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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What Do You Need to Make Martian Oxygen? MOXIE!

Making oxygen from the Martian atmosphere will be essential if humans are ever to visit and work on the Red Planet, and the MOXIE experiment will soon show us how.

Welcoming a New Leader, and China on the Final Frontier

Bill Nye helps us welcome the Planetary Society’s new president who also leads a new Moon mission, while China’s lunar sample return spacecraft is headed home.

Space Policy Edition: Operation Moonglow and the Global Impact of Apollo

Space historian Teasel Muir-Harmony argues in her fascinating new book that the Apollo lunar program was promoted as a triumph of, not for, all mankind.

Observatory Director Francisco Córdova on the Devastating Loss of Arecibo

Host Mat Kaplan talked with the Arecibo Observatory director just hours before the giant radio telescope came crashing down.

More Moon Water and an Update from Venus on Our 18th Anniversary!

Astronomer Jane Greaves returns with an update on the phosphine gas floating above Venus, before Casey Honnibal takes us through her team’s discovery of water right out under the Sun on Earth’s Moon.

Revealing Mars From Above, and Crew Dragon is Go!

Two pioneering Mars orbiters are still doing great work above the Red Planet, while the first operational Crew Dragon spaceship has delivered four astronauts to the International Space Station.

Space Policy Edition: NASA's Post-Election Landscape

With the United States election over, Casey Dreier and Mat Kaplan welcome back Planetary Society Chief of D.C. Operations Brendan Curry for a review of what may be in store for the U.S. space program.

A Rogue World Wanders as PlanetVac Heads for the Moon and Mars

A distant, lonely planet has been discovered as it wanders the galaxy, while Bill Nye helps us celebrate selection of a radically-simple sample collection system for trips to the Moon and Mars’ moon Phobos.

A Return to Asteroid Mining, and Digging Into Space Ethics with Joel Sercel

Joel Sercel believes we are entering an era in which asteroid mining and other commercial development of space are imminent, but he’s concerned about how we will avoid the mistakes of past eras of human expansion.

A Deep Dive into Asteroid Bennu With Dante Lauretta

The leader of the OSIRIS REx asteroid sample return mission shares more details of last week’s encounter in an exclusive interview, while we also learn about the proposed mission to look for life on Saturn’s moon Enceladus.

Beyond Earth’s Edge: A Celebrity Space Poetry Jam!

Creators of an outstanding new collection of poems about spaceflight and exploration join Mat Kaplan to talk about the book as Bill Nye and other notables read selections.

Protectors of Earth! (and Other Worlds)

NASA’s planetary protection officer joined Mat Kaplan’s Humans to Mars summit panel for a great conversation about protecting worlds throughout the solar system from what could be devastating contamination.

Space Policy Edition: Divining Biden's Space Policy with Jeff Foust

Where would a Biden Administration take US space policy and NASA? Casey Dreier and space journalist Jeff Foust synthesize a best guess based on the available evidence.

Exploring the Cosmos With Heidi Hammel and AURA

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

A Fond Farewell: Solar System Specialist Emily Lakdawalla

Planetary Society Solar System Specialist Emily Lakdawalla makes a big announcement, and shares stories from her long history with the organization.

Have We Found Evidence of Life on Venus?

It could be a profound and historic discovery made on Earth’s nearest planetary neighbor.

Space Policy Edition: The Moon-to-Mars Strategy, with Dr. Scott Pace

The National Space Council’s Scott Pace talks with Casey Dreier about the current administration’s sweeping new strategy that integrates all elements of space development and exploration.

A Planetary Mystery is Solved, and it’s Bill Nye’s Anniversary!

Former Dawn mission director Marc Rayman of JPL reveals the secrets of the bright spots on dwarf planet Ceres, and we celebrate 10 years as Planetary Society CEO with Bill Nye.

The Sirens of Mars Call to Us

Georgetown University planetary scientist Sarah Stewart Johnson chronicles the long history of our fascination with Mars and the possibility of life there, culminating with Perseverance, the new rover now headed there.

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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