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Planetary Radio Episodes
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.
Jared Head, museum facilitator at Columbia Memorial Space Center and co-host of All Space Considered at Griffith Observatory, breaks down how a SpaceX Falcon 9 upper stage ended up crashing into the Moon. Plus, Planetary Society staff reflect on the 2026 total solar eclipse in Spain and share an update on the fight to save NASA science.
Green Bank, West Virginia, bans cell phones and Wi-Fi, so that its giant radio telescope can listen undisturbed. This week, Senior Communications Advisor Mat Kaplan talks with director Katie Dellamaggiore and physicist Ellie White about the documentary "Small Town Universe," and Public Education Specialist Kate Howells previews August's total solar eclipse.
Planetary Radio looks back at the biggest space exploration stories of 2025, from stunning images and major missions to hard lessons about how science moves forward. Host Sarah Al-Ahmed is joined by members of The Planetary Society’s communications team to reflect on what defined the year, and what they’re most excited to see in 2026.
The Planetary Society’s Kate Howells has written this beautifully illustrated trek among our Solar System’s most intriguing and mysterious moons.
Host Sarah Al-Ahmed speaks with Staci Horvath, outreach coordinator at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center and director of International Observe the Moon Night, and Theresa Summer, astronomy educator at the Astronomical Society of the Pacific, about the history and global impact of International Observe the Moon Night.
Asteroid 2024 YR4 has captured global attention, but is it really a threat? Kate Howells breaks it down. Then, Casey Dreier and Jack Kiraly analyze how the new Trump administration is shaping NASA’s future.
The Planetary Society team reviews the best space moments of 2024, from the China National Space Administration's return of samples from the far side of the Moon to the triumphant launch of NASA's Europa Clipper mission.
Get up to speed on the latest in commercial space news and look forward to the European Space Agency’s Ramses mission to Apophis with members of The Planetary Society team.
Matt Golombek, project scientist for the Mars Exploration Rover Project, joins Planetary Radio to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the landing of the Spirit and Opportunity rovers on Mars.
We're celebrating lunar missions and the space advocacy that helps make them happen this week on Planetary Radio.
Members of The Planetary Society staff revisit some of 2023's most exhilarating moments and groundbreaking discoveries in space this week on Planetary Radio.
Simone Marchi, co-investigator for NASA’s Psyche mission, joins Planetary Radio to share the creative ways their mission team is working to understand cratering on metallic worlds.
A new volunteer SETI science project to search for alien technosignatures has launched! Two of its creators tell you how to sign up.
Jeremy Graeber, the assistant launch director at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, joins Planetary Radio to recount his experience on the night of Artemis I’s historic launch.
Seven Planetary Society experts and enthusiasts celebrate 2021’s many space science and exploration milestones.
NASA’s Jim Green and Mary Voytek want the science community to develop tools that will help us evaluate potential evidence of life beyond Earth.
The head of the United Arab Emirates space agency announces a new mission to explore seven asteroids.
Flying a spacecraft through geysers spewing from Saturn’s moon Enceladus might reveal the building blocks of life or even life itself.
Atmospheric scientist Mark Lemmon discusses the beautiful clouds on Mars imaged by NASA's Curiosity rover.
In spite of everything, 2020 was a good year for space exploration according to five of The Planetary Society’s experts.