Planetary Radio: Space Exploration, Astronomy and Science

Episodes

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  Total solar eclipse 2026: Astrophotography and birdsong 12.08.2026 57m

  Astrophotographer Andrew McCarthy and bioacoustics researcher David Mann, join Planetary Radio to talk about the August 12th total solar eclipse and how birds responded to totality.
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  Space Policy Edition: “Science: A New Golden Age” - Reimagining U.S. science policy 07.08.2026 1h 10m

  Casey Dreier is joined by Zach Pirtle, deputy director of the Consortium for Science, Policy and Outcomes at Arizona State University, and the Planetary Society's Chief of Advocacy Jack Kiraly to dissect the White House's "Science: A New Golden Age" report, which calls for a sweeping reimagining of how the U.S. funds and conducts science.
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  LHS 1140b: The first atmosphere detected on a rocky habitable-zone exoplanet 05.08.2026 57m

  Collin Cherubim, NASA Hubble Fellow at the University of Chicago, discusses his team's detection of an atmosphere on LHS 1140b, the first rocky exoplanet in a star's habitable zone confirmed to have one.
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  TERP RAPTOR: A student-built mission to asteroid Apophis 29.07.2026 1h 1m

  A team of University of Maryland students is building a CubeSat to fly past asteroid Apophis during its historic close approach to Earth in 2029. Four members of the TERP RAPTOR team join us to share how they're turning a classroom project into a real space mission.
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  Hot Jupiters: The ‘Roasted Planet’ and the wrong-way hotspot 22.07.2026 1h 2m

  Research Scientist Tiffany Kataria of NASA JPL and Assistant Professor Lisa Dang of the University of Waterloo talk about two extreme hot Jupiters from the American Astronomical Society meeting.
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  Book Club Edition: “The Edge of Space-Time” by Chanda Prescod-Weinstein 17.07.2026 59m

  Theoretical physicist Chanda Prescod-Weinstein visits the club for a mind-bending conversation about her brilliant, deeply personal exploration of the Cosmos.
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  Sian Proctor and John Read on teaching babies to love the Cosmos 15.07.2026 57m

  Commercial space astronaut Sian Proctor and astronomer John Read join Planetary Radio to discuss “Baby's Guide to the Night Sky,” their new book introducing the youngest children to constellations and the wonders of the Cosmos.
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  Small Town Universe: Inside Green Bank's Radio Quiet Zone 08.07.2026 55m

  Green Bank, West Virginia bans cell phones and Wi-Fi so its giant radio telescope can listen undisturbed. This week, Senior Communications Advisor Mat Kaplan talks with director Katie Dellamaggiore and physicist Ellie White about the documentary Small Town Universe, and Public Education Specialist Kate Howells previews August's total solar eclipse.
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  Space Policy Edition: What's going on with commercial space stations? 03.07.2026 57m

  Clayton Swope, deputy director of the Aerospace Security Project and senior fellow at CSIS, joins the show to break down NASA's rocky path toward a commercial replacement for the International Space Station.
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  Rosalind Franklin and the search for life on Mars 01.07.2026 57m

  The European Space Agency's Rosalind Franklin rover finally has a path to Mars. ExoMars Project Scientist Jorge Vago joins Planetary Radio to discuss the rover's 2-meter drill, its onboard astrobiology lab, and what it would mean to finally find evidence that Mars was once home to life.
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  Tianwen-2: China closes in on Kamoʻoalewa 24.06.2026 59m

  China’s Tianwen-2 mission has arrived at the quasi-moon Kamoʻoalewa. We sit down with Planetary Society contributing editor and freelance space journalist Andrew Jones to explore what this ambitious sample-return mission could reveal about our Solar System's history.
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  Book Club Edition: “To Be Taught, If Fortunate” with Becky Chambers 19.06.2026 1h 6m

  Hugo and Locus-winning author Becky Chambers talks with Mat Kaplan about “To Be Taught, If Fortunate,” her outstanding novella. It’s a passionate plea for space science and exploration told across the interstellar journey of four equally passionate human voyagers.
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  Flying on Titan: The engineering of Dragonfly 17.06.2026 59m

  NASA's Dragonfly mission is sending a car-sized, nuclear-powered rotorcraft to Saturn's moon Titan. Lead rotor engineer Felipe Ruiz and principal investigator Zibi Turtle from Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory join us to discuss the engineering of flight on Titan with just two years to launch.
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  U.S. space science in flux: Grant rules, rockets, and reorganization 10.06.2026 56m

  Jack Kiraly, The Planetary Society's director of government relations, joins Sarah Al-Ahmed to discuss proposed grant rule changes that could upend U.S. science funding, a major NASA reorganization, and the fallout from the destruction of Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket.
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  Space Policy Edition: A proposal to stifle American science 05.06.2026 52m

  Casey Dreier is joined by Liz Ginexi, a former Program Officer at the U.S. National Institutes of Health, to break down a 400-page proposed rule change from the U.S. Office of Management and Budget that could fundamentally reshape how the federal government manages scientific grants.
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  Spacewoman with Eileen Collins 03.06.2026 55m

  Colonel Eileen Collins, the first woman to pilot and command a Space Shuttle, joins us to discuss “Spacewoman,” the new documentary telling the story of her extraordinary life and career.
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  Los Angeles Astronomical Society celebrates 100 years of looking up 27.05.2026 1h 2m

  The Los Angeles Astronomical Society is one of the oldest and largest amateur astronomy clubs in the United States, and this year it’s turning one hundred. We were there at Griffith Observatory for the centennial celebration to find out what keeps a community of skywatchers going for a century.
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  Twenty organic molecules found in an ancient Martian rock 20.05.2026 55m

  Amy Williams, astrobiologist and associate professor at the University of Florida, discusses a landmark experiment that revealed more than 20 organic molecules preserved in ancient Martian rock. We explore what this chemical discovery tells us about Mars' ancient habitability.
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  Book Club Edition: Diane Ackerman and “The Planets: A Cosmic Pastoral” 15.05.2026 51m

  Celebrated author and poet Diane Ackerman joins us for a lively conversation about the new edition of her wonderful collection. Carl Sagan described it as spectacularly good poetry.
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  Igniting Discovery: A showcase of NASA-funded research 13.05.2026 57m

  For the first time, the Planetary Society's annual Day of Action was followed by Igniting Discovery, a showcase of the NASA-funded science we're fighting to protect, held in the US Senate building.