Program Archives

KEPLER DISCOVERS HUNDREDS OF EXTRASOLAR PLANETS!
February 21, 2011
Guests: William Borucki
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Kepler Principal Investigator William Borucki returns with details of the spacecraft's possible discovery of more than 1,200 worlds circling other stars. Many are Earth-sized, many are in the...  more »

EXPLORING NEWSPACE AT THE 2011 SAN DIEGO SPACEUP UNCONFERENCE
February 14, 2011
Guests: Mat Kaplan
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Mat Kaplan spends the day at this gathering of young space enthusiasts who discussed everything from what to do about NASA to making space "sexy." Emily Lakdawalla says Stardust is almost out of fuel...  more »

VOYAGER 1 AT THE EDGE OF THE SOLAR SYSTEM, WITH ED STONE
February 7, 2011
Guests: Ed Stone
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Voyager 1 recently reached another milestone on its journey into interstellar space. We get an update on both spacecraft from Ed Stone, Voyager Project Scientist for nearly forty years. Dr. Stone...  more »

TASTING A SUPER-EARTH'S ATMOSPHERE
January 31, 2011
Guests: Jacob Bean
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NASA Sagan Fellow and astronomer Jacob Bean led a team that has characterized the atmosphere of a super-Earth for the first time. He talks with us about this trailblazing work. Bill Nye...  more »

RAFAEL NAVARRO-GONZALEZ AND CHRIS MCKAY SAY THE VIKINGS PROBABLY DID DISCOVER ORGANICS ON MARS
January 24, 2011
Guests: Rafael Navarro-Gonzalez, Chris McKay
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Almost thirty-five years ago, two sophisticated Mars landers appeared to find no evidence of organic compounds on Mars. The discovery of perchlorates by the Phoenix lander in 2008 led to new...  more »

MICROROVERS EXPLORING WITH BRUCE BETTS
January 17, 2011
Guests: Bruce Betts
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Even as rovers have been getting bigger, a group led by Planetary Society Director of Projects Bruce Betts has been investigating the advantages of tiny rolling robot explorers. He'll tell us about...  more »

BUILDING SPACESHIPS AT SPACEX WITH JEFF RICHICHI
January 10, 2011
Guests: Jeff Richichi
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We return to the SpaceX plant in California for a conversation with the company's Director of Structural Engineering and a quick tour of the factory floor. Emily Lakdawalla updates a couple of deep...  more »

LOOKING FORWARD TO A YEAR OF EXPLORATION, WITH EMILY LAKDAWALLA
January 3, 2011
Guests: Emily Lakdawalla
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2011 brings another twelve exciting months in and around the solar system. We'll get an extended preview from the Planetary Society's Science and Technology Coordinator. Bill Nye finds the joy of...  more »

CASSINI'S LINDA SPILKER WITH ANOTHER REPORT FROM SATURN
December 27, 2010
Guests: Linda Spilker
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The Cassini Mission Project Scientist returns with more amazing news from Saturn, its rings and its moons, including a possible ice volcano on Titan. Emily Lakdawalla tells us about a dangerous...  more »

BILL NYE VISITS THE SOFIA TELESCOPE
December 20, 2010
Guests: Bill Nye, Mat Kaplan
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Bill Nye and Mat Kaplan recently drove to California's high desert to shoot a video documentary about the big SOFIA infrared telescope that is carried above 41,000 feet by a remodeled Boeing 747....  more »