of the near-Earth objects that are big enough to destroy a city. University of Arizona professor Amy Mainzer leads the NEO Surveyor project. She returns to Planetary Radio with the full story. Blue Origin’s Jeff Bezos and three colleagues rode a rocket that briefly put them in space. We’ll hear from Bezos and 82-year-old Wally Funk. The pilot and former astronaut candidate is now the oldest person to have reached space. Discover more at https://www.planetary.org/planetary-radio/amy-mainzer-neo-surveyorSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

21 Heinä 202149min