Planetary Radio
Planetary Radio
Each week, Planetary Radio visits with a scientist, engineer, project manager, astronaut, advocate or writer who provides a unique and exciting perspective on the exploration of our solar system and beyond. We also showcase regular features that raise your space IQ while they put a smile on your face. Host Mat Kaplan is joined by Planetary Society colleagues Bill Nye the Science Guy, Bruce Betts, and Emily Lakdawalla. We hit the road now and then to produce a Planetary Radio Live show in front of an audience. Drop us a line or enter the weekly space trivia contest at planetaryradio@planetary.org.
Please support your local public radio station that airs the show! Check the station's online schedule or review our online list of affiliates. Satellite radio listeners can hear us Sunday evenings on the Sirius XM Public Radio channel. Want to hear Planetary Radio on your local station? Ask them to contact us or review our radio affiliate information page.
iTunes and other podcast aggregators like Stitcher make it easy to listen and subscribe. Just search for "Planetary Radio." or click the links below.
Parsec Awards
2011 Parsec Award Logo Icon
Planetary Radio won as the "Best Fact Behind the Fiction" podcast at the 2011 Dragon*Con in Atlanta, Georgia.| Subscribe: |  |
Standard RSS Feed |
Recent Shows
Gregory and James Benford on the "Starship Century"
09/30/2013 | 28:50
Guests
- Gregory Benford, Physicist and Science Fiction Author, UC Irvine
- James Benford, Physicist and President of Microwave Sciences, Microwave Sciences
“Starship Century—Toward the Grandest Horizon” is the new collection of fact and fiction assembled by Gregory and James Benford. The brothers are among the leaders of a renaissance in research and thinking about interstellar travel. They have returned to Planetary Radio to talk about this story of human destiny among the stars.
Can We Touch the Stars? Lou Friedman at the 100-Year Starship Symposium
09/23/2013 | 30:31
Guests
- Louis D. Friedman, Secretary-Treasurer of the Board of Directors, The Planetary Society
Only days after Voyager 1 reached interstellar space, forward thinkers met in Houston, Texas to consider how humans can become a starfaring species. Planetary Society Emeritus Executive Director Lou Friedman reports from the meeting.
PLANETARY RADIO LIVE: LADEE Launches for Luna
09/09/2013 | 28:50
Guests
- Bruce Betts, Director of Projects, The Planetary Society
- Brian Day, LADEE Education and Public Outreach Lead, Ames Research Center
- Bill Nye, Chief Executive Officer
- David Paige, Professor of Planetary Sciences, UCLA
Planetary Radio returned to the Crawford Family Forum for live coverage of the LADEE launch on September 6th.
Taikonauts on the Moon? A Conversation With Leonard David
08/26/2013 | 28:50
Guests
- Leonard David, Space Journalist, Space. com
Leonard David has been writing about space exploration for more than five decades. Now he has turned his attention to China’s ambitious plans.
NASA's Charlie Bolden Visits Earth Missions at JPL
08/19/2013 | 28:50
Guests
- Charles Bolden, Administrator, NASA
- Charles Elachi, Director, Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Two missions are coming together in a high bay clean room at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. SMAP and ISS RapidScat went on display for a visit by NASA Administrator Charles Bolden. Mat Kaplan and Emily Lakdawalla provide special coverage.
Bleeding Edge--NIAC Chooses 12 New Out There Projects
08/12/2013 | 31:25
Guests
- Jay Falker, Program Executive, NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts Program
They might be happy if one in ten of the projects they fund makes it in the real world…because that project just might change the world. We talk with Jay Falker, Program Executive for the NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts Program about 12 crazy and not so crazy ideas that have just received early seed funding.
Saving Science Education With Pamela Gay AND Creating the Blackest Black
06/10/2013 | 35:12
Guests
- David Carnahan, President and Co-Founder, NanoLab
- Pamela Gay, Astronomer, Astronomy Cast Co-host and CosmoQuest Principal, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
A Planetary Radio double header includes a visit with CosmoQuest’s Pamela Gay. She and colleagues are working to replace vital federal funds for science education and citizen science programs. We also go to the dark side with David Carnahan of NanoLab, developer of carbon nanotubes that may help us discover Earth-like planets.
Kindred Spirits: Alison Gibbings and Carolyn Shoemaker at the Planetary Defense Conference
04/29/2013 | 28:50
Guests
- Alison Gibbings, Laser Bees Researcher, University of Glasgow
- Carolyn Shoemaker, Astronomer
Our special coverage of the PDC continues with two planetary scientists separated by almost 60 years in age, but with similar dedication and enthusiasm for saving the planet.
Basics of Interplanetary Flight With Dave Doody
04/08/2013 | 28:50
Guests
- Dave Doody, Operations Lead, JPL Cassini Mission Support and Services Office
JPL’s Dave Doody doesn’t just fly around the solar system, he teaches others how it's done. We talk about what students learn in his non-technical class, the Basics of Interplanetary Flight.
Remembering Neil Armstrong/ChemCam is Zapping Martian Rocks!
08/27/2012 | 32:11
Guests
- Roger Wiens, Genesis Mission Team Member
Emily Lakdawalla and Bill Nye the Science Guy join Mat Kaplan for a special remembrance of Neil Armstrong. Then we visit with the principal investigator for the first ray gun on Mars. Roger Wiens leads the ChemCam team that is using its powerful laser to zap and analyze Martian rocks. It’s just one of the Curiosity Rover success stories. Win a ChemCam bumper sticker and a Planetary Radio t-shirt in the weekly What’s Up space trivia contest!
Section Highlights
Support Planetary Radio!
Help Planetary Radio grow and become even better. Plus get your own Planetary Radio t-shirt for helping.
Connect With Us
Facebook! Twitter! Google+ and more…
Continue the conversation with our online community!
