Planetary Radio: Space Exploration, Astronomy and Science

A hundred weeks in space exploration

04 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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 explorati...

Seven worlds, one mission: The United Arab Emirates aims for the asteroid belt

27 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The United Arab Emirates Space Agency is working on its next ambitious spacecraft, the Emirates Mission to the Asteroid Belt. It will visit seven aste...

What does the U.S. election mean for NASA?

20 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

  Presidential elections in the United States don’t just shape the country’s future — they set the course for space exploration. This week, Cas...

EELS: AI-enabled snake robots and the search for life on Enceladus

13 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Morgan Cable and Hiro Ono from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory join Planetary Radio to discuss the Exobiology Extant Life Surveyor (EELS) robot conce...

Spaceport Nova Scotia

06 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Spaceport Nova Scotia, Canada’s first commercial launch site, represents a significant step forward for the Canadian space industry. This week, we l...

Space Policy Edition: NASA at a Crossroads

01 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Norm Augustine, the distinguished aerospace industry veteran behind numerous influential studies, joins the show to discuss “NASA at a Crossroads,”...

Splat or subsurface ocean? The mysterious positioning of Pluto’s heart

30 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This week, we investigate the mysteries of Pluto's iconic heart-shaped feature. We explore recent research on the origins of the Sputnik Planitia regi...

Europa Clipper blasts off: How the mission team weathered Hurricane Milton

23 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

NASA's Europa Clipper mission launched on Monday, Oct. 14, 2024, embarking on a journey to explore Jupiter's icy moon, Europa. This week, Planetary Ra...

Internships, conferences, and grad school: A space student's guide

16 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This week, Planetary Radio offers advice for students pursuing higher education in space-related fields. Elizabeth Koenck, a Zed Factor Fellow, shares...

Clipper’s champions: Space advocates and the fight for a mission to Europa

09 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Jupiter's moon Europa is one of the most promising targets in the search for life. The Planetary Society and space advocates around the world fought t...

Space Policy Edition: The space policies of a Harris Administration

04 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Lori Garver, former NASA Deputy Administrator, joins the show to discuss the potential space policy priorities of a Harris Administration. We explore ...

Return to Dimorphos: Looking forward to the Hera launch

02 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

We look forward to the Oct. 7 launch of the European Space Agency's Hera spacecraft with Michael Küppers, project scientist for the mission. Then Amb...

2024 NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts Symposium: Part 2 - Stellar imaging and looking for life while mining water on Mars

25 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

We return to the 2024 NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) Symposium for part two of our coverage. Astronaut and NIAC external council member Mae ...

2024 NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts Symposium: Part 1 - Human hibernation and swarming Proxima Centauri

18 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Join us on a journey to the 2024 NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) Symposium. We'll hear from the teams behind two NIAC projects that could hel...

Chasing auroras with the Aurora Guy

11 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

We are near solar maximum, a time in the solar cycle when our Sun is most active. That means more sun spots, coronal mass ejections, and auroras on wo...

Space Policy Edition: The Space Policy of a Second Trump Administration

06 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Dr. Greg Autry, who served on Trump’s NASA transition team in 2016 and was nominated for the position of NASA CFO in 2020, joins the show to discuss...

Europa in reflection: A compilation of two decades

04 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

With less than two months to go until the highly anticipated launch of NASA's Europa Clipper mission, we take a look back at over twenty years of Plan...

Ramses and rockets: Commercial space adventures and the race to Apophis

28 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Get up to speed on the latest in commercial space news. Mat Kaplan, the senior communications advisor for The Planetary Society, returns with an updat...

Crickets and gastrodiplomacy: The future of space food

21 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

As we look to build a more sustainable human presence in space, we will need to find new and innovative ways to feed our travelers. This week, we hear...

An Earthling’s guide to the "Moons Symphony"

14 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Planetary Radio takes a melodic adventure to the Ravinia Festival in Illinois, USA, for the public premiere of the "Moons Symphony." Mat Kaplan, senio...

Hide and seek with Planet 9

07 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

A ninth planet may be lurking in our Solar System out beyond Neptune. Caltech's Mike Brown and Konstantin Batygin join us to discuss their new paper, ...

Space Policy Edition: Do we need a philosophy of space exploration?

02 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Why do we explore space? This is not an easy question to answer. Yet policy expert G. Ryan Faith believes there is value to be had in communal engagem...

Possible biomarkers: Perseverance rocks the Tenth International Conference on Mars

31 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

NASA's Perseverance rover has made a groundbreaking discovery on Mars: a sample that may hold evidence of ancient microbial life. This week, we visit ...

Victory for VERITAS

24 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Fans of Venus were saddened in late 2022 to learn that one of NASA's upcoming Venus missions, VERITAS, was defunded, but with the help of space advoca...

The penguin, the egg, and the asteroid collision in Beta Pictoris

17 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

We celebrate the second anniversary of the James Webb Space Telescope's (JWST) science operations with Christine Chen, associate astronomer at the Spa...

Meet Roo-ver and The Planetary Society’s new board member

10 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The Planetary Society introduces the newest member of its board of directors this week on Planetary Radio. Newton Campbell Jr., the director of the Au...

Space Policy Edition: NASA and the American South

05 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Every major NASA center built after the agency’s inception is located in the American South. Why? Dr. Brian Odom, NASA’s chief historian, joins th...

Fifty-five hundred worlds and counting: The astonishing diversity of exoplanets

03 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Scientists have discovered over 5,500 exoplanets, but they’re just getting started. We dive into the stunning variety of exoplanets beyond our Solar...

An asteroid bash and an asteroid smash

26 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Every year on June 30, the space community observes Asteroid Day, the anniversary of the Tunguska blast. Markus Payer, Asteroid Foundation Chair, join...

A big year for heliophysics and Parker Solar Probe

19 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Our Sun is nearing the most active part of its solar cycle. This week, we explore recent solar activity and discoveries from NASA's Parker Solar Probe...

The nova and the naming contest

12 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Last week was a big one for commercial space. Our senior communications advisor, Mat Kaplan, discusses the first crewed Boeing Starliner test and Spac...

Space Policy Edition: Is Human Spaceflight a Religion?

07 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Holy texts and salvation ideology. Saints and martyrs. True believers and apostates. This isn’t a religion — this is human spaceflight. So says Ro...

Accidental astronomy

05 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Astronomical and planetary science discoveries often unfold in strange and serendipitous ways. We discuss the delightfully unpredictable nature of spa...

International integration: The path from the Moon to Mars

29 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Every year, Explore Mars hosts the Humans to Mars Summit, a gathering of people from around the world who want to advance human exploration of the Red...

Bot battles and space dreams

22 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

As humanity aims to explore new frontiers in space, the need for good roboticists has never been greater. Robotics leagues and competitions offer a ga...

Day of Action 2024: The Planetary Society goes to Washington

15 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Every year, passionate space advocates from the United States travel to Washington, D.C., to ensure that their vision for the future of space explorat...

TARDIS Talk: Space, Time, and “Doctor Who” with Russell T. Davies

08 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This week on Planetary Radio, we celebrate the longest-running science fiction show in history, “Doctor Who.” We explore how this iconic series ha...

Space Policy Edition: The power of the lunar sublime

03 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Should policymakers spend more time looking — really looking — at the Moon? Chris Cokinos thinks so. He is the author of the new book, Still As Br...

Europa Clipper’s message in a bottle

01 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

NASA's Europa Clipper mission is almost ready for its historic trip to the Jovian system. Merc Boyan, a visual storyteller at The Planetary Society, t...

Eclipse-O-Rama

24 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

On April 8, 2024, a total solar eclipse passed over Mexico, the United States, and Canada. This week on Planetary Radio, we take a trip to The Planeta...

Tabletops and telescopes: NASA’s RPG and the hunt for habitable worlds

17 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This week on Planetary Radio, we explore "The Lost Universe," NASA's first tabletop role-playing game, with Christina Mitchell, a senior multimedia sp...

Radiolab helps name a quasi-moon of Venus

10 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Sometimes, misunderstandings can spark beautiful adventures. This week on Planetary Radio, we explore the story behind the naming of Zoozve, a quasi-m...

Space Policy Edition: Real and Acceptable Reasons for Space Exploration

05 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Former NASA Administrator Mike Griffin joins the Space Policy Edition to discuss his notable 2007 speech outlining the tension between so-called “re...

Syzygy science: Discoveries made during total solar eclipses

03 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Planetary Radio marks its last show before the Apr. 8 total solar eclipse with a look back at discoveries made during totality. Planetary Society scie...

Eclipse Tips: A guide to safe observing and astrophotography

27 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

On April 8, 2024, a total solar eclipse will sweep across North America. Ron Benner, the President of the American Optometric Association, joins Plane...

The asteroid hunter

20 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Behind every space mission is a tale of hard work, love, and perseverance. Dante Lauretta, the principal investigator for NASA's OSIRIS-REx mission, j...

Tales of totality: The adventures of an eclipse chaser

13 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The countdown is on! With less than a month until the total solar eclipse on April 8, 2024, Planetary Radio is buzzing with anticipation. This celesti...

Geothermal activity on the icy dwarf planets Eris and Makemake

06 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

A team co-led by the Southwest Research Institute has made a groundbreaking discovery, revealing evidence of hydrothermal or metamorphic activity on t...

Space Policy Edition: The ahistorical era of commercial lunar exploration

01 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The successful landing of IM-1 on the Moon ushered in a new era of commercial lunar exploration, one that has little to no historical precedent. The f...

The legacy of Red Rover Goes to Mars

28 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Over two decades ago, an innovative partnership between The Planetary Society, NASA, and LEGO created the Red Rover Goes to Mars program. Today, we re...

OSIRIS-REx becomes APEX

21 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

After NASA's OSIRIS-REx spacecraft's successful sample retrieval from asteroid Bennu, it's onto its next adventure as OSIRIS-APEX, the Apophis Explore...

The Space Race: Honoring the first African-American space explorers

14 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This week on Planetary Radio, we take a peek behind the scenes at National Geographic's new documentary, “The Space Race,” which celebrates the tr...

Exploring solar eclipses through time

07 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This week on Planetary Radio, we delve into the evolution of humanity's relationship with one of our planet's most awe-inspiring phenomena: total sola...

Space Policy Edition: Space isn’t black — it’s grey

02 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

It’s a policy paper episode! Laura Delgado López joins the show to break down “Clearing the Fog: The Grey Zones of Space Governance” by Jessica...

The 20th landing anniversary of Spirit and Opportunity

31 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

January marks 20 years since NASA’s twin Mars rovers, Spirit and Opportunity, touched down on the surface of the red planet. Matt Golombek, project ...

Blazing a trail to the Moon

24 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

We're celebrating lunar missions and the space advocacy that helps make them happen this week on Planetary Radio. Casey Dreier and Jack Kiraly, chief ...

What’s hidden inside planets?

17 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Venture into the hearts of worlds and uncover how we study planetary interiors this week on Planetary Radio. Sabine Stanley, professor of planetary ph...

JWST finds a new lead in the search for life on a mysterious exoplanet

10 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This week on Planetary Radio, we're diving into one of the most remarkable new exoplanet discoveries with the help of the James Webb Space Telescope (...

Space Policy Edition: India’s growing space ambitions

05 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The history of India’s space program is, in many ways, the inverse of that of the US and Russia. While the two superpowers were outpacing each other...

Revisiting the discovery of phosphorus on Enceladus

03 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This week on Planetary Radio, we are revisiting one of the biggest recent headlines in planetary science, the detection of Phosphorus in the oceans of...

Looking back on 2023

27 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Members of The Planetary Society staff revisit some of 2023's most exhilarating moments and groundbreaking discoveries in space this week on Planetary...

Dragonfly soars to final design phase

20 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

NASA's Dragonfly mission to Saturn's moon Titan has been authorized to proceed with work on final mission design and fabrication, known as Phase C. Th...

An astrogeologic experience with Kirby Runyon

13 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Sometimes, when you want to learn more about other worlds, all you have to do is step out your door. Mat Kaplan, Planetary Radio's creator and former ...

The mystery of the largest marsquake ever recorded

06 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

What caused the largest marsquake ever recorded? Benjamin Fernando, a post-doctoral fellow from the University of Oxford, joins Planetary Radio this w...

Space Policy Edition: Was the Space Shuttle a policy failure?

01 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Was the Space Shuttle a successful program? In many ways, yes: it endured for 30 years, launched hundreds of astronauts into space, and built the Inte...

Lucy's first asteroid flyby reveals a surprise moon

29 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

On Nov. 1, 2023, NASA's Lucy spacecraft, which is on a mission to investigate Jupiter's Trojan asteroids, made its first flyby of asteroid Dinkinesh. ...

Deep Sky: A JWST IMAX experience

22 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Deep Sky, a newly released IMAX documentary, tells the emotional and hopeful story of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). Nathaniel Kahn, an Oscar-...

NASA’s STEM program looks to the Moon

15 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Steven Smith, an Education Specialist from NASA's Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (or STEM) Program, joins Planetary Radio to share ...

A City on Mars

08 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Can we build permanent human settlements in space? It might be more complex than you think. Kelly and Zach Weinersmith join Planetary Radio this week ...

Space Policy Edition: What went wrong with Mars Sample Return

03 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

NASA’s Mars Sample Return mission was supposed to be lean, fast, and focused — no extra science instruments, no dedicated communications systems, ...

Psyche and Eclipse Company blast off

01 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

On October 13, 2023, NASA's Psyche mission's principal investigator, Lindy Elkins-Tanton, watched her team's spacecraft blast off on its voyage to exp...

Simulating Psyche: Modeling craters on a metallic world

25 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

NASA's Psyche mission launched on Oct. 13, 2023 on a journey to explore its namesake, the metallic asteroid Psyche. Simone Marchi, co-investigator for...

InSight's revelation on Mars’ rotation

18 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Data from the now-retired NASA InSight mission suggests that Mars' rotation is speeding up. The InSight RISE instrument's principal investigator, Seba...

Celebrating the OSIRIS-REx sample return

11 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

On September 24th, NASA's OSIRIS-REx spacecraft triumphantly delivered a sample from asteroid Bennu to Earth. Rae Paoletta, the Director of Content an...

2023 NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts Symposium: Part 2

04 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Join Planetary Radio host Sarah Al-Ahmed for part two of her trip to the 2023 NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) Symposium in Houston, Texas.  ...

2023 NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts Symposium: Part 1

27 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Join Planetary Radio host Sarah Al-Ahmed on a trip to the 2023 NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) Symposium in Houston, Texas. In this jam-packe...

Alone but not lonely with Louis Friedman

20 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Louis Friedman, one of the three co-founders of The Planetary Society, joins Planetary Radio to discuss his new book, "Alone but Not Lonely: Exploring...

Io and Voyager 2: Lost oceans and found signals

13 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This week on Planetary Radio, we're traveling back in time to uncover the luminous infancy of Jupiter and its impact on its enigmatic moon, Io. Carver...

Subsurface oceans: The hidden potential of Earth-like exoplanets

06 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Lujendra Ojha, assistant professor at Rutgers University, joins Planetary Radio to discuss how subsurface liquid water on exoplanets orbiting red dwar...

A new algorithm finds its first potentially hazardous asteroid

30 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

A next-generation asteroid discovery algorithm, HelioLinc3D, has successfully identified its first potentially hazardous asteroid. Mario Jurić and Ar...

The slow evolution of Europa

23 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Jupiter's moon Europa is one of the most exciting locations in our Solar System in the search for life, but a crust of ice guards the secrets of its p...

JWST detects water vapor in a planet-forming disk

16 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

A team of researchers using the James Webb Space Telescope (or JWST) has made the first detection of water vapor in the inner region of the protoplane...

Mars Life Explorer: The search for extant life on the red planet

09 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Many missions are working to understand Mars' past habitability, but could there still be microbial life on the red planet today? This week on Planeta...

Space Policy Edition: Why lunar exploration must be of enduring national interest

04 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Scott Pace, the prior executive secretary of the National Space Council, discusses why Artemis is of strategic value to U.S. national interests — an...

Subsurface granite on the Moon? The anatomy of a lunar hot spot

02 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

A decades-old lunar mystery gets an update in this week's Planetary Radio. Matt Siegler from the Planetary Science Institute shares his team's surpris...

An essential ingredient for life in the oceans of Enceladus

26 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Phosphorus, a key ingredient for life on Earth, has been detected in the ocean of Saturn's moon Enceladus. This discovery marks the first time phospho...

Mars' Axial Tilt: A Key to Gully Formation

19 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The gullies of Mars may appear similar to water-carved channels on Earth, but their formation is more complex than meets the eye. Caltech's Jay Dickso...

Comparing the rivers of Earth, Mars, and Titan

12 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Get ready for a journey across the rivers of our Solar System in this week's Planetary Radio. Sam Birch, an assistant professor at Brown University, e...

Space Policy Edition: What’s Going on with: Congress, MSR, and ?

07 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

We check in on the congressional budget process for NASA, Mars Sample Return’s spiraling cost growth, and the impending end of the regulatory holida...

Humans to Mars by the 2030s? NASA Associate Administrators weigh in

05 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

It's going to take a lot of collaboration to get humans to Mars, but we're up for the challenge. This week on Planetary Radio, Mat Kaplan, senior comm...

2Fast 2Curious: Finding the source of the fast solar wind

28 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Some solar mysteries, like the origin of the fast solar wind, can only be solved by getting up close and personal with the Sun. James Drake from the U...

The disappearing act of Saturn's young rings

21 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Saturn's rings are so young that they may have formed when dinosaurs walked the Earth. Richard Durisen, a Professor Emeritus of Astronomy from Indiana...

The oldest organic molecules in the known Universe

14 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Justin Spilker and his colleagues at Texas A&M University have detected the oldest and most distant organic molecules in the known Universe using ...

Starstruck with Sarafina El-Badry Nance

07 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Sarafina El-Badry Nance joins Planetary Radio to discuss her new book, Starstruck: A Memoir of Astrophysics and Finding Light in the Dark. We share a ...

Space Policy Edition: The policy implications of active SETI

02 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Would meeting an extraterrestrial civilization be good or bad for humanity? Astronomer Dr. Jacob Haqq Misra argues that knowing the outcome in advance...

The Science You’ve Enabled

31 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The Planetary Society has just announced the latest awards in its Science and Technology Enabled by the Public (STEP) Grant program. With regular host...

Exoplanet enigma: Unpacking the discovery of a "forbidden" planet

24 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This week on Planetary Radio, Shubham Kanodia, the lead on a paper about a so-called“forbidden planet,” TOI 5202 b, joins us to talk about this st...

Inspiring the next generation through space education

17 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In this week's episode of Planetary Radio, we're honoring the educators who inspire young, curious minds to explore the marvels of the Cosmos. We’ll...

The case for saving VERITAS

10 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

NASA's VERITAS mission to Venus is currently on an indefinite hold. Darby Dyar, Deputy Principal Investigator for the mission, joins Planetary Radio t...

Space Policy Edition: SpaceX's Starship vs. the environment, with Eric Roesch

05 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Prior to Starship's inaugural launch, environmental policy expert Eric Roesch was outspoken about the possibility of catastrophe. As the rocket launch...