Planetary Radio
Planetary Radio is the weekly adventure on the final frontier produced by the Planetary Society and it's CEO, Bill Nye the Science Guy. Listen to host Mat Kaplan's conversations with the scientists, engineers, dreamers and leaders at the forefront of space exploration. You'll also hear our regular segments with Bill, "Planetary Evangelist" Emily Lakdawalla, and Director of Science and Technology Bruce Betts. Enter the weekly space trivia contest for your chance to win out-of-this-world prizes!
- Update frequency
- every 6 days
- Average duration
- 51 minutes
- Episodes
- 589
- Years Active
- 2014 - 2023
The oldest organic molecules in the known Universe
Justin Spilker and his colleagues at Texas A&M University have detected the oldest and most distant organic molecules in the known Universe using the James Webb Space Telescope. Justin joins Planetar…
00:51:19 |
Wed 14 Jun 2023
Starstruck with Sarafina El-Badry Nance
Sarafina El-Badry Nance joins Planetary Radio to discuss her new book, Starstruck: A Memoir of Astrophysics and Finding Light in the Dark. We share a beautiful poem about exploration that will soon b…
00:54:46 |
Wed 07 Jun 2023
Space Policy Edition: The policy implications of active SETI
Would meeting an extraterrestrial civilization be good or bad for humanity? Astronomer Dr. Jacob Haqq Misra argues that knowing the outcome in advance is fundamentally impossible, which results in a …
01:17:27 |
Fri 02 Jun 2023
The Science You’ve Enabled
The Planetary Society has just announced the latest awards in its Science and Technology Enabled by the Public (STEP) Grant program. With regular host Sarah Al-Ahmed on vacation, Mat Kaplan returns t…
00:50:54 |
Wed 31 May 2023
Exoplanet enigma: Unpacking the discovery of a "forbidden" planet
This week on Planetary Radio, Shubham Kanodia, the lead on a paper about a so-called“forbidden planet,” TOI 5202 b, joins us to talk about this strange world and why it's upending our understanding o…
00:50:48 |
Wed 24 May 2023
Inspiring the next generation through space education
In this week's episode of Planetary Radio, we're honoring the educators who inspire young, curious minds to explore the marvels of the Cosmos. We’ll speak with guests from The Planetary Academy, the …
01:15:20 |
Wed 17 May 2023
The case for saving VERITAS
NASA's VERITAS mission to Venus is currently on an indefinite hold. Darby Dyar, Deputy Principal Investigator for the mission, joins Planetary Radio to share the human story behind the spacecraft. Sh…
01:00:07 |
Wed 10 May 2023
Space Policy Edition: SpaceX's Starship vs. the environment, with Eric Roesch
Prior to Starship's inaugural launch, environmental policy expert Eric Roesch was outspoken about the possibility of catastrophe. As the rocket launched, it kicked up massive clouds of dust and decim…
01:20:19 |
Fri 05 May 2023
Adventures at the 2023 Planetary Defense Conference
Planetary Radio creator Mat Kaplan shares a look behind the scenes at the 2023 Planetary Defense Conference in Vienna, Austria. You’ll hear exclusive interviews with planetary defense specialists fro…
00:54:08 |
Wed 03 May 2023
Juice mission liftoff: A new era of icy moon exploration begins
Join us as we celebrate the successful launch of the European Space Agency's Juice mission! Our special guest, project scientist Olivier Witasse, shares the thrilling details about the launch and the…
00:58:49 |
Wed 26 Apr 2023
Under Alien Skies with Phil Plait
Phil Plait, the Bad Astronomer, joins Planetary Radio to discuss his new book, “Under Alien Skies: A Sightseer’s Guide to the Galaxy.” The book takes the reader on an imaginary journey to 10 spectacu…
00:55:32 |
Wed 19 Apr 2023
Yuri’s Night: For all SpaceKind
Join us as we delve into the heart of LA's 2023 Yuri's Night party, a celebration commemorating Yuri Gagarin's pioneering 1961 voyage into space. We'll bring you exclusive interviews and insights fro…
00:44:25 |
Wed 12 Apr 2023
Space Policy Edition: The motives behind NASA's billions — Jean Toal Eisen on how Congress funds the final frontier
For over a decade, Jean Toal Eisen drafted legislation directing billions of dollars to NASA as senior staff on the Senate Appropriations Committee. She joins the show to unveil the crucial roles pla…
00:57:51 |
Fri 07 Apr 2023
Two Years of Hope: Celebrating the Emirates Mars Mission
Join us as we celebrate the accomplishments of a truly inspiring space mission - the United Arab Emirates' Hope probe, which has spent two amazing years orbiting Mars! Our guest, Mohsen Al Awadhi, Di…
00:59:55 |
Wed 05 Apr 2023
Volcanic Venus? New insights from vintage data
Is Venus hiding volcanic secrets beneath its shroud of clouds? Robbie Herrick and Scott Hensley, the minds behind a new paper on recent potential volcanic activity on Venus, join Planetary Radio to d…
00:48:44 |
Wed 29 Mar 2023
Getting psyched for Psyche
NASA’s Psyche mission to explore a metallic asteroid will launch later this year. Lindy Elkins-Tanton, the principal investigator for Psyche, joins Planetary Radio to share the mission’s status and l…
00:53:38 |
Wed 22 Mar 2023
Universal Harmonies: Sonifying images for science and accessibility
Kim Arcand from NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory joins Planetary Radio to share her team’s new album “Universal Harmonies.” It’s a beautiful collection of sonified observations taken by the space tel…
00:55:24 |
Wed 15 Mar 2023
Looking back on Voyager’s 45th Anniversary
Planetary Radio’s creator Mat Kaplan guest hosts for this look back at the Jet Propulsion Lab’s celebration of the 45th anniversary of the Voyager mission. Stick around for his conversation with Ann …
01:15:50 |
Wed 08 Mar 2023
Space Policy Edition: The Tricky Ethics of Space Settlement
Humanity is on the cusp of attempting permanent settlement on other worlds. But who gets to go? How will we govern ourselves or enforce laws off Earth? How can you have property rights, labor rights,…
01:11:29 |
Fri 03 Mar 2023
The Canadian Lunar Rover with Peter Visscher
In this week’s episode, Director of Canadensys West Peter Visscher fills us in on the upcoming Canadian lunar rover. Visscher has been working on the rover for years. Bruce Betts also returns to the …
00:36:52 |
Wed 01 Mar 2023
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