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.
07/01/2013 | 28:50
Guests
- Amanda Hendrix, Senior Scientist, Planetary Science Institute
Amanda Hendrix looks for and studies water in our solar system, where it has been found in surprising locales. Earth's moon, for instance. She talks about Luna’s ice and the weathering of its ancient surface.
Alan Stern's Golden Spike Sets Sights on the Moon
03/04/2013 | 28:50
Guests
- Alan Stern, New Horizons Principal Investigator, Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory
Alan Stern is back to tell us about Golden Spike, his new company that plans to put human clients on the surface of the moon by the end of this decade.
Looking Back, Looking Forward: Beginning a New Year In Space
12/31/2012 | 28:50
Guests
- Bruce Betts, Director of Projects, The Planetary Society
- Casey Dreier, Advocacy and Outreach Coordinator, The Planetary Society
- Emily Lakdawalla, Senior Editor and Planetary Evangelist, The Planetary Society
- Bill Nye, Chief Executive Officer
Planetary Society experts review the challenges and triumphs of 2012 and look forward to a new and exciting year. You’ll hear Bill Nye the Science Guy, Emily Lakdawalla on new missions, Casey Dreier on “Saving our Science,” and Bruce Betts’ review of great projects, as well as a musical rendition of “Random Space Fact.”
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!
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