Kip Thorne and the Science of Interstellar

Spoiler alert. Famed physicist Kip Thorne says you might be able to survive a plunge into a black hole after all! That’s just one molecule of the fascinating science behind the science fiction film he helped create. We’ll talk about the movie and Kip’s new book, “The Science of Interstellar.” Emily Lakdawalla and Bill Nye preview several major space events, and Bruce Betts joins Mat Kaplan for another stellar edition of What’s Up.

Related Links:

• Complete conversation with Kip Thorne about the science of Interstellar and more
• Mat Kaplan’s blog about “Interstellar”
• Kip Thorne section of the Interstellar website, with black hole simulations and those blackboards!
• NASA’s Commercial Crew Program
• Your Timeline of Events for Orion’s Maiden Voyage
• Hayabusa2

This week's prize is the beautiful and informative Year in Space Desk and Wall Calendars.

This week's question:

What relatively bright star in our sky is Pioneer 10 headed for, and will reach the vicinity of in about 2 million years?

To submit your answer:

Complete the contest entry form at http://planetary.org/radiocontest or write to us at [email protected] no later than Tuesday, December 9, at 8am Pacific Time. Be sure to include your name and mailing address.

Last week's question:

What are the TWO active region numbers assigned to the giant sunspot that was visible during the most recent partial solar eclipse. The second number was assigned when the region reappeared as the Sun rotated.

Answer:

The answer will be revealed next week.

Question from the week before:

What is the approximate mass of the Philae lander? Hint: It’s more than an ant.

Answer:

The Philae comet lander has a mass of about 100 kilograms.