Spacepod

Carrie Nugent

Hear stories about the alien moons orbiting our Sun, of cold stars, and the future of space exploration. Every week, scientist Dr. Carrie Nugent chats about an amazing part of our universe with an expert guest. Spacepod is the podcast that gives you an inside look into space exploration. Learn more: http://listentospacepod.com

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240 episodes
Updated Yesterday

Episodes240

Newest first

Apr 10, 2016 · 12 min
40: Keeping an eye on asteroids with Dr. Yeomans
Dr. Don Yeomans, head of JPL's Near-Earth Object office until his recent retirement, describes how the field of asteroid discovery has changed over the decades. He recalls when early data indicated that asteroid Apophis had a small chance of hitting the Earth (spoiler alert: today, with more data, we know that Apophis will not hit the Earth).
Apr 3, 2016 · 13 min
39: A day in the life of a Mars rover with Dr. Litchtenberg
Dr. Kimberly Litchtenburg explains what it is like to explore Mars with the Curiosity rover. It involves daily discussions with scientists, careful programming, and sometimes, fantastic discoveries, like the discovery of a stream bed that once had enough
Mar 27, 2016 · 11 min
38: Mysterious icy travelers with Dr. Fernández
Professor Yan Fernández tells us about several baffling comets, including one comet that has a nearly circular path around the sun. He also talks about comet Hale Bopp, which we've got to study now, because it won't return to our part of the solar system until 7000 AD.
Mar 20, 2016 · 14 min
37: Exploring Pluto with Dr. Singer
Dr. Kelsi Singer and I drink an unusual beverage while she shares some of the incredible discoveries that she and the New Horizons team are making. We also discuss a contentious issue— should Pluto be called a planet?
Mar 13, 2016 · 21 min
36: Using artwork to explain the Universe with Dr. Hurt
Dr. Robert Hurt stops by the podcast to talk about his job making visuals to explain complicated astronomical concepts. We chat about multiverses, gravitational waves, and Cameron Diaz's love for NASA.
Mar 6, 2016 · 8 min
35: Geology at a distance with Dr. Rivkin
Dr Andy Rivkin and I drink gin and tonics, and Andy explains what spectroscopy is and what it can teach us about minerals on asteroids. He also describes what it's like to use some of the world's most powerful telescopes.
Feb 28, 2016 · 10 min
34: Keeping track of asteroids with Dr. Sphar
Dr. Tim Sphar, CEO of NEO Sciences and former director of the Minor Planet Center, stops by the show to talk about how asteroids are cataloged and monitored. He also talks about his experience the day tiny asteroid 2008 TC3 impacted Earth.
Feb 21, 2016 · 14 min
33: Why do we look for water when we look for life? With Dr. Cable
Dr Cable returns to the show to talk about why scientists often assume that water is needed to sustain life. She explains why most life, like us, likely is carbon-based, and talks about where she'd look for lifeforms beyond our planet.
Feb 14, 2016 · 14 min
32: How to build a planet with Dr. Kretke
Dr. Katherine Kretke investigates how planets are formed with computer models. Her new research had a surprising result— that pebbles play a key role in forming terrestrial planets like Earth and Mars.
Feb 7, 2016 · 17 min
31: If we could put Mars in a bottle… with Paulo Younse
Paulo Younse has spent over 5 years studying hermetic seals for tubes. But these aren't just any tubes— there the tubes that will travel to Mars and carry rocks back to Earth. He describes the challenges of designing the perfect tubes for this ambitious venture.
Jan 31, 2016 · 11 min
30: Space weathering with Dr. Kaluna
Dr. Heather Kaluna talks about space weathering, which changes the surfaces of the moon, asteroids, and Mercury. She studies space weathering in a laboratory, where she can reproduce hundreds of millions of years of weathering in just forty minutes.
Jan 24, 2016 · 18 min
29: Keeping the James Webb Space Telescope cool with Dr. Stone
The James Webb Space Telescope is the biggest astronomy project in the world right now. It's an amazingly complex robot, and some of its sensors need to be kept cool. Dr Kris Stone talks about the cooling system, and how it will be tested during the longest continuous test ever conducted at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
Jan 17, 2016 · 17 min
28: Building experiments for the International Space Station with Dr. White
Dr. Lauren White talks about designing and building instruments for the International Space Station (ISS). She shares a secret about designing instruments for the outside of the space station, and also talks about being the first American to command a laser on the ISS.
Jan 10, 2016 · 19 min
27: Searching Iceland's lava fields for life on Mars with Dr. Cable
Dr Morgan Cable comes back on the podcast to tell us about how she and a team of scientists searched a fresh lava field in Iceland to look for signs of life. They pretended to see the landscape like a rover would, so that the lessons they learned in Icela
Jan 3, 2016 · 14 min
26: Old, volatile, and gassy: Why comets would make unpleasant but interesting dinner guests with Dr. Bauer
Dr. James "Gerbs" Bauer talks about comets, the icy dirtballs (or dirty iceballs) that orbit the Sun. We talk about the ancient Egyptian term for comets, why you probably shouldn't eat a comet, and an exciting new discovery made by the NEOWISE team.
Dec 27, 2015 · 18 min
25: Why couldn't New Horizons orbit Pluto?
The New Horizons mission revealed Pluto's jaw-dropping vistas and geophysical mysteries. One listener wanted to know why the spacecraft didn't go into orbit around Pluto. Tom Spilker, interplanetary travel expert, tells us the answer.
Dec 20, 2015 · 13 min
24: Engineering the Galileo Probe, Pt 2.
In part 2, engineers who worked on the Galileo probe discuss what it was like when the probe entered Jupiter's atmosphere. This episode includes a bonus story about Pioneer Venus.
Dec 13, 2015 · 12 min
23: Engineering the Galileo Probe, Pt 1.
Celebrating the 20th anniversary of the successful deployment of a probe into Jupiter's atmosphere, this episode is a series of interviews with the engineers who worked on this challenging, historic mission.
Dec 6, 2015 · 13 min
22: Merging galaxies with Dr. Privon
Dr. George Privon talks about what galaxies are and what happens when two galaxies merge.
Nov 29, 2015 · 16 min
21: The fascinating, hidden world of isotopes in water with Dr. Dan Petrizzo
Dr. Dan Petrizzo explains what isotopes are, and what isotopes in water can tell scientists about ancient climates. He also explains how he made Mars rocks in the lab.

Spacepod

40: Keeping an eye on asteroids with Dr. Yeomans

39: A day in the life of a Mars rover with Dr. Litchtenberg

38: Mysterious icy travelers with Dr. Fernández

37: Exploring Pluto with Dr. Singer

36: Using artwork to explain the Universe with Dr. Hurt

35: Geology at a distance with Dr. Rivkin

34: Keeping track of asteroids with Dr. Sphar

33: Why do we look for water when we look for life? With Dr. Cable

32: How to build a planet with Dr. Kretke

31: If we could put Mars in a bottle… with Paulo Younse

30: Space weathering with Dr. Kaluna

29: Keeping the James Webb Space Telescope cool with Dr. Stone

28: Building experiments for the International Space Station with Dr. White

27: Searching Iceland's lava fields for life on Mars with Dr. Cable

26: Old, volatile, and gassy: Why comets would make unpleasant but interesting dinner guests with Dr. Bauer

25: Why couldn't New Horizons orbit Pluto?

24: Engineering the Galileo Probe, Pt 2.

23: Engineering the Galileo Probe, Pt 1.

22: Merging galaxies with Dr. Privon

21: The fascinating, hidden world of isotopes in water with Dr. Dan Petrizzo