Planetary Radio • Mar 07, 2018
Visiting the Birthplace of PlanetVac
On This Episode
![Kaplan mat headshot 0114a print](https://planetary.s3.amazonaws.com/web/assets/pictures/_1200x1200_crop_center-center_82_line/kaplan-mat_headshot_0114a_print.jpg)
Mat Kaplan
Senior Communications Adviser and former Host of Planetary Radio for The Planetary Society
![Bruce betts portrait hq library](https://planetary.s3.amazonaws.com/web/assets/pictures/_1200x1200_crop_center-center_82_line/bruce-betts-portrait-hq-library.jpg)
Bruce Betts
Chief Scientist / LightSail Program Manager for The Planetary Society
![](https://planetary.s3.amazonaws.com/web/assets/pictures/_576x576_crop_center-center_82_line/PIA10969.jpg)
Justin Spring
Senior Project Engineer for Honeybee Robotics
![](https://planetary.s3.amazonaws.com/web/assets/pictures/_576x576_crop_center-center_82_line/PIA10969.jpg)
Kathryn Luczek
Project Engineer for Honeybee Robotics
Space is hard. Sample collection and return is harder still. That’s why the radically-simplified PlanetVac system from Honeybee Robotics is so intriguing. Join Planetary Society Chief Scientist Bruce Betts and host Mat Kaplan on a tour of Honeybee that includes a PlanetVac demo. Bruce returns for this week’s What’s Up jaunt around the night sky. Planetary Society Digital Editor Jason Davis shares big news about the LightSail 2 solar sail and the next SpaceX Falcon Heavy launch.
![PlanetVac Sample Collection](https://planetary.s3.amazonaws.com/web/assets/pictures/_2400x1552_crop_center-center_82_line/20180208_planetvac-xodiac-land-sample.jpg 2400w, https://planetary.s3.amazonaws.com/web/assets/pictures/_1200x776_crop_center-center_82_line/20180208_planetvac-xodiac-land-sample.jpg 1200w, https://planetary.s3.amazonaws.com/web/assets/pictures/_768x496_crop_center-center_60_line/20180208_planetvac-xodiac-land-sample.jpg 768w, https://planetary.s3.amazonaws.com/web/assets/pictures/_576x372_crop_center-center_60_line/20180208_planetvac-xodiac-land-sample.jpg 576w)
![Honeybee Robotics' giant freezer](https://planetary.s3.amazonaws.com/web/assets/pictures/_2400x1600_crop_center-center_82_line/20180307_honeybee-robotics-freezer.jpg 2400w, https://planetary.s3.amazonaws.com/web/assets/pictures/_1200x800_crop_center-center_82_line/20180307_honeybee-robotics-freezer.jpg 1200w, https://planetary.s3.amazonaws.com/web/assets/pictures/_768x512_crop_center-center_60_line/20180307_honeybee-robotics-freezer.jpg 768w, https://planetary.s3.amazonaws.com/web/assets/pictures/_576x384_crop_center-center_60_line/20180307_honeybee-robotics-freezer.jpg 576w)
![A bucket of Mars regolith simulant](https://planetary.s3.amazonaws.com/web/assets/pictures/_2400x1600_crop_center-center_82_line/20180307_mars-regolith-simulant.jpg 2400w, https://planetary.s3.amazonaws.com/web/assets/pictures/_1200x800_crop_center-center_82_line/20180307_mars-regolith-simulant.jpg 1200w, https://planetary.s3.amazonaws.com/web/assets/pictures/_768x512_crop_center-center_60_line/20180307_mars-regolith-simulant.jpg 768w, https://planetary.s3.amazonaws.com/web/assets/pictures/_576x384_crop_center-center_60_line/20180307_mars-regolith-simulant.jpg 576w)
![3D-printed PlanetVac prototypes](https://planetary.s3.amazonaws.com/web/assets/pictures/_2400x1600_crop_center-center_82_line/20180307_planetvac-prototypes.jpg 2400w, https://planetary.s3.amazonaws.com/web/assets/pictures/_1200x800_crop_center-center_82_line/20180307_planetvac-prototypes.jpg 1200w, https://planetary.s3.amazonaws.com/web/assets/pictures/_768x512_crop_center-center_60_line/20180307_planetvac-prototypes.jpg 768w, https://planetary.s3.amazonaws.com/web/assets/pictures/_576x384_crop_center-center_60_line/20180307_planetvac-prototypes.jpg 576w)
![Honeybee Robotics deep freeze](https://planetary.s3.amazonaws.com/web/assets/pictures/_2400x1600_crop_center-center_82_line/20180307_honeybee-robotics-deep-freeze.jpg 2400w, https://planetary.s3.amazonaws.com/web/assets/pictures/_1200x800_crop_center-center_82_line/20180307_honeybee-robotics-deep-freeze.jpg 1200w, https://planetary.s3.amazonaws.com/web/assets/pictures/_768x512_crop_center-center_60_line/20180307_honeybee-robotics-deep-freeze.jpg 768w, https://planetary.s3.amazonaws.com/web/assets/pictures/_576x384_crop_center-center_60_line/20180307_honeybee-robotics-deep-freeze.jpg 576w)
Related Links:
- PlanetVac Xodiac
- Honeybee Robotics
- Masten Space Systems Xodiac
- LightSail 2 Launch update
- March 24, 2018 In the Shadow Eclipse Documentary Premiere at SIU
- April 7, 2018 Yuri’s Night LA Celebration
- May 8-10 Explore Mars Humans to Mars Summit in Washington D.C.
- May 24-27, 2018 National Space Society International Space Development Conference in Los Angeles
This week's prizes are a Planetary Society t-shirt and a 200-point iTelescope.net astronomy account.
This week's question:
How many missions in NASA’s Mercury program carried humans into space?
To submit your answer:
Complete the contest entry form at http://planetary.org/radiocontest or write to us at [email protected] no later than Wednesday, March 14th at 8am Pacific Time. Be sure to include your name and mailing address.
Last week's question:
What is the second brightest star in the night sky as seen from either hemisphere?
Answer:
The answer will be revealed next week.
Question from the week before:
What two planets in our solar system have about the same surface gravity?
Answer:
We wanted to hear that Mercury and Mars are the closest in surface gravity, but would have also accepted Venus and Uranus.