Lindy Elkins-Tanton

Join Lindy Elkins-Tanton, a prominent planetary scientist and director of UC Berkeley's Space Sciences Laboratory, as she navigates the exciting possibilities of human missions to Mars. She outlines the scientific objectives for Mars, emphasizing the search for life as a top priority. Lindy shares insights on why humans bring unique value alongside robots, the importance of teamwork in mission planning, and personal reflections on facing the uncertainties of space travel. Discover what it takes to make the Psyche mission a reality and why curiosity is vital for exploration.

Psyche is a 279 kilometer-wide (173 mile-wide) hunk of metal in space. Psyche is also a magnificent spacecraft that will soon head toward its namesake in the asteroid belt. Host Mat Kaplan recently visited the JPL clean room where the probe was in final preparation for launch. You’ll hear conversations with mission leaders including principal investigator Lindy Elkins-Tanton and project manager Henry Stone. We’re fresh out of metal asteroids at The Planetary Society, but you might win the rubber variety in this week’s What’s Up space trivia contest. Discover more at https://www.planetary.org/planetary-radio/2022-Psyche-mission-elkins-tantonSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

NASA's Psyche mission's principal investigator, Lindy Elkins-Tanton, shares her emotional experience of watching her team's spacecraft blast off. Jesse Tomlinson and Stephen Watkins from the Eclipse Company discuss their partnership with The Planetary Society and the launch of a new eclipse map for the upcoming 2024 total solar eclipse in North America. The podcast also explores topics like the challenges and successes of space missions, planning eclipse viewing trips, the importance of educating about solar sailing, finding ideal eclipse viewing locations, and rocket launch delays.