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.

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.

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.

The team reflects on 2024's best space moments, highlighting the return of lunar samples by China and NASA's Europa Clipper mission. They celebrate significant awards in planetary science and share thrilling personal experiences from a total solar eclipse in Texas. Groundbreaking missions like the Parker Solar Probe and advancements in planetary defense are discussed, alongside discoveries from Mars rovers. The podcast wraps up with a tribute to 45 years of exploration and a sneak peek into future initiatives.

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.

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.

Neil deGrasse Tyson, renowned astrophysicist and director of the Hayden Planetarium, teams up with Casey Dreyer, Chief of Space Policy at the Planetary Society. They dive into the rich 45-year legacy of the Planetary Society and the evolution of space exploration, touching on Viking and Voyager missions. The discussion navigates the nomination of Jared Isaacman as NASA administrator and the implications for future missions. The hosts also reflect on Venus's climate and the innovative rise of Cubesats in education, making space science more accessible.

Sarah Al-Ahmed, the host of Planetary Radio, marks her 100th episode with a look back at the defining moments of the past 100 weeks of space exploration. We'll revisit previous Planetary Radio interviews, including the launch of ESA's Juice mission to the icy moons of Jupiter with project scientist Olivier Witasse. Danny Glavin, the co-investigator for NASA's OSIRIS-REx, shares his thoughts after the triumphant return of samples from asteroid Bennu. Lindy Elkins-Tanton, principal investigator for NASA's Psyche mission, reflects on her team's mission to explore a metallic asteroid. Then, Bob Pappalardo, project scientist for Europa Clipper, discusses the mission's intense brush with Hurricane Milton before blasting off to unlock the secrets of a potentially habitable ocean world. We close out the show with Bruce Betts, the chief scientist of The Planetary Society, for What's Up. Discover more at: https://www.planetary.org/planetary-radio/2024-one-hundred-weeks  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The United Arab Emirates Space Agency is working on its next ambitious spacecraft, the Emirates Mission to the Asteroid Belt. It will visit seven asteroids, ultimately rendezvousing with Justitia, the reddest object in the main asteroid belt. We'll get an update on their team's progress from Mohsen Al Awadhi and Hoor Al Hazmi, the director and science team lead for the Emirates Mission to the Asteroid Belt. Then, our chief scientist at The Planetary Society, Bruce Betts, joins host Sarah Al-Ahmed for What's Up and a new random space fact.  Discover more at: https://www.planetary.org/planetary-radio/2024-uae-asteroid-belt  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Casey Dreyer, Chief of Space Policy at The Planetary Society, discusses the implications of the recent U.S. elections on NASA’s funding and priorities. Jack Kiraly, Director of Government Relations, shares insights on budget cuts leading to layoffs at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. They highlight the need for strong advocacy and grassroots engagement to support space science funding amidst political changes. The conversation also delves into the interplay between political dynamics and NASA's future, stressing the significance of bipartisan cooperation for ongoing space exploration.