An ESCAPADE to Mars, on the cheap
NASA hopes to radically reduce the price tag for exploring Mars with a mission called ESCAPADE. Principal investigator Rob Lillis and his team will send two small probes to the Red Planet in 2024 for less than $80 million. They will work with orbiters already circling Mars to answer deep questions about the evolution of that world’s formerly thick atmosphere and the effects of solar radiation. Then we’ll check in with Planetary Society chief scientist Bruce Betts for another What’s Up. Discover more at https://www.planetary.org/planetary-radio/robert-lillis-escapade-marsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
8 Sep 20211h 4min
Space Policy Edition: The cultural rituals of space advocacy, with Linda Billings
Communication is culture, says Dr. Linda Billings, an expert in social science and space outreach. So what culture is summed by the types of space advocacy that call for pioneering, colonization and conquest of nature? Linda talks about the importance of language and context when advocating for space, and how we should consider other cultural values and frameworks for effective public engagement. Discover more here: https://www.planetary.org/planetary-radio/linda-billings-space-advocacy-cultureSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
3 Sep 20211h 26min
Liquid Water Under the Martian Polar Ice? Maybe Not
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 Sep 202142min
Europa Clipper Sails Toward Launch
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 Aug 202144min
Cassini, Voyager and beyond with Linda Spilker
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 Aug 202146min
How Perseverance drives itself around Mars
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 Aug 202154min
Space Policy Edition: Mars via the Nuclear Option
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 Aug 20211h 10min
Alan Stern Says It’s Time for Suborbital Science
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 Aug 202146min
