ScienceAstronomyEarth Sciences

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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241 episodes
monthly
Avg 20 min
English

Episodes 241

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#120
Mar 11, 2018 · 25 min
120: Archeology for everyone with Chase Childs
Chase Childs tells us about satellite remote sensing. He explains how near-infrared images can expose underground structures, and why plant health is of surprising interest to archeologists. He also talks about GlobalXplorer, and some of the site's power users who have painstakingly mapped Peru.
#119
Feb 25, 2018 · 17 min
119: Archeology from space with Dr. Parcak
Dr. Sarah Parcak explains how she uses satellite images to locate archeological sites, and how it's her job to be a detective, piecing together clues to uncover the past. She also talks about GlobalXplorer, a non-profit that lets everyone be a space archeologist.
#118
Feb 11, 2018 · 32 min
118: The stuff between the stars with Dr. Rich
Dr. Jeff Rich returns to the show to talk about the interstellar medium— all the rocks, dust, and particles that exist between the stars. After some beer, we end up talking about black holes and how Jeff studies nearby galaxies to learn about the early universe.
#117
Jan 28, 2018 · 26 min
117: Guardians of (a very small part of) the galaxy with Dr. Fast
Dr. Kelly Fast tells us about the Planetary Defense Coordination Office, which finds asteroids before they find us. She talks about a recent exercise involving the tiny asteroid 2012 TC4, where asteroid hunters across the world coordinated to observe this object on a recent fly-by. We also talk about 'Oumuamua, the first interstellar asteroid ever discovered.
#116
Jan 14, 2018 · 40 min
116: Extraterrestrial Seismology with Dr. Panning
Dr. Mark Panning tells us all about "earthquakes" on other worlds. He talks about the InSight mission to Mars, which carries a seismometer to detect Marsquakes. He also explains how a seismometer on Europa could teach us about the interior of that icy moon.
#115
Dec 31, 2017 · 16 min
115: Detector detective with Mario Cabrera
Mario Cabrera tells us about the specialized detectors used in professional telescopes. He talks about how he's helping to develop new detectors that don't require coolant and provide more science for less money. He talks about the ways a detector is tested, and how he's walked through miles of waist-deep snow (both ways!) in the name of science.
#114
Dec 17, 2017 · 28 min
114: The densest stuff in the universe slamming together at the speed of light with Dr. Kanner
Dr. Jonah Kanner talks about LIGO's spectacular detection of two neutron stars merging together. This merger was not only detected by gravitational wave detectors in the US and Europe, it was also seen by many telescopes across the world and in space. This new discovery will help unlock many longstanding mysteries in astronomy and fundamental particle physics.
#113
Dec 3, 2017 · 39 min
113: Belt and suspenders spacecraft with Julie Webster
Cassini's spacecraft operations team manager, Julie Webster, stops by the show to reflect on Cassini. We chat about the time Cassini dove through Titan's atmosphere, how Julie monitored thousands of channels of telemetry at once, and how she's happy that she doesn't have to spend her time thinking through worst-case scenarios (or "awfulizing") now that the spacecraft is no more.
#112
Nov 19, 2017 · 27 min
112: Cassini Family with Dr. Cable
Dr Morgan Cable returns to the show to chat about the end of the Cassini Mission. We find solace in the fact that there's still a tiny bit of Cassini in orbit around Saturn. Dr. Cable also describes Cassini's discovery of hydrogen, "the easiest food for a microbe to digest," in Enceladus' plumes.
#111
Nov 5, 2017 · 26 min
111: Dust hazard with Dr. Throop
Sagan Prize winner Dr. Henry Throop tells us how scientists look for micron-sized dust that's millions of miles away to protect the New Horizons spacecraft. This search involves computer modeling, occultation observations, and plenty of teamwork.
#110
Oct 22, 2017 · 21 min
110: 492 roughly hexagonal mirrors with Dr. Liu
Dr. Fengchuan Liu talks to us about an international project, the Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT). He describes the telescope, it's many mirrors, and how he helps manage such a complex project.
#109
Oct 8, 2017 · 19 min
109: To attack that darkness once again with Dr. Hunt
Dr. Cindy Hunt returns to the show to talk about the upcoming 100th anniversary of the 100 inch Hooker Telescope on Mount Wilson. She explains why this telescope looks like a battleship and tells us how it "completely upended our understanding of the universe". Also: poetry!
#108
Sep 24, 2017 · 25 min
108: End of mission blues with Dr. Storrie-Lombardi
Dr. Lisa Storrie-Lombardi returns to the show to discuss NuSTAR, Spitzer, and what it feels like to end a mission you've been working on for decades. Cassini's Grand Finale has us reflecting on the upcoming demise of the Spitzer Space Telescope.
#107
Sep 10, 2017 · 29 min
107: Loose rocks and soft bots with Dr. McMahon
Professor Jay McMahon stops by the show to explain the YORP effect and how it changes asteroid spins and shapes. He also describes his NASA Institute for Advanced Concepts (NIAC) project that is investigating the use of soft robots to explore rubble-pile asteroids.
#106
Aug 27, 2017 · 29 min
106: Sample the mantle with Dr. Peterson
Dr. Mary Peterson tells us about basaltic glasses from the Galápagos Islands, and why they might have originated deep within the Earth's mantle. She also describes her lab work, which involves cool lab coats, security badges, and meticulous sorting of samples.
#105
Aug 13, 2017 · 19 min
105: Tectonic fabric with Dr. Donnellan
Dr. Andrea Donnellan stops by the show to talk about GeoGateway, a website that combines different datasets to help geologists. She explains how rocks move like silly putty, and recounts the time a lone cloud masqueraded as tectonic motion. Bonus music at the end is "Glorious Dawn" by Colorpulse. Hear more rad science tunes at www.symphonyofscience.com.
#104
Jul 30, 2017 · 27 min
104: Occultation vacation with Dr. Kramer
Dr. Emily Kramer stops by the show to try some tea and talk about her trip to South Africa to observe the next New Horizons target, 2014 MU69. She was one of several astronomers and planetary scientists who flew to other countries to watch this object pass in front of a star in the hopes of measuring its diameter.
#103
Jul 16, 2017 · 26 min
103: Meteor showers and "broom stars" with Dr. Ye
Dr. Quan-Zhi Ye tries an unusual frappuccino and explains how meteor showers are related to comets. He tells the story of how he became interested in comets and asteroids, and fills us in on some of his recent research.
#102
Jul 2, 2017 · 14 min
102: A thrilling tale of discovery with Dr. Christiansen
Dr. Jessie Christiansen returns to the show to talk about newly discovered exoplanets! She explains why this planetary system was devilishly difficult to observe with ground-based telescopes, and how one of the planets poses a puzzle.
#101
Jun 18, 2017 · 23 min
101: The best geologist on Mars with Dr. Francis
Dr. Raymond Francis talks about a rock-vaporizing laser and the software that controls it. He describes how he and colleagues programmed a computer to make choices like a geologist would, allowing the Curiosity rover to do more science on Mars.

Showing 121–140 of 241 episodes