Since 2002, Planetary Radio has visited with a scientist, engineer, project manager, advocate, or writer who provides a unique perspective on the quest for knowledge about our Solar System and beyond. The full show archive is available for free.

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5,000 worlds and counting: the success of TESS

MIT’s Michelle Kunimoto heads the TESS Faint Star Search that has revealed over 1,600 of the more than 5,000 TESS-discovered exoplanet candidates in our galaxy.

The weather on brown dwarfs, and worlds on the eve of destruction

Johanna Vos watches the weather on brown dwarf worlds while her colleague, Sam Grunblatt, finds giant planets spiraling toward their doom.

Space Policy Edition: JWST and the politics of mega-science (with Robert Smith)

Science historian Robert Smith describes how NASA's new flagship space observatory came to be.

Nobel laureate John Mather: The promise of the James Webb Space Telescope

JWST senior project scientist John Mather has been looking forward to the new space telescope’s first light for more than 30 years. He joins us with a fascinating preview.

We have touched the Sun: The Parker Solar Probe’s triumph

A spacecraft has penetrated the Sun’s corona for the first time, revealing unprecedented data and capturing a mind-blowing video.

Space Policy Edition: What We're Watching in 2022

Planetary Society chief of D.C. operations Brendan Curry returns for a look ahead at what to expect in 2022.

Return to the Moon: Spacesuits and preparing for splashdown in the Pacific

Building the next spacesuit for Moon walkers, and a shipboard update on how the Artemis 1 Orion capsule will be recovered from the Pacific Ocean.

A good year for space: Planetary Society all-stars review 2021

Seven Planetary Society experts and enthusiasts celebrate 2021’s many space science and exploration milestones.

JWST is ready for launch and amazing science

Three astronomers share what they hope the James Webb Space Telescope will reveal about our universe after launch.

A conversation with the director of “Don’t Look Up”

Director Adam McKay and planetary defense expert Amy Mainzer join us for a conversation about the film and the science behind it.

Space Policy Edition: Astronomy goes big, with Heidi Hammel

Veteran astronomer Heidi Hammel discusses how the new astrophysics decadal survey lays the groundwork for decades of exciting science.

The Case for a Return to Enceladus

Flying a spacecraft through geysers spewing from Saturn’s moon Enceladus might reveal the building blocks of life or even life itself.

Amy Mainzer and a New Asteroid-Hunting Space Telescope

NASA has approved development of the NEO Surveyor space telescope. Project lead Amy Mainzer shares her hopes for this vital planetary defense tool.

Visiting the James Webb Space Telescope

Host Mat Kaplan visits the James Webb Space Telescope in California to see the observatory before it launches and speak with project leaders.

The New Great Space Observatories

Astrophysicist Grant Tremblay describes how four proposed space telescopes could reveal our solar system and the universe as never before.

Defenders of Earth on Planetary Radio

Six planetary defense leaders report on progress toward protecting Earth from near-Earth objects.

NASA’s TESS Exoplanet Mission Finds Over 2,000 Possible New Worlds

Exoplanet hunter and artist Natalia Guerrero of MIT reveals the discovery of many more possible new worlds by NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite.

Planetary Society All-Stars Review 2020 Space Milestones

In spite of everything, 2020 was a good year for space exploration according to five of The Planetary Society’s experts.

Exploring the Cosmos With Heidi Hammel and AURA

Astronomer and planetary scientist Heidi Hammel’s AURA shines bright across our solar system and beyond.

Katie Mack and The End of Everything

How will the universe end? That’s the question explored by cosmologist Katie Mack in her very entertaining new book.

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