Planetary Radio: Space Exploration, Astronomy and Science

This episode opens with a special message about The Planetary Society’s response to recent news, followed by a period of silence that marks the unjust loss of George Floyd and other black men and women. In our regular coverage, we celebrate the successful launch and arrival of the Crew Dragon spacecraft at the International Space Station. Then it’s off to Mars with planetary scientist Edgard Rivera-Valentin. Learn more at https://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2020/0603-2020-edgard-rivera-valentin-mars-brines-crew-dragon.htmlSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Former astronaut and NASA Associate Administrator John Grunsfeld is often called the Hubble Repairman. He made three space shuttle trips to the space telescope to repair and upgrade it. Now he looks back over three decades of science, beautiful images, and inspiration delivered by the HST. Rubber asteroids are back, and you might win one in the new What’s Up space trivia contest. Great links, including to Mat Kaplan’s live interview with John Grunsfeld, are at https://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2020/0527-2020-john-grunsfeld-hubble-30th.htmlSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Engineer and former astronaut Garrett Reisman spent four months on the International Space Station before moving to SpaceX. Ten years of work at the company are about to climax when a Crew Dragon capsule carries astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley to the ISS. Garrett shares his excitement and inside knowledge about the mission and the groundbreaking spacecraft. We’ve also got headlines from The Downlink, and a night sky update as part of this week’s What’s Up. Great links, including the Crew Dragon ISS manual approach simulation app, are at https://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2020/0513-2020-garrett-reisman-crew-dragon.htmlSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jet Propulsion Lab astrobiologist Kevin Hand has just written Alien Oceans: The Search for Life in the Depths of Space. Kevin and Mat explore these seas and whether they may have nurtured organisms with no connection to life on Earth. You may win a copy of Kevin’s excellent book in this week’s What’s Up space trivia contest with Bruce Betts. Take an even deeper dive at  https://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2020/0513-2020-kevin-hand-alien-oceans.htmlSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Lori Garver may have been the strongest advocate of commercial space development in her days at NASA. Now one of that program’s greatest goals is about to achieved with the flight of American astronauts to the International Space Station in a Crew Dragon spaceship. The Planetary Society’s Jason Davis previews what to expect from the SpaceX Demo-2 mission. Also, headlines from The Downlink, and Venus shining bright in What’s Up with Bruce Betts. Learn more about Lori Garver and the Crew Dragon mission at  https://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2020/0506-2020-lori-garver-dm2-commercial-space.htmlSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Are we morally obligated to pursue space exploration? What ethical considerations should we consider when creating space policy? Philosopher James Schwartz joins the show to address these questions and talk about his new book, The Value of Science in Space Exploration. Learn more about this month’s topics through links on the show page.  https://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2020/space-policy-edition-49.htmlSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mat Kaplan recently hosted the first of a series of Explore Mars live and interactive events. NASA astrobiologist Penelope Boston and NASA Chief Scientist James Green joined him for a thrilling conversation about the search for life on the Red Planet, and what may happen if or when we find it. The comet may be a bust, but Bruce Betts tells us there’s still plenty to see in the current night sky. Mat and Bruce also talk about the first ever What’s Up Live! See the live Mars discussion and explore our other topics at https://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2020/0429-2020-life-on-mars-penny-boston-jim-green.htmlSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

“The object of THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY shall be the encouragement and promotion of Astronomy, Solar-System Sciences, Geophysics and closely related branches of science.” That’s what you’ll find on the website of the RAS. Its mission has changed little in the two centuries since it was founded by some of Britain’s leading scientific minds. Don’t miss the UK Poet Laureate’s poem in honor of the RAS at the end of this week’s episode.  We also offer a tribute to the late Margaret Burbidge, one of the 20th century’s greatest astronomers. Learn and explore more at https://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2020/0422-2020-ras-200th-margaret-burbidge.htmlSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We talk with NASA’s leader about how the agency is meeting the challenge of the pandemic. He looks forward to the future with confidence as he offers updates on projects including the Perseverance Mars rover, the Artemis Moon program, and the effort to send U.S. astronauts to the International Space Station on U.S. commercial crew vehicles. Planetary Society Chief Advocate Casey Dreier marks the 50th anniversary of Apollo 13 and introduces us to his remarkable new planetary exploration budget dataset. What’s Up also celebrate the “successful failure” of Apollo 13 as Bruce Betts tours the night sky and presents a new space trivia contest. Learn and explore more at https://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2020/0415-2020-nasa-admin-james-bridenstine.htmlSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How could a lowly slime mold help researchers understand the distribution of dark matter and galaxies across the cosmos? Joseph Burchett and Oskar Elek of the University of California Santa Cruz will tell us about their team’s groundbreaking work. Bruce Betts and Mat Kaplan announce the first live and interactive What's Up segment is coming on April 23rd. The guys provide their usual assortment of space oddities in this week’s regular segment. Learn and explore more at https://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2020/0408-2020-slime-mold-universe.htmlSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.