Spacepod

Dr Jennifer Scully talks about the geology of Ceres and Vesta, two large asteroids in the main belt that have been visited by NASA’s DAWN mission. She’s talks about the experience of getting to know each and every crater, and why the first images from Ceres surprised some people.

Dr. Shantanu Naidu tells us about planetary radar. Using large telescopes in California and Puerto Rico, he bounces radio waves off of asteroids and “listens” for the return signal. With this technique, he’s discovered moons on several asteroids.

Dr. Sona Hosseini talks about spectroscopy, a technique that allows scientists to determine what celestial bodies are made of. She’s developing new spectrometer that will allow her to look at an entire planet, or comet, all at once.

Dr. Dave Reitze, the  Executive Director of LIGO, talks about how each source of noise at LIGO must be meticulously accounted for— from wolves howling, to tidal flexing of the Earth’s surface, to the motion of the atoms in the observatory’s mirrors.

Dr. Dave Reitze, the  Executive Director of the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO) talks about the extraordinary detection of gravitational waves earlier this year, and the incredible engineering that made it possible.

Dr. Varoujan Gorjian thoroughly debunks a misconception he hates— the idea that black holes suck. Find out what would happen to the Earth if our Sun was suddenly replaced with a black hole of the same mass, and why is is so challenging to send a probe to Mercury.

Dr. Marja Seidel stops by the show to talk about galaxy evolution. She also talks about a unique outreach effort she co-founded, called Cielo y Tierra, that shares science with remote communities.

Dr. Andrew Benson talks about dark matter, the mysterious stuff that makes up most of the mass of the universe. Andrew explains how we can learn about dark matter, even though we don’t yet know what it is.

Dr. Kevin Schlaufman tells us about exoplanets that orbit around their stars in an unusual manner. He also explains what his research says about the Earth’s fate when our sun dies, billions of years from now.

Dr. Betts talks about LightSail, an exciting mission to test new technology from The Planetary Society. This is a special joint episode with The Orbital Mechanics podcast.

Dr. Cynthia Hunt talks about the Carnegie Observatories’ astronomical glass plate collection. The Carnegie collection includes historic plates that recorded the moments astronomers made groundbreaking discoveries.

Director Dr. John Mulchaey stops by the show to talk about the history and future of the Carnegie Observatories; the place “where the universe was discovered”. This episode is the first of a series on current research at Carnegie.

Dr. Matt Siegler talks about ice on the Moon, and what it can tell us about the Moon’s past. He also tells us about an experiment that uses astronaut-collected lunar soil.

Project Manager Suzy Dodd tells us about the continuing missions of the Voyager spacecraft. These spacecraft are still collecting unique and valuable data, and Suzy explains how engineers hack the spacecraft to extend their lifespan.

Master of Disaster Mika McKinnon talks about how she injected real science into the sci-fi series “Stargate”. We discuss how she balanced accuracy and entertainment, and how she influenced the way scientists were portrayed on that show.

Jan Chodas stops by the show to talk about her experience working on several pioneering NASA missions, including Galileo, Cassini, the Spirit and Opportunity rovers, and Juno. Note: this was recorded before Juno successfully entered into the orbit of Jupiter.

Professor Rita Economos talks about her research into magma on Earth. She recounts some of the adventures she’s had searching for rocks, and explains why Earth’s volcanoes appear to be unique in the solar system.

Dr. Rachael Beaton and I try “Grass Jelly Drink” and talk about one of the major fundamental constants of the universe; the Hubble Constant. She explains what it is and why she and her colleagues are trying to measure it better than it ever has been measured before.

Dr. Solange Ramirez visits the show to talk galaxies, supermassive black holes, and the gravity that ties them together.

Dr. Issac Smith visits the show to talk about one of Mars’ past ice ages; a time when most of the planet was covered in ice. He talks about how he made this discovery by looking at the layers of ice deposited on the planet’s North pole.