Planetary Radio: Space Exploration, Astronomy and Science

The United States' 2020 elections are over. What do the results mean for NASA in the years ahead? To help answer that question, we welcome back Brendan Curry, The Planetary Society's Chief of D.C. Operations. Join us as we review the changes in Congress and the White House that will impact the direction of the U.S. space program. Explore more here.  https://www.planetary.org/planetary-radio/1002-2020-spe-brendan-curry-election-reviewSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In a jam-packed episode, we’ll talk to a discoverer of a distant, lonely planet that wanders the galaxy, and then turn to plans to send a radically-simple sample collection system to the Moon and Mars’ moon Phobos. Planetary Society CEO Bill Nye will add his congratulations for the PlanetVac team. We’ve also got a signed copy of Bill’s latest book for the winner of the new What’s Up space trivia contest. Learn more at https://www.planetary.org/planetary-radio/1111-2020-poleski-rogue-planet-zacny-planetvacSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

At least two ambitious, smart asteroid mining companies have gone bust. Joel Sercel makes the case that his new effort comes at a much better time, and with a better approach. He’ll also share his audacious plan for mining water on the Moon, along with his concerns regarding humanity’s spread across the solar system. Can we avoid the mistakes made in past eras of exploration and expansion? You’ve got one more chance to win your own asteroid—a small, rubber one—in this week’s What’s Up space trivia contest. Learn more at https://www.planetary.org/planetary-radio/1104-2020-joel-sercelSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We are joined by the leader of the OSIRIS-REx mission that sampled an asteroid last week. Dante reveals just how brilliantly successful the encounter was, and describes preparations for the journey back to Earth. Space journalist Nancy Atkinson tells us about Orbilander, a mission that would orbit and then descend to Saturn’s moon Enceladus in a search for life. Space headlines from The Downlink and our weekly visit with Chief Scientist Bruce Betts round out this week’s show. Explore more at https://www.planetary.org/planetary-radio/1028-2020-dante-lauretta-osiris-rexSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

OSIRIS-REx has done it! We have special coverage of the spacecraft’s successful collection of a sample from asteroid Bennu. Then we talk with Jane Greaves, leader of the team that found evidence of phosphine gas in the atmosphere of Venus. Has this put us on the road to discovery of life above that hellish world? Bruce Betts and Mat Kaplan offer a copy of Beyond Earth’s Edge: The Poetry of Spaceflight in the new space trivia contest. Learn more at https://www.planetary.org/planetary-radio/1021-2020-jane-greaves-venus-phosphineSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Beyond Earth’s Edge: The Poetry of Spaceflight is the new and outstanding collection of poems edited by Julie Swarstad Johnson and Christopher Cokinos. They’ll join us to hear poems in the collection read by Bill Nye, Robert Picardo, Sasha Sagan, astronauts, scientists and others. Bruce Betts looks away from the night sky long enough to pen his own poetic contribution. We’ve also got space headlines from The Downlink, and a new space trivia contest. Learn more at https://www.planetary.org/planetary-radio/1014-2020-poetry-johnson-cokinosSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Protecting worlds like Earth and Mars from microscopic invaders carried by human and robot visitors was just one of the scores of topics covered at this year’s Humans to Mars summit. Mat Kaplan moderated a panel featuring planetary scientist and New Horizons mission principal investigator Alan Stern, NASA associate administrator Mike Gold, and NASA planetary protection officer Lisa Pratt. Planetary Society digital editor Jason Davis shares the fascinating 40-year timeline that can be found in the Society’s September equinox edition of The Planetary Report, and Mars shines bright in our What’s Up segment. Great links and more are at https://www.planetary.org/planetary-radio/1007-2020-h2m-planetary-protection-panelSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A month before the U.S. election Joe Biden's campaign has yet to state its goals for space and NASA. We asked Jeff Foust, one of the best space reporters in the business, to help us piece together a working model of a potential Biden Administration space policy. We comb through the available evidence, combining insights from Biden's history in the Senate, his 8 years as vice president, and current activities in the Democratic House of Representatives and party platform to create a prediction of what might be the same, and what might differ from the Trump Administration's approach to NASA. Explore more here.  https://www.planetary.org/planetary-radio/1002-2020-spe-jeff-foustSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

AURA, the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, is the organization that oversees operation of many of our world’s most powerful telescopes, including the Hubble Space Telescope.  Veteran astronomer and planetary scientist Heidi Hammel is its Vice President for Science. Listen to her passionate argument for exploration by ground and space-based instruments and what they may tell us about ourselves. Only one cat has gone to space! You might win a tribute to that feline in the new What’s Up space trivia contest. Links and more are at https://www.planetary.org/planetary-radio/0930-2020-heidi-hammel-auraSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Emily Lakdawalla was on the very first episode of Planetary Radio, and has been heard on hundreds since then. The planetary evangelist returns for a conversation like no other. Planetary Society CEO Bill Nye shares his thoughts after we hear from Emily. Got Mars? Bruce Betts tells us it’s brighter than Jupiter in the evening sky. He’ll tell you where to look during What’s Up. Much more of Emily can be heard at https://www.planetary.org/planetary-radio/0923-2020-emily-lakdawalla-farewell-nyeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.