From little Ingenuity to the future Firefly and all our Earth Science fliers, let’s look at the buzzy scientists. Soon there’ll be a helicopter flying on Titan, but there are many other flying robots that’ll be helping us with all our science needs.
#738: Looking ahead to 2025
What can we hope (or dread) to see in 2025? Today we’re gonna talk about the upcoming space stories for 2025 that we’re looking forward to.
#734: The Einstein Probe
Another day, another space telescope! Today we’re looking at the newly launched Einstein Probe
#732: The Euclid Telescope
Let’s look at the Euclid Space Telescope..
#731: Neil Gehrels
Last week we talked about the Neil Gerhels Swift Telescope, this week we’ll be talking about the man behind the mission.
#730: The Neil Gehrels Swift Telescope
Let’s look over the long life of the Neil Gehrels Swift Telescope as it watches for the multi-spectral flashes of high energy explosions.
#729: The James Webb Space Telescope
Let’s talk about that giant telescope that’s changing everything. We have been waiting our entire careers to make this episode on the James Webb Space Telescope, AKA the JWST.
#727: The Parker Solar Probe
The Sun. It’s that ongoing thermonuclear explosion that’s happening right over there. Although the Sun is necessary for life on Earth, we still have questions. So NASA has sent the Parker Solar Probe to visit the Sun, up close to get some questions answered....
#725: Looking ahead
Normally, Pamela refuses to think about the future. But today, on our final episode before hiatus, she’s throwing out those rules. Here’s what we’re excited about for the future, especially in the next couple of months until we return in September Recorded: 10 June...
Ep. 711: NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC)
NASA works on many missions using tried and true technology, but they also invest in creative ideas that could drive the future of space exploration. It’s called NASA’s Innovative Advanced Concepts or NIAC.
Ep. 710: NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) Program
In the olden days, NASA developed its missions using a variety of in-house engineers and external suppliers. As more commercial companies are targeting the Moon, NASA is working with partners to deliver its payloads to the lunar surface.
Ep. 708: What Goes Into Sample Return Missions from Asteroids and Comets?
Last week we talked about sample return missions from the Moon and Mars, but scientists have retrieved samples from other objects in the Solar System, including comets and asteroids. What does it take to return a piece of rock from space, and what have we learned so far?
Ep. 706: China’s Space Program
We’re so familiar with NASA’s exploration efforts in space, but you might be surprised to learn that China launches almost as many rockets as the US. They’ve got their own space exploration program that could soon bring humans to the surface of the Moon. Let’s give a brief overview of China’s space exploration plans.
Ep. 704: NASA’s Juno Releases New Images
NASA’s Juno spacecraft has completed dozens of flybys of Jupiter, seeing the planet from many angles and delivering some of the most beautiful images we’ve ever seen of the Jovian world. Now it’s focusing in on Io, sending home images of the tiny volcanic world from just 1,500 km away. And the best is yet to come.
Ep. 702: Moonshot 2024 – Go or No Go?
With Artemis 1 completing its robotic flight around the Moon, we know that the SLS works. Next comes Artemis 2, with a crew of astronauts flying past the Moon. If that’s successful, we could see humans set foot on the Moon in December 2025. But there is a long list of challenges to consider that could delay things considerably. Go or no go for launch?
Ep. 701: Space Science We Look Forward to in the Next 700 Episodes
Last week we looked back at some of the ideas that science has changed its mind about. This, we look forward, into the future, at some of the big ideas that astronomers are making progress in. What space science are we looking forward to?
Ep. 698: Insights into the Universe, featuring JWST Results
How the time flies. It’s been over a year since JWST went operational, with other missions joining the fun. What new insights have we gained about the Universe thanks to these powerful new tools?
Ep. 697 – Mission Roll Call Part 6: Outer Solar System
Finally, we reach the end of our tour through the missions in the Solar System. Out beyond Mars, to Jupiter the Kuiper Belt and Beyond. Recorded live during the CosmoQuestX 2023 Hangout-a-Thon.
Ep. 696 – Mission Roll Call Part 5: Science at Mars
Another week, another review of space missions in the Solar System. Today we set our sights on the red planet. What are all the active missions at Mars today?
Ep. 695 – Mission Roll Call Part 4: Lunar Exploration
Our journey through missions continues, this time we focus on the Moon. There are many nations on the Moon, near the Moon, around the Moon, travelling to the Moon. It’s a lot. We’ll talk about it today.
Ep. 692 – Mission Roll Call Part 1: Orbiting Earth
It’s time for another series. This time we’re going to look at the missions that are currently in place across the Solar System. Today we’ll start with the key missions here on Earth, studying the planet from above and looking out into the Universe.
Ep. 691: Jupiter’s Changing Red Spot
Jupiter’s Great Red Spot is one of its most iconic features, first seen hundreds of years ago. Although it’s certainly long-lasting, it’s been changing in size over the last few decades, shrinking and changing in color. Is it fading away? And what can the changes tell us about storms on giant planets?
Ep. 690: Climate on Mars – From Ice Caps to Dust Storms
We’ve looked at Earth’s changing climate, now let’s see what it’s like for another world: Mars. Much looks familiar, but some of it is totally alien, from ice caps of frozen carbon dioxide to planetary dust storms that can obscure the entire world from view.
Ep. 687: Prepping for the Moon
We’re going back to the Moon. In the next few years humans will set foot on the Moon again, ideally this time to stay. But this will be different than the Apollo era, going to the scientifically fascinating, and difficult southern pole of the Moon. What needs to be done to prepare the way back to the Moon?
Ep. 686: Ice in the Shadows
The permanently shadowed craters on the Moon are the focus of so much research. That’s because they seem to contain vast reserves of water ice. Water we could use for oxygen, propellant and so much more, but also, to help us understand where the Earth’s water came from.