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.
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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.
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.
Landing On Mars With JPL's Matt Golombek
06/17/2013 | 38:05
Guests
- Matt Golombek, Co-chair, Mars Exploration Rover Landing Site selection committee
Join us at JPL for a conversation with Mars landing site selection leader Matt Golombek. Matt is also now Project Scientist for the Mars Exploration Rover program, and shares the great news from Opportunity about its latest discovery. Emily Lakdawalla presents a guest blog entry that features splendid images from Mars Express, while Bill Nye traces the convoluted ways of space science funding in Washington. Bruce Betts and Mat Kaplan are at a legendary Pasadena eatery for this week’s What’s Up. Cosmic hot dog, anyone?
Live at the Space Tech Expo with Bill Nye, Xcor and Zero-G
05/27/2013 | 34:38
Guests
- Andrew Nelson, COO and Vice President of Business Development, Xcor Aerospace
- Bill Nye, Chief Executive Officer
- Michelle Peters, Director of Research and Education, Zero Gravity Corporation
PlanRad Live takes to the road again, this time visiting the Space Tech Expo in Long Beach, California for a conversation with enthusiastic team members at Xcor Aerospace, where they are building the Lynx spaceplane, and the Zero Gravity Corporation, whose “G-Force One” plane has allowed thousands of men and women to experience weightlessness. Bill Nye joined the fun on stage, and Bruce Betts arrived with t-shirts for the winners of the live What’s Up space trivia contest.
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.
Chris Lewicki of Planetary Resources: Mining Asteroids For Fun and Profit
02/18/2013 | 31:25
Guests
- Chris Lewicki, President and Chief Asteroid Miner, Planetary Resources
Chris Lewicki is the passionate President of Planetary Resources. He leads the company's mission to find, capture and deliver asteroids to its space-resource hungry clients.
Visiting the AAS Meeting for a JWST Update and More
01/14/2013 | 52:37
Guests
- Jason Kalirai, Deputy Project Scientist, James Webb Space Telescope, Space Telescope Science Institute
- Dean C. Hines, Scientist, Space Telescope Science Institute
The 221st meeting of the American Astronomical Society was a great place to learn about the James Webb Space Telescope from Jason Kalirai and Dean C. Hines.
PLANETARY RADIO LIVE: Celebrating Rover Curiosity
12/17/2012 | 28:50
Guests
- John Grotzinger, Curiosity Project Scientist, California Institute of Technology
- Richard Cook, Curiosity Project Manager, Jet Propulsion Laboratory
- Emily Lakdawalla, Senior Editor and Planetary Evangelist, The Planetary Society
- Bill Nye, Chief Executive Officer
The leaders of the Curiosity mission join Bill Nye, Emily Lakdawalla and host Mat Kaplan for a live conversation about the thrilling mission on Mars.
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