Could the first object shown to have originated outside our solar system be a light sail built by an alien civilization? That’s the very controversial hypothesis put forward by distinguished Harvard astrophysicist Avi Loeb in his new book Extra

7 More Minutes of Terror: Perseverance Arrives at Mars

Jan 20th, 2021 45m 16s

The 2020 Mars Rover will reach the Red Planet on February 18th after many months in the relative quiet of space. It will then undergo a true trial by fire as it descends to the surface. Jet Propulsion Lab systems engineer and his colleagues hop

Space Policy Edition: A Mob at the U.S. Capitol

Jan 15th, 2021 1h

This is not your normal episode of the Space Policy Edition, but these are not normal times. The centuries-old U.S. tradition of the peaceful transfer of power ended on 6 January 2021, as a pro-Trump mob stormed the U.S. Capitol building during

A Symphony for 7 Moons

Jan 13th, 2021 1h 11m

Composer Amanda Lee Falkenberg has created The Moons Symphony. You’ll hear excerpts from each of its 7 movements. They are inspired by and evoke 7 of our solar system’s smaller, unique worlds. Joining Amanda are her advisors and friends, artist

Solar Cruiser: A Giant Sail Prepares for Space

Jan 6th, 2021 50m 1s

It is many times larger than any previous solar sail, and it will pave the way for even bigger spacecraft propelled by light. Solar Cruiser principal investigator Les Johnson tells us about his latest project and looks to humanity crossing the

Planetary Society All-Stars Review 2020 Space Milestones

Dec 30th, 2020 1h 11m

Chief Scientist Bruce Betts, Editorial Director Jason Davis, Chief Advocate and Senior Space Policy Advisor Casey Dreier, and Communications Strategy and Canadian Space Policy Advisor Kate Howells join host Mat Kaplan for our annual look back a

Astronaut Stephanie Wilson Might Walk on the Moon

Dec 23rd, 2020 49m 13s

Engineer and astronaut Stephanie Wilson was a toddler when Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin visited the Moon. She may someday almost literally walk in their footsteps. Stephanie is one of 18 astronauts--9 women and 9 men--chosen for the Artemis T

What Do You Need to Make Martian Oxygen? MOXIE!

Dec 16th, 2020 56m 58s

Mike Hecht is in charge of the MOXIE experiment on NASA’s Perseverance rover, arriving on Mars in February. The tiny device will test our ability to turn the Red Planet’s plentiful carbon dioxide into oxygen. Someday a scaled-up version may mak

Welcoming a New Leader, and China on the Final Frontier

Dec 9th, 2020 59m 28s

Carl Sagan was first in the job. Now it has been handed to Caltech planetary scientist Bethany Ehlmann. We’ll talk with the Planetary Society’s new president about her Moon mission and more. Society CEO Bill Nye and president emeritus Jim Bell

Space Policy Edition: Operation Moonglow and the Global Impact of Apollo

Dec 4th, 2020 1h 9m

Apollo was seen as a triumph of, not for, all mankind, argues Dr. Teasel Muir-Harmony, author of the new book Operation Moonglow: A Political History of Apollo. She joins the show to talk about how this was not an accident, but the outcome of a

Observatory Director Francisco Córdova on the Devastating Loss of Arecibo

Dec 2nd, 2020 45m 15s

The 900-ton instrument platform suspended high above the giant Arecibo dish crashed downward in the early morning hours of December 1st. Host Mat Kaplan had recorded a conversation with the leader of the observatory just hours before the disast

More Moon Water and an Update from Venus on Our 18th Anniversary!

Nov 25th, 2020 53m 47s

We celebrate 18 years of Planetary Radio with two great features and 10 personal questions for host Mat Kaplan from Planetary Society Chief Scientist Bruce Betts. Astronomer Jane Greaves is back with an update on the phosphine gas detected abov

Revealing Mars From Above, and Crew Dragon is Go!

Nov 18th, 2020 1h 1m

Jeffrey Plaut and Richard Zurek are the project scientists for two of the most successful and long-lived Mars missions. Their orbiters, Mars Odyssey and the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, are still delivering great science, even after 19 years ab

Space Policy Edition: NASA's Post-Election Landscape

Nov 13th, 2020 56m 52s

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

A Rogue World Wanders as PlanetVac Heads for the Moon and Mars

Nov 11th, 2020 55m 25s

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 Ny

A Return to Asteroid Mining, and Digging Into Space Ethics with Joel Sercel

Nov 4th, 2020 1h 7m

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, al

A Deep Dive into Asteroid Bennu With Dante Lauretta

Oct 28th, 2020 44m 58s

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

We Have Sampled an Asteroid! And the Search for Life Above Venus

Oct 21st, 2020 50m 10s

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

Beyond Earth’s Edge: A Celebrity Space Poetry Jam!

Oct 14th, 2020 1h 7m

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 Saga

Protectors of Earth! (and Other Worlds)

Oct 7th, 2020 1h 9m

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 an

Space Policy Edition: Divining Biden's Space Policy with Jeff Foust

Oct 2nd, 2020 53m 24s

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 Administra

Exploring the Cosmos With Heidi Hammel and AURA

Sep 30th, 2020 58m 54s

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 Heid

A Fond Farewell: Solar System Specialist Emily Lakdawalla

Sep 23rd, 2020 1h 10m

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 fr

Have We Found Evidence of Life on Venus?

Sep 16th, 2020 48m 26s

An international team has detected phosphine gas in the clouds above Venus. Naturally-produced phosphine on Earth is created by anaerobic bacteria. We’ll listen to portions of the media briefing at which this result was announced. Then we’ll ge

Space Policy Edition: The Moon-to-Mars Strategy, with Dr. Scott Pace

Sep 11th, 2020 51m 41s

How spacefaring nations prioritize funding can be just as important, if not more so, than the capabilities of the commercial sector, says Dr. Mary Lynne Dittmar, President and CEO of the Coalition for Deep Space Exploration. She joins the show