#752: Should We Go to the Moon or Mars Next?

We are on the verge of sending humans back to the Moon. At the same time others prefer we focus our exploration on Mars. It’s a tough choice.

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Fraser Cain
Universe Today

Dr. Pamela Gay
CosmoQuest

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  • Richard Drumm, Audio Engineer
  • Ally Pelphrey, Video Engineer

18 Seasons

700+ Episodes

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#740: Sneaky Stars

#740: Sneaky Stars

If you’re an astronomer you depend on accurate observations of stars, but there’s a problem. Stars are sneaky! Changing in size, brightness, color, they hide their chemistry, their age and even their companions from all but the cleverest observers. Stars explode...

Recent Episodes

Ep. 714: Orbital Resonances

Several of the planets and moons in the Solar System are in orbital resonance, orbiting in a geometric lockstep. And not just the Solar System, astronomers have found the same resonances in other star systems. https://youtube.com/live/fEW-13DJlIY Transcript (This is...

Ep. 713: Solar System Volcanoes – An Update from LPSC 2024

Last week was one of the most exciting meetings we’ve seen from the Lunar and Planetary Science Conference, with hundreds of announcements and discoveries from various missions. One theme kept coming up, the Solar System is more volcanically active than we thought....

Ep. 712: How Peer Review Fails

You’ve probably heard that the best kind of science is peer-reviewed research published in a prestigious journal. But peer review has problems of its own. We’ll talk about that today. https://youtube.com/live/JfeKfMQUrYw Show Notes Definition and Purpose of Peer...

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. https://youtube.com/live/Wx0ome_rtUU?feature=share Show Notes...

Ep. 709: Space Weapons

Last week we learned that Russia might be planning nuclear weapons to take out satellites in space. What is the current and future possibility of weapons in space and what are the treaties designed to prevent them? https://youtube.com/live/jLdReWGjF5c?feature=share...

Ep. 707: What Goes Into Sample Return Missions for the Moon and Mars?

We’ve sent robots to other worlds, but the amount of science we can deploy to another planet can’t compare with the vast science labs we have on Earth. That’s why more and more missions are for a sample return, bringing pieces of alien worlds back to Earth, were we...

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...

Ep. 705: Water Worlds – Looking for Life Beyond Earth

Wherever we find liquid water on Earth, we find life, so it makes sense to search for water across the Universe, and hopefully we can find evidence of life. But what about worlds which are completely covered in water, oceans hundreds of kilometers deep. Can there be...

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...

Ep. 703: Solar Maximum of Doom? Maybe

Solar cycle 25 is shaping up to be a doozy, with plenty of flares and coronal mass ejections blasting off the Sun. As the solar activity continues to rise, how are things shaping up? https://youtube.com/live/olavaQ0F-UY?feature=share Show Notes | Transcript Show Notes...

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...

Ep. 700: Things We Got Wrong

Astronomers talk about all the amazing discoveries they’re making but sometimes, it turns out, they were wrong. After decades and centuries of discoveries, how have they changed their minds? https://youtube.com/live/l1wyLzFEz2Q?feature=share Show Notes Planetary...

Ep. 699: Holiday Gift Giving Ideas for Astronomy and Space Fans

Just a warning, the holidays are rapidly approaching. It’s time, once again, to think about what to buy all the space nerds on your lists. Here’s what we like. https://youtube.com/live/wKbcQk2rDpM?feature=share Show Notes Binoculars Telescopes Games reccommendation...

Ep. 698: Insights into the Universe, featuring JWST Results

Recorded live during the CosmoQuestX 2023 Hangout-a-Thon on November 5. 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. https://youtu.be/COkfhE2gkFI Transcript (This is an automatically...

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? https://youtube.com/live/cGPS4kv3QoI?feature=share Show Notes Mars Odyssey Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO)...

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. https://youtube.com/live/iTA_aUI79do?feature=share Show Notes...