Planetary Radio: Space Exploration, Astronomy and Science
The Planetary Society
Planetary Radio brings you the human adventure across our Solar System and beyond. We visit each week with the scientists, engineers, leaders, advocates, and astronauts who are taking us across the final frontier. Regular features raise your space IQ while they put a smile on your face. Join host Sarah Al-Ahmed and Planetary Society colleagues including Bill Nye the Science Guy and Bruce Betts as they dive deep into space science and exploration. The monthly Space Policy Edition takes you inside the DC beltway where the future of the US space program hangs in the balance. Visit planetary.org/radio for an episode guide and much more.
Episodes
Mentioned books
May 13, 2026 • 57min
Igniting Discovery: A showcase of NASA-funded research
A showcase of NASA-funded research on Capitol Hill, from Dragonfly VR and Titan flight physics to lunar geology and Psyche's metal-world mysteries. Labs demonstrate icy-world experiments and 3D-printed medical tools for long missions. Outreach efforts include portable planetariums linking ocean vents to icy moon astrobiology. Lawmakers, advocates, and scientists highlight mission relevance and advocacy impact.
May 6, 2026 • 60min
Day of Action 2026: Rejoining the fight to save NASA science
Philip Shane, multi-year Day of Action veteran and podcast host, Jason Cerundolo, CEO of Colossus Computing building spacecraft supercomputers, and Gabe Segarra, human factors and health researcher. They discuss advocacy and civic participation, NASA-supported startup paths and entrepreneurship, and links between human health research and NASA science. The conversation captures the energy and stakes of returning to Capitol Hill.
May 1, 2026 • 1h 19min
Space Policy Edition: Why humans matter — The philosophy of Artemis II
Rebecca Lowe, philosophy senior fellow and podcaster who studies value and ethics, reflects on why human presence in space moves us. She discusses emotional public reactions to Artemis II, how live coverage and everyday crew moments create connection, and why human testimony, aesthetics, and intentionality give space missions unique value.
Apr 29, 2026 • 60min
Yuri's Night 2026: Celebrating 65 years of human spaceflight
Ron Garan, NASA astronaut, former ISS crewmember, fighter pilot, and humanitarian, shares a compact reflection on the orbital perspective. He and others explore Earthrise, the overview effect, robotic and classroom tools that spark future explorers, and stories of personal flights and polar orbit filmmaking. Conversations emphasize our planet’s fragility and the drive for global collaboration.
Apr 22, 2026 • 1h 2min
Project Hail Mary hits the big screen
Nahum Arav, Virginia Tech professor of astronomical physics, explains stellar lifecycles and our Sun's destiny. He talks about how the Sun will swell into a red giant, why it will not go supernova, and when Earth’s habitability will end. Short, clear science on long-term stellar stability and what that means for life and future human adaptation.
Apr 17, 2026 • 58min
Book Club Edition: Founder and CEO Peter Beck on The Launch of Rocket Lab
Peter Beck, founder and CEO of Rocket Lab, the New Zealand engineer behind the Electron rocket. He recounts rocket-powered childhood experiments and Mahia launch-site origins. Conversation covers Rutherford engine design and 3D printing, early flight lessons and launch nerves, building Neutron and scaling manufacturing, plus plans for interplanetary missions and the Venus Life Finder.
9 snips
Apr 15, 2026 • 60min
Triumph and turmoil: Artemis II and the renewed fight to save NASA science
Bruce Betts, Planetary Society chief scientist who gives astronomy tips. Ari Koeppel, AAAS policy fellow who analyzes federal science budgets. Jack Kiraly, Planetary Society government relations director who leads advocacy. They celebrate Artemis II's record lunar moments and personal tributes. Then they unpack a surprising Presidential Budget Request that threatens many NASA science missions and outline the advocacy response.
Apr 8, 2026 • 58min
Artemis II launches to the Moon
Joel Kearns, NASA deputy associate administrator for exploration, reflects on the historic return to cislunar space and program goals. The conversation highlights launch-day atmosphere and engineering triumphs. Brief accounts cover international partnerships, onboard science studies, ascent sensations, and how mission issues were diagnosed and resolved in real time.
11 snips
Apr 3, 2026 • 1h 13min
Space Policy Edition: Return to Launch — Cape Canaveral's unlikely history
Stephen C. Smith, author of Return to Launch and longtime Kennedy Space Center communicator, traces Cape Canaveral's unlikely rise. He explores geography and Cold War strategy, early V-2 tests and Apollo's boom‑and‑bust, Mexico's odd role in site choice, eminent domain shaping the spaceport, and how Space Florida pivoted the region toward commercial launches.
Apr 1, 2026 • 1h 1min
Artemis II’s AVATAR and a sungrazing comet
Lisa Carnell, NASA division director leading AVATAR, discusses personalized organ-chip biology flying around the Moon. Alain Maury, asteroid hunter from Chile, recounts discovering sungrazing comet C/2026 A1 (MAPS) headed for a dramatic close solar pass. They explore organ-chip tech for astronaut health, comet discovery methods, and what a surviving sungrazer could mean for skywatchers.
