Small Steps, Giant Leaps

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

NASA’s technical workforce put boots on the Moon, tire tracks on Mars, and the first reusable spacecraft in orbit around the Earth. Learn what’s next as they build missions that redefine the future with amazing discoveries and remarkable innovations.

Play

Open in

21 episodes
fortnightly
Avg 18 min
English

Episodes 21

Newest Oldest Longest

All20 Unplayed20 In progress0 Played0

Counted on this page — what you have heard stays on this device, so it is not something the list can be paged by.

#180
Tuesday · 15 min
The X-59 Goes Supersonic: What's Next?
NASA’s experimental X-59 airplane went supersonic for the first time on June 5, 2026. What's next for the mission that aims to reopen the skies to quiet commercial supersonic flight?
August 5 · 14 min
Life Support Systems: From Space Station to Orion
Astronauts aboard the International Space Station depend on life support systems that provide clean air, drinkable water, and a safe, livable environment. These systems are what make long-duration spaceflight not only possible, but comfortable. Today, some of these space station technologies have been adapted for Artemis – specifically, aboard the Orion crew capsule.
July 22 · 14 min
Science Takes a Village (in Alabama)
Ground teams connect with astronauts aboard the International Space Station to help them carry out research and experiments. Kassandra Stephens, payload communications manager at the Payload Operations Integration Center at Marshall Space Flight Center, works with space station crews to get science done.
#177
July 10 · 17 min
Transformative Aeronautics
A NASA research program collaborates with universities to revolutionize the way we design, build, and operate aircraft. Angela Surgenor, deputy program director of the Transformative Aeronautics Concepts Program, explains.
#176
June 26 · 19 min
Calibrating Satellite Image Data
Before scientists can use those satellite imagery for research, the data must be carefully calibrated to ensure measurements are accurate and consistent over time. Julia Barsi, NASA calibration scientist, explains.
June 15 · 22 min
Space Nuclear Propulsion
Space nuclear power and propulsion engineering could play a key role in sending robots and humans to deep space, enabling faster and farther journeys.
May 27 · 23 min
Test Like You Fly
The “test like you fly” approach is an engineering philosophy that means testing hardware, software, and flight operations as close to reality as possible. Erika Alvarez, deputy director of NASA's Space Systems Department, explains.
#173
May 13 · 16 min
Soft Skills for Tough Missions
So-called “soft skills” like good teamwork and communication can become just as valuable as technical skills to advance exploration.
#172
April 29 · 17 min
Tracking Launches: Views from a NASA Pilot
NASA pilots play a critical role in launch and recovery operations. Shannon Gregory, chief of flight operations at Kennedy Space Center, shares how his team supports crewed launches from the air, capturing real-time imagery, and staying ready for the unexpected.
#171
April 19 · 12 min
How NASA's Pandora Mission Unboxes Distant Worlds
Studying planets in other solar systems isn’t easy, especially when their host stars keep stealing the spotlight. NASA’s Pandora mission will cut through the noise, revealing what the atmospheres of these distant worlds are really made of.
March 18 · 14 min
Choreographing Astronaut Recovery
For any crew returning to Earth from space, the journey home includes a carefully choreographed recovery effort to bring them safely back on dry land after splashing down in the ocean. Christine St. Germain, NASA recovery director for the Commercial Crew Program, tells us about this critical phase of flight.
#168
March 4 · 20 min
Dragonfly: Mission to Titan
NASA's Dragonfly spacecraft, a rotorcraft the size of a small car, is set to explore Titan, Saturn's largest moon. Rich in organic compounds, Titan offers a rare window into the kinds of chemical conditions that may have existed on Earth long before life began.
#169
March 4 · 14 min
Designing the Roadmap to Mars
Nujoud Merancy, NASA's deputy associate administrator for the Strategy and Architecture Office, talks about how NASA is developing the roadmap for Artemis missions to the Moon and beyond.
#167
February 4 · 16 min
The Many Hats of NASA Engineer Jennifer Lu
From her experience working with the Commercial Crew Program, which sends astronauts to the International Space Station aboard commercial spacecraft, to the Artemis missions to the Moon, aerospace engineer Jennifer Lu shares how working with a variety of teams — including circus performers before coming to NASA — has helped her see the bigger picture. 
#166
January 21 · 25 min
Bringing Back Supersonic Flight
Currently, flying faster than the speed of sound over land is prohibited for commercial flights because it creates disruptive sonic booms. NASA's experimental X-59 plane will research how to turn those booms into "sonic thumps," about as loud as a slamming car door. Lead pilot Nils Larson explains how the X-59 could usher in the next era of commercial supersonic flight.
#165
Dec 17, 2025 · 13 min
Sailing the Solar System
A solar sail uses light particles from the Sun to move through space without needing a single drop of fuel. NASA is demonstrating the lightweight technology that could open doors to low-cost missions to deep space.
#164
Dec 3, 2025 · 15 min
Simulating Moon and Mars Dust
Dr. Jennifer Edmunson explains what it takes to simulate Moon and Mars dust on Earth, and lessons learned from preparing to build habitats on other worlds.
#163
Nov 19, 2025 · 20 min
NASA's Centennial Challenges Prize Program
There’s a program at NASA that taps into the power of the public to solve some of the toughest problems in space exploration. It’s called Centennial Challenges, a prize competition that has awarded more than $24 million to hundreds of people ranging from academics, startup founders, small business owners, and independent inventors from across the U.S. and 86 countries.
#162
Sep 18, 2025 · 22 min
6,000 Exoplanets and Counting
On September 17, 2025, NASA announced that the number of exoplanets, planets outside our solar system, tracked by NASA has reached 6,000. In the three decades since the groundbreaking detection of exoplanet 51 Pegasi b, the first confirmed planet orbiting a Sun-like star, astronomers have concluded that exotic worlds are everywhere.
#161
Sep 3, 2025 · 19 min
NASA's Zero Gravity Research Facility
A steel vacuum chamber 50 stories deep at NASA’s Glenn Research Center lets researchers simulate near-weightlessness by letting test hardware freefall for 5.18 seconds.

Showing 1–20 of 21 episodes