54: The granite planet with Dr. Economos

Dr. Geronimo Villanueva tells us about solar system discoveries with JWST. He talks about several projects, including observing water plumes from Saturn's moon Europa and looking for rings around Mars...

19 Feb 202427min

I was sick for a few weeks this month and had to delay the scheduled interview. In the meantime, I've got a bonus episode for you. In this episode I talk about FindPOTATOs, which is software written b...

21 Jan 20249min

Professor Bill McKinnon, 2023 recipient of the Kuiper Prize, reflects on his career as a planetary scientist. He tells us about a theory of his that was proven right, one that was proven wrong, and wh...

24 Des 202325min

Dr. Gareth Williams tells us about asteroid names. He explains the rules around naming asteroids and tells us how an asteroid name lead to a surprise trip to meet one of his heroes.

19 Nov 202325min

Dr. Brett Denevi talks to us about the planned Artemis missions to the moon's South Pole. There, astronauts will collect rocks and other samples. She describes how geologists are working with the astr...

27 Okt 202343min

Loren Grush talks about her new book, "The Six: The Untold Story of America's First Women in Space." She explains why Sally Ride was chosen to be the first American woman to go to space, and how the r...

12 Sep 202336min

We hear from Dr. Diana Blaney, the principal investigator of the mapping imaging spectrometer on Europa Clipper. Europa Clipper will travel to Jupiter to see if its moon Europa is habitable. She descr...

20 Aug 202331min

Professor Lamiya Mowla tells us about an exciting JWST discovery. She describes gravitational lensing as "nature's magnifying glass." She also explains why she likes calling telescopes time machines. ...

6 Aug 202332min