Water on the Moon!

This week we revisit one of the most remarkable exoplanet discoveries of 2024 with the help of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). JWST detected signs of methane and carbon dioxide in the atmosphere of K2-18 b. Knicole Colón, the deputy project scientist for exoplanet science for JWST, explains how this discovery could reshape our search for life beyond Earth and teach us more about the enigmatic class of exoplanets known as sub-Neptunes. Stick around for What's Up with Bruce Betts, the chief scientist of The Planetary Society. Discover more at: https://www.planetary.org/planetary-radio/2025-jwst-new-lead-in-search-for-life See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

15 Jan 51min

This week, we celebrate a remarkable milestone as Emily Calandrelli, also known as “the Space Gal,” becomes the 100th woman to venture into space. Emily shares her experiences on the Blue Origin voyage, what she took to space, and how motherhood influenced her reaction to seeing Earth from space. Then Planetary Society Chief Scientist Bruce Betts joins for What's Up and a list of fun things to do in zero-g. Discover more at: https://www.planetary.org/planetary-radio/2025-100th-woman-in-space See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

8 Jan 55min

How does change happen within NASA, and what prevents it? Marcia Smith, founder of Space Policy Online, joins the show to discuss the opportunities and pitfalls faced by incoming presidential administrations and how NASA has—and hasn’t—changed over the decades. Will Artemis be reimagined? Will public-private partnerships introduce more risk than reward? And is change even the right default attitude to take? Discover more at: https://www.planetary.org/planetary-radio/change-and-continuity-at-nasa-with-marcia-smith See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

3 Jan 1h 8min

Planetary Radio kicks off The Planetary Society's 45th anniversary year with CEO, Bill Nye. Bill reflects on the organization's first forty-five years and what humanity has learned about space in that time. Then, Chief Scientist Bruce Betts joins in for the first What's Up and Random Space Fact of 2025. Discover more at: https://www.planetary.org/planetary-radio/2025-45th-anniversary See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

1 Jan 52min

The Planetary Society team reviews the best space moments of 2024, from the China National Space Administration's return of samples from the far side of the Moon to the triumphant launch of NASA's Europa Clipper mission. Kate Howells (Public Education Specialist) shares the winners of The Planetary Society's Best of 2024 awards. Then, Mat Kaplan (Senior Communications Advisor), Ambre Trujillo (Digital Community Manager), and Asa Stahl (Science Editor) team up for a rundown of the year's highlights. We close out 2024 with Bruce Betts, our chief scientist, as he shares his last random space fact of the year. Discover more at: https://www.planetary.org/planetary-radio/2024-looking-back See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

25 Des 202459min

Lauren Mc Keown, a postdoctoral fellow at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, discusses her experiences recreating Martian araneiform terrain, also called Mars spiders, in the lab. Latif Nasser, the co-host of Radiolab, also joins Planetary Radio to share how you can cast your vote to name a quasi-Moon of Earth. Then Bruce Betts, chief scientist of The Planetary Society, looks at a different type of seasonal feature on Mars, recurring slope lineae, in What’s Up. Discover more at: https://www.planetary.org/planetary-radio/2024-mars-spidersSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

18 Des 202459min

For over half a century, space advocates and presidents alike have tried to recreate the JFK moment of calling on the country to send a man to Moon — but is this a mistake? The classic book Spaceflight and the Myth of Presidential Leadership argued that it is, and by focusing on presidential power alone advocates set up these initiatives to fail. However, in the decades since its publication, presidential authority has dramatically expanded. In this episode, we examine this tension: Did the success of Apollo create a false expectation about the role of presidential leadership in spaceflight? How can a president most effectively set new long-term goals for NASA? Discover more at: https://www.planetary.org/planetary-radio/myth-of-presidential-leadership See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

13 Des 202447min

We take you to Planetary Society headquarters, where Neil deGrasse Tyson, astrophysicist and host of StarTalk, interviews Planetary Society CEO Bill Nye about the organization's 45-year history of empowering the world's citizens to advance space science and exploration. Then, we share an update on the incoming Trump administration's proposed pick for the next NASA Administrator, Jared Isaacman. Planetary Society Chief of Space Policy, Casey Dreier, and Director of Government Relations, Jack Kiraly, give us the details. We close out with Bruce Betts as he discusses the Van Allen belts and shares a new random space fact in What's Up. Discover more at: https://www.planetary.org/planetary-radio/2024-startalkSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

11 Des 202458min