NASA's Curious Universe
Episodes
Bonus: Behind the Scenes of Artemis II with NASA Experts
02 May 2026
Contributed by Lukas
In this bonus episode, go behind the scenes of key moments from Artemis II with NASA experts who made them possible. Engineers who launched the rocket...
Update: Artemis II Crew Comes Home
15 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
NASA’s Artemis II astronauts are back home. Hear reactions from the Artemis II crew—Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen...
Update: Artemis II Crew Flies Around the Moon
08 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
NASA’s Artemis II mission has flown around the Moon, and its four astronauts traveled farther from Earth than anyone in history. Relive this histori...
Artemis II: How NASA’s Moon Mission Returns to Earth
02 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Liftoff! NASA’s Artemis II mission launched on April 1, 2026, carrying four Moonbound astronauts. After an approximately 10-day mission, Artemis II ...
Artemis II: The Ground Teams Powering NASA's Moon Mission
17 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Behind NASA’s Artemis II mission and the astronauts who will fly around the Moon, teams on the ground are essential. Explore some of the epic equipm...
How NASA Will Study the Moon—And the Astronauts Going There
03 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
During Artemis II, four astronauts will see the lunar surface as few humans have—and possibly, parts of the Moon’s far side that no one has seen b...
Artemis II: Inside NASA’s New Ride to the Moon
27 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
During Artemis II, humans will fly Orion—NASA’s next-generation spaceship designed to take us to the Moon and beyond—for the first time. Tour ...
Artemis II: What NASA Learned From Launching Artemis I
20 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
In 2022, NASA launched Artemis I, an uncrewed test flight of the rocket and spacecraft that will send humans to the Moon. Go inside Firing Room 1—th...
Artemis II: Meet the Moonbound Astronauts
13 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
This year, four NASA astronauts will fly around the Moon and back for the first time since the Apollo program. Their mission is called Artemis II. It...
Launching Soon: Artemis II
06 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
This year, four NASA astronauts are flying around the Moon and back—and Curious Universe is bringing you along for the ride. The mission is called A...
Encore: A Day In Space
02 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Have you ever dreamed of spending a day in space? Humans have lived aboard the International Space Station for 25 years—or more than 9,000 consecuti...
How Webb Illuminates Stars’ Cloudy Origins
30 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In the space between stars, dark clouds of gas, dust, and ice mingle in a chemical laboratory unlike any on Earth. Ewine van Dishoeck, an astronomer w...
What Webb Is Teaching Us About Our Solar System
23 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope is hard at work answering our biggest questions about the birth of our universe and faraway galaxies. But some ast...
Webb's Exoplanet Research Sounds Like Sci-Fi—But It's Real
03 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Some exoplanets—like a gas giant with rain made of glass and 5,000-mile-per-hour winds—sound like worlds dreamed up by a science fiction writer. B...
Why Webb's Earliest Galaxies Are Blowing Scientists' Minds
04 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
With the James Webb Space Telescope, we are seeing the early universe like never before. Webb produces beautiful images and detailed scientific data t...
How Lying In Bed For 60 Days Helps Astronauts
24 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In space, microgravity changes the body. Body fluids shift from the legs toward the head, the back of our eyes flatten, we lose muscle strength, our b...
Cosmic Dawn with Nobel Laureate John Mather
04 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The James Webb Space Telescope is doing something astronomers dreamed about for decades: peering into our universe’s early past, a period known as c...
Earth Series: What's Next for NASA Earth Science
20 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
NASA has a record of Earth observations going back more than 50 years. What might be in store for the next 50 years? In this finale of our Earth se...
Earth Series: Monitoring the Air We Breathe
06 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Take a deep breath, and you’re inhaling oxygen from Earth’s atmosphere. Take a walk outside, and the atmosphere is shielding you from harmful radi...
Earth Series: From Space to Your Plate
29 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Earth has an incredibly varied and ever-changing landscape—jagged mountains, arid deserts, lush rainforests, rolling wheat fields. Before NASA came ...
Earth Series: The Ocean, Now in Full Color
22 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Life all over the planet—even far from the coasts—depends on the oceans. A pair of NASA satellites, PACE and SWOT, is giving us a fresh look at Ea...
Earth Series: How NASA Sees Our Blue Marble
15 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
NASA is an exploration agency, and one of our missions is to know our home. In the 1960s, NASA astronauts orbiting the Moon captured a revelatory vie...
Welcome to Earth
08 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
There’s one planet NASA studies more than any other: Earth. With our unique vantage point from space, NASA collects information about our home in wa...
Curious Universe Live: Art and Science with Astronaut Matthew Dominick
02 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
NASA has a long history of bringing together science, engineering and art. Space exploration is a human endeavor—one that requires creativity. In th...
Inside the Team That Keeps Hubble Flying
14 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
When it launched in 1990, NASA expected the Hubble Space Telescope to last for about 15 years. Thirty-five years later, Hubble is still showing us the...
How NASA Found the Ingredients For Life on an Asteroid
29 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
How did life begin? It’s one of science’s biggest questions, but it’s impossible to answer on Earth, where ancient clues have been buried by the...
Why the Moon’s Icy South Pole is a Hot Target for NASA
21 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The Moon’s South Pole is a bizarre landscape. Mountain ridges glow in perpetual sunlight while deep craters freeze in billion-year-old shade. Yet hi...
The Mind-Bending Math Inside Black Holes
17 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Black holes are mysterious, far away, and can bend the fabric of reality itself—but we're learning more about them all the time. Ronald Gamble, a NA...
How Open Science and AI Are Advancing Hurricane Research
12 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
As climate change drives more frequent and intense tropical cyclones and hurricanes, coastal communities desperately need better tools to predict how ...
Europa Clipper's Voyage to Jupiter's Ocean Moon
01 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
As NASA’s Europa Clipper spacecraft leaves Earth, it carries a message: we, too, are made of water. Europa—one of Jupiter’s moons—is a top can...
An Asteroid by Any Other Name With Special Guest Latif Nasser
17 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The idea of an asteroid from outer space crashing into Earth has captured the imaginations of science fiction directors for decades. But here at NASA,...
Sun Series: Bonus: Dispatches from the Path of Totality
03 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
On April 8, 2024, North America experienced its last total solar eclipse until the 2040s. As the Moon’s shadow fell across the U.S., NASA sent Curio...
Sun Series: Soaring Toward the Sun
23 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
For the first time, a NASA spacecraft is flying through the Sun's atmosphere. Nour Raouafi, project scientist for Parker Solar Probe, explains why the...
Sun Series: What is Space Weather?
16 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
From Earth, the Sun can seem steady and predictable. But when you look at our star close up, there’s a lot going on. Go behind the scenes with NASA’...
Sun Series: Minisode! Countdown to Total Solar Eclipse 2024
06 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
It’s time. On April 8, 2024, millions of people across North America will see a total solar eclipse. Get the most out of totality with this special ...
Sun Series: You (Yes, You!) Can Help NASA Study the Sun
02 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
How often do you think about your nearest star? Though it may not seem like it from here on Earth, our trusty Sun is a place of mystery. Take a good l...
Sun Series: How to Experience a Total Solar Eclipse
26 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
On April 8, 2024, the Moon will pass in front of the Sun, casting a shadow across Mexico, the United States, and Canada. Total solar eclipses have fas...
Sun Series: The Sun, Our Star
19 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The Sun is our closest star. Billions of years ago, it shaped the formation of our home planet and the beginning of life on Earth. Today, it provides ...
Here Comes the Sun Series
11 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Meet the Sun. Even if you think you know our star, our new mini series from NASA’s Curious Universe will show you why Sun science is heating up in 2...
Planet Hunting with Host Padi Boyd
21 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this special episode, we turn the tables and put host Padi Boyd in the interview seat. Padi shares stories from her time with NASA’s groundbreaki...
A Year in Mars Dune Alpha
19 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
To prepare for the day when humans travel to Mars, NASA is conducting a one-year experiment in a Mars simulation environment. So what’s it like to s...
Exploring the Early Universe with Webb
12 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The James Webb Space Telescope promised to show us “baby pictures” of the universe. Now in its second year of science, Webb is fulfilling that pro...
Special Delivery from Outer Space
05 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On September 24, 2023, a capsule from space parachuted down into the Utah desert. Tucked inside it were 4.5-billion-year-old bits of rock and dust fro...
Tiny but Mighty
28 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
What do air pollution, thunder clouds and climate change have in common? Aerosols! These tiny particles, generated by everything from desert dust stor...
How You (Yes, You!) Can Do Science With NASA
21 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Anyone can participate in the process of NASA science and engineering through what we call citizen science, regardless of your citizenship. You might...
Hum of the Sun
14 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
What does space sound like? It’s a question that has fascinated composers and scientists alike throughout history. Through a process called data son...
Welcome to the Dark Side
07 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Normal matter—the kind that makes up our home planet and everything we can see—adds up to just five percent of the known universe. The other 95 pe...
Introducing Season Six
31 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In season six, meet researchers who are using sounds from the Sun to unlock new details about our star, explore the “dark side” of the universe wi...
To the Stars with Jessica Watkins
11 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this special season five finale episode, join NASA astronaut Jessica Watkins, self-proclaimed “rock nerd” on a journey to the stars.
Suiting up for Space
04 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Spacesuits are more than just garments – in the airless vacuum of space or on the freezing surface of the moon, they keep astronauts alive. Explore ...
Field Notes: Nhulunbuy, Australia
28 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Tropical rainforests, snowy mountain peaks, even the Australian outback – NASA experts travel to a wide range of environments right here on Earth to...
How to Build A Spacecraft
21 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Spacecraft go through a lot - exploring dangerous worlds across the cold expanse of space. Not to mention the chaos of a launch! So how do we build a ...
Stargazers Welcome
14 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The night sky isn’t just for experts, it belongs to all of us! And we here at NASA love to encourage people to go out and take a look. Amateur astro...
Wildfires from Space
07 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Wherever you live on Earth, wildfires touch your life. Explore how NASA scientist Doug Morton and Canadian firefighter-turned-researcher Josh Johnston...
The Invisible World of Gravitational Waves
28 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Information about the universe is all around us. But there’s more than meets the eye! Gravitational waves are the invisible ripples in spacetime cau...
Defending the Planet from Asteroids
21 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Our solar system contains millions of asteroids, orbiting our sun and rocketing through the night sky! Join scientists Kelly Fast, Tom Statler, and D...
Introducing Season Five
13 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In season five, join us as we fight wildfires, defend the Earth from asteroids, and explore the invisible world of gravitational waves! New episodes e...
Bonus: Happy Holidays from NASA!
13 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Before we return with season five in 2023, celebrate the holidays with us! Join Goddard news chief Rob Garner, NASA social media lead Stephanie L. Smi...
Webb’s First Images
12 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
On July 12, 2022, a fundamentally new era of exploring our universe begins. This special season finale episode features an overview of the James Webb ...
Field Notes: Astronaut Shannon Walker
05 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
From dusty deserts to icy mountain tops, NASA experts visit incredible places along their career path. But what about our explorers who take their wor...
Up & Away with Sounding Rockets
28 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Explore sounding rockets, and the experiments they take to the skies, with space physicist Alexa Halford and sounding rocket program assistant chief C...
The Search For Life: Are We Alone?
21 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Are we alone in the universe? It's a question studied in science fiction, but also by teams here at NASA. Join us as we search for signs of life outsi...
How to Grow Plants in Space
14 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
As humanity sets its sights on longer-term life in space, we’re going to need ways to sustain ourselves. That’s where plants come into play! Take ...
Going Supersonic!
07 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
When a plane flies faster than the speed of sound, you get a sonic boom! But what if we could change those physics? Join NASA test pilot Nils Larson a...
Earth’s Weather Watchers
31 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Planets throughout the universe are full of fascinating weather, including Earth! Hear how NASA and NOAA work together to predict, monitor, and respon...
Mysteries of the Moon
24 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The Moon is our constant cosmic companion and the only planetary body outside of Earth where humans have set foot. As we prepare to head back to the M...
Introducing Season Four
17 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In season four, explore the lifesaving systems of space suits, break through the sound barrier, and search for life among the stars. First-time space ...
Bonus: Still Curious?
29 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
At NASA, we are driven by curiosity, and we know you are too! Join us as we hear from our previous episode experts about what they’re interested in ...
Webb Space Telescope: Go for Launch with ESA Expert
14 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
After years of preparation and anticipation, it’s time to send the world’s most powerful telescope to space. Ariane 5 rocket expert Rudi Albat (ES...
Webb Space Telescope: The Global Village
07 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
A scientist from Italy who studies baby stars. A Californian spacecraft refrigeration pioneer. A Dominican-American engineer who saw space as her refu...
Webb Space Telescope: Building the Next Discovery Machine
30 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Webb is preparing for a million-mile journey to its lookout point over the universe. Engineers have been hard at work designing, installing, and testi...
Webb Space Telescope: Into the Unknown
23 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The James Webb Space Telescope is going to open a new window into the universe. It will show us stars, galaxies, planets, and other objects as we’ve...
Curious Universe: Introducing the Webb Space Telescope Mini-Series
16 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
NASA is preparing to launch the largest and most powerful space telescope ever constructed. Join us for a special James Webb Space Telescope mini-seri...
A Day in Space
30 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Have you ever dreamed of spending a day in space? Join astronauts Shane Kimbrough, Megan McArthur, and Thomas Pesquet throughout their day living and ...
Journey to Venus
23 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Let’s go to Venus! This year, two NASA missions were chosen to explore Earth’s “twin” planet, Venus. But with extreme temperatures and toxic c...
Rocket Assembly Required
16 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Twenty-four American astronauts went to the moon between 1968 and 1972. In the next few years, we are going back. To get there, we’ll need a dedicat...
Plasma, Plasma, Everywhere!
09 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The night sky is full of planets, satellites, and cosmic objects we can see with our eyes and telescopes. In between all that material there’s a hug...
Curious Universe: Building Highways in the Sky
02 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
When you think of NASA, you probably think about outer space. But the first “A” in NASA - aeronautics - means we’re busy crafting a lot closer...
Curious Universe: Earth’s Expanding Oceans
26 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
With Earth’s recent record-breaking temperatures, the pace of sea level rise has accelerated. NASA scientists take us on a trip into their research ...
Curious Universe: Interpreting Our Universe
19 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
You’ve probably seen beautiful images of space taken from telescopes around the world and out in orbit. But how does a bunch of intergalactic i...
Curious Universe: Let’s Go Planet-Hunting!
12 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What do we know about the planets outside our solar system? NASA planet hunters Jessie Christiansen and Knicole Colon take us beyond...into the exciti...
Introducing Season Three of Curious Universe
07 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Our universe is a wild and wonderful place. Join NASA astronauts, scientists and engineers on a new adventure each week — all you need is your curio...
Sounds of Mars
22 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
On February 18, 2021, NASA’s Mars Perseverance rover completed its 300 million mile journey and landed safely on the Red Planet. Here’s what it he...
Inside a Black Hole
23 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Don't let the name fool you: a black hole is anything but empty space. Black holes are some of the most extreme, bizarre and fascinating objects in th...
The Crawlers
16 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
A pair of behemoth machines called crawler-transporters have carried the load of taking rockets and spacecraft to the launchpad for more than 50 yea...
Seasons of the Sun
09 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
As Earth makes its annual trip around the Sun, we feel the impacts of its journey in the form of seasons. Our planet’s tilt in relation to the Sun d...
From Space to Farm
02 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Farmers rely on the accuracy of a crucial NASA and USGS mission, Landsat, to make decisions about crops. Those decisions have far-reaching implication...
Our Cosmic Time Machine, The James Webb Space Telescope
26 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The James Webb Space Telescope will explore every phase of cosmic history: from the formation of the very first galaxies in the early universe, to our...
Asteroid Hunting
19 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
NASA's OSIRIS-REx spacecraft will attempt a daring feat: to briefly reach out its mechanical arm and grab a sample from an asteroid’s surface. Dante...
Our Laboratory in Space
12 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Orbiting 250 miles above Earth, astronauts aboard the International Space Station explore farther into our solar system and work on thousands of studi...
Introducing NASA’s Curious Universe Season Two
05 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Our universe is a wild and wonderful place. Join NASA astronauts, scientists and engineers on a new adventure each week — all you need is your curio...
We're Going to Mars!
21 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of our Curious Universe podcast, join us on a journey to the Red Planet.
The Star in Our Backyard
17 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Our Sun holds the solar system together and is responsible for life as we know it. Though it may seem calm and unchanging, the Sun is dynamic. Join N...
Field Notes: Grand Mesa, Colorado
11 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Snowmobile rides. Deep-sea dives. Forest treks. NASA experts travel to some amazing environments, from the very hot to the very cold, to learn more ab...
Sewing for Spaceflight
03 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Sewing machines, tape, scissors. Just like you might visit a tailor to get your pants hemmed or your suit fitted, NASA calls on a group of very creati...
The Astronaut Training Pool
27 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Before astronauts head to space, they have to dive into the Neutral Buoyancy Lab. Take a swim in NASA's underwater training ground with astronaut Nick...
Our Window to the Stars
19 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Decades of planning. One heart-pounding setback. Over a million mesmerizing images of space. This is the story of the Hubble Space Telescope, our wind...
Only on Earth
12 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
When you think of NASA, you might think of all the incredible mysteries of outer space. But we’re also pretty invested in another very special place...
Introducing NASA’s Curious Universe
01 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Our universe is a wild and wonderful place. Join NASA astronauts, scientists and engineers on a new adventure each week — all you need is your curio...