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.

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The Perseverance Rover and a Great First Month on Mars

Perseverance rover deputy project scientists Katie Stack Morgan and Ken Williford share the latest developments from Mars’ newest robot resident.

Return From Ryugu: The Hayabusa2 Leader on His Mission’s Success

Hayabusa2 project manager Yuichi Tsuda shares the exciting success of Japan’s sample return mission ti asteroid Ryugu.

InSight’s Mole: A Martian Science Odyssey

NASA engineer and scientist Troy Hudson shares the sad but ultimately inspiring story of a two-year attempt to dig deep beneath the surface of Mars.

Space Policy Edition: SpaceX's Early, Desperate Days (with Eric Berger)

Elon Musk’s SpaceX nearly failed 15 years ago as it struggled to launch its first rocket. Eric Berger has written about this challenging early era and how it helped create today’s successful, innovative company.

Spinoffs: How NASA Technologies Benefit Life on Earth

We examine a few of the thousands of technologies and innovations developed by NASA that are making lives better around our planet.

Touchdown! The Sights and Sounds of Perseverance on Mars

Relive the most dramatic and awe-inspiring moments from NASA’s Perseverance rover landing on Mars.

Planetfest ’21: To Mars and Back Again

Author of The Martian Andy Weir and the leader of the United Arab Emirates’ successful Hope Mars orbiter mission joined other Mars all-stars at Planetfest ’21.

The Big Book of Mars: Our Obsession with the Red Planet

Author Marc Hartzman’s new book celebrates the wonder of the Red Planet and how it entered popular culture.

A Cosmic Odyssey: Decades of Discovery at the Palomar Observatory

How astronomers at California’s Palomar Observatory revolutionized our understanding of the cosmos.

The Mysterious Case of Interstellar Visitor ‘Oumuamua

‘Oumuamua made headlines when astronomers discovered it in 2017. Harvard professor Avi Loeb's new book lays out the case for why the object might be artificial and argues that scientists should embrace bold theories.

7 More Minutes of Terror: Perseverance Arrives at Mars

JPL engineer Gregory Villar prepares us for the perilous descent and landing of the 2020 Mars rover on February 18th.

A Symphony for 7 Moons

Composer Amanda Lee Falkenberg is joined by Cassini project scientist Linda Spilker and retired astronaut Nicole Stott as she shares excerpts from The Moons Symphony.

Solar Cruiser: A Giant Sail Prepares for Space

NASA has given the green light to Principal Investigator Les Johnson and his team for construction of a solar sail that dwarfs all that have come before.

Planetary Society All-Stars Review 2020 Space Milestones

In spite of everything, 2020 was a good year for space exploration according to five of The Planetary Society’s experts.

Astronaut Stephanie Wilson Might Walk on the Moon

18 astronauts on the Artemis Team have a shot at walking on the Moon, and Stephanie Wilson is one of them.

What Do You Need to Make Martian Oxygen? MOXIE!

Making oxygen from the Martian atmosphere will be essential if humans are ever to visit and work on the Red Planet, and the MOXIE experiment will soon show us how.

Welcoming a New Leader, and China on the Final Frontier

Bill Nye helps us welcome the Planetary Society’s new president who also leads a new Moon mission, while China’s lunar sample return spacecraft is headed home.

Space Policy Edition: Operation Moonglow and the Global Impact of Apollo

Space historian Teasel Muir-Harmony argues in her fascinating new book that the Apollo lunar program was promoted as a triumph of, not for, all mankind.

Observatory Director Francisco Córdova on the Devastating Loss of Arecibo

Host Mat Kaplan talked with the Arecibo Observatory director just hours before the giant radio telescope came crashing down.

More Moon Water and an Update from Venus on Our 18th Anniversary!

Astronomer Jane Greaves returns with an update on the phosphine gas floating above Venus, before Casey Honnibal takes us through her team’s discovery of water right out under the Sun on Earth’s Moon.

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