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Space Policy Edition: Is this the moment for in-space nuclear power?
The 2020s will be a decisive decade for in-space nuclear power. So argues Dr. Bhavya Lal, whose new report reframes the conversation around a simple idea: power, not propulsion, is nuclear's most imm…
Published on 3 months ago
The science of sleep in space
How do astronauts get quality sleep in space? Erin Flynn-Evans, director of the Fatigue Countermeasures Laboratory at NASA Ames Research Center, joins Planetary Radio to explore how her team studies …
Published on 3 months, 1 week ago
New Horizons: Celebrating a decade since the Pluto flyby
On July 14, 2015, NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft made its historic flyby of Pluto, transforming our understanding of this distant world. Ten years later, we’re celebrating that iconic moment and the …
Published on 3 months, 2 weeks ago
Book Club Edition: Andy Weir and Project Hail Mary
Author Andy Weir was as shocked as anyone when The Martian became a top bestseller novel in the US. He repeated that achievement with his equally mind-blowing science fiction masterpiece Project Hail…
Published on 3 months, 2 weeks ago
Mat Kaplan’s first flight in zero-G
What happens when scientists, students, space communicators, and refugee engineers float together in zero gravity? Former Planetary Radio host Mat Kaplan joins a remarkable group of flyers aboard a Z…
Published on 3 months, 3 weeks ago
First images from the Vera C. Rubin Observatory
The Vera C. Rubin Observatory has shared its first public images, revealing millions of galaxies, stars, and asteroids in stunning detail. Stephanie Deppe, astronomy content strategist at Rubin Obser…
Published on 3 months, 4 weeks ago
Space Policy Edition: Are Democrats falling behind on space policy?
Have Democrats ceded leadership in space policy? That’s what Mary Guenther believes. She’s the Director of Space Policy at the Progressive Policy Institute and the author of an editorial that claims …
Published on 4 months ago
Space science and the Artemis Accords: Highlights from the 2025 H2M2 Summit
Recorded at the 2025 Humans to the Moon and Mars Summit (H2M2) in Washington, D.C., this episode features two powerful conversations about the future of human space exploration. Hosted by Mat Kaplan,…
Published on 4 months ago
Space Policy Edition: NASA’s 2026 budget
Alicia Brown from the Commercial Space Federation and Brittany Webster from the American Geophysical Union join the show to discuss NASA’s fiscal year 2026 budget proposal, which aims to slash the ag…
Published on 4 months, 1 week ago
The Giant Magellan Telescope takes its next big step
The Giant Magellan Telescope (GMT) is poised to become one of the most powerful ground-based observatories ever built. On June 12, 2025, the U.S. National Science Foundation announced that the GMT wi…
Published on 4 months, 1 week ago