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
Martian rock collecting: From meteorites to Mars Sample Return
Meenakshi Wadhwa, principal scientist for Mars Sample Return at NASA JPL, updates us on the missions that will bring bits of the red planet back to Earth.
00:46:32 |
Wed 22 Feb 2023
Are we alone? The search for alien technosignatures
A new volunteer SETI science project to search for alien technosignatures has launched! Two of its creators tell you how to sign up.
00:58:53 |
Wed 15 Feb 2023
More on Mars’ Watery History
Mars expert Tanya Harrison shares the details on some of the newest discoveries about Mars’ history, including potential megatsunamis and the discovery of opals in Gale Crater.
00:54:06 |
Wed 08 Feb 2023
Space Policy Edition: The White House's Matt Daniels on the U.S.'s New Cislunar Strategy
Dr. Matt Daniels of the White House's Office of Science and Technology Policy joins the show to discuss the White House’s new cislunar space strategy, its ambitions, and implications for the future o…
01:17:11 |
Fri 03 Feb 2023
JWST confirms its first exoplanet
We celebrate the James Webb Space Telescope's first confirmed exoplanet discovery this week on Planetary Radio. Jacob Lustig-Yaeger, one of the leads on the team that made the detection, joins us to …
00:59:50 |
Wed 01 Feb 2023
Juno Journeys to Jupiter’s Moons
Dive into the latest discoveries about Jupiter’s moons, Ganymede, Europa, and Io, with Scott Bolton, the principal investigator for NASA’s Juno mission.
00:55:10 |
Wed 25 Jan 2023
Martian Mic Drop
Jason Achilles, a musician who partnered with NASA’s JPL to help put one of the first microphones on Mars, shares his journey and the joy of listening to the sounds of the red planet.
00:47:58 |
Wed 18 Jan 2023
Celebrating NASA’s Artemis I mission to the Moon
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.
00:50:04 |
Wed 11 Jan 2023
Space Policy Edition: JPL Director wants "every brain" to have the chance to work in space exploration
Jet Propulsion Lab director Laurie Leshin joins the Planetary Society's Casey Dreier for a conversation about challenges faced by the famous lab and the entire aerospace industry.
01:00:04 |
Fri 06 Jan 2023
Planetary Radio stories with Mat Kaplan
New host Sarah Al-Ahmed bids a fond farewell to Mat Kaplan, Planetary Radio’s former host, in a special interview as Mat shares stories from his two decades as creator and producer of the show.
01:04:11 |
Wed 04 Jan 2023
Planetary Society All-Stars Review the Year in Space
For his last episode as host, Mat Kaplan welcomes many of his Planetary Society colleagues for a review of a spectacular year of space exploration.
01:08:20 |
Wed 28 Dec 2022
Artemis 1 Orion capsule comes home, and the best of Planetary Radio
Host Mat Kaplan greets the Orion capsule that has just returned from the Moon, and then presents some of the best of Planetary Radio’s 20 years.
01:16:42 |
Wed 21 Dec 2022
One Last Blast: Author of ‘The Martian’ Andy Weir with JPL Chief Engineer Rob Manning
Outgoing Planetary Radio host Mat Kaplan realizes a dream by getting Rob Manning and Andy Weir together for one of the most entertaining conversations in our show’s two decades.
01:23:42 |
Wed 14 Dec 2022
Scientist and Hubble Repairman John Grunsfeld
Astrophysicist, former astronaut and NASA associate administrator John Grunsfeld on human exploration of space and the science we will do there.
01:15:02 |
Wed 07 Dec 2022
Space Policy Edition: NASA's Economic Impact with Alex MacDonald and Joshua Drucker
What is NASA’s return on investment? NASA chief economist Alex MacDonald and University of Illinois Chicago professor Joshua Drucker provide revealing answers from a new economic impact report.
01:13:39 |
Fri 02 Dec 2022
A Happy 20th Anniversary for Planetary Radio
Join the Planetary Society’s CEO, its co-founder Louis Friedman and others as we mark Planetary Radio’s entry into its third decade.
01:18:44 |
Wed 30 Nov 2022
Giving the University of Arizona Mirror Lab a spin
Join us for a tour of the University of Arizona’s Mirror Lab where they use a giant, spinning oven filled with molten glass to create the primary mirrors for the Giant Magellan Telescope.
01:09:53 |
Wed 23 Nov 2022
Voyager Mission Project Scientist Linda Spilker
Cassini Mission Project Scientist Linda Spilker has now taken on the same job for the Voyager Interstellar Mission.
00:58:31 |
Wed 16 Nov 2022
Space Policy Edition: What the Congressional Midterms Means for Space Science
Bethany Johns of the American Astronomical Society talks with Planetary Society Chief Advocate Casey Dreier about how changes in Washington after the midterm elections may affect support for science…
00:58:17 |
Fri 11 Nov 2022
Ann Druyan wishes you a happy Sagan Day
Celebrate Carl Sagan’s birthday with his longtime collaborator and life partner Ann Druyan.
01:04:07 |
Wed 09 Nov 2022
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