Planetary Radio

Series produced by Mat Kaplan

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The Planetary Society's travel show that takes you to the final frontier, featuring commentary by Society CEO Bill Nye the Science Guy.

For over 20 years, we've been proud to bring Planetary Radio to our dedicated listeners. However, after careful consideration, we discontinued our traditional broadcast distribution on Aug. 2, 2023. We invite Radio stations to continue airing the extended podcast version of the show, along with any of our previous episodes. You can find the extensive archive of our broadcasts and our new podcast MP3s here: https://www.planetary.org/planetary-radio/radio-episodes-files For more information about Planetary Radio, visit our website at https://www.planetary.org/radio. For inquiries or support, contact Sarah Al-Ahmed, the host and producer of Planetary Radio, at planetaryradio@planetary.org. Thank you again for being an integral part of the Planetary Radio family. We look forward to continuing our cosmic journey together through the wonders of our podcast and beyond. Hide full description

For over 20 years, we've been proud to bring Planetary Radio to our dedicated listeners. However, after careful consideration, we discontinued our traditional broadcast distribution on Aug. 2, 2023. We invite Radio stations to continue airing the extended podcast version of the show, along with any of our previous episodes. You can find the extensive archive of our broadcasts and our new podcast MP3s here: https://www.planetary.org/planetary-radio/radio-episodes-files For more information about Planetary Radio, visit our website at https://www.planetary.org/radio. For inquiries or support, contact Sarah Al-Ahmed, the host and producer of Planetary Radio, at planetaryradio@planetary.org. Thank you again for being an integral part of the Planetary Radio family. We look forward to... Show full description


519 Pieces

Order by: Newest First | Oldest First
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Do we now live in a solar system with twelve or many more official planets? Galileo's Daughter author Dava Sobel was the only non-scientist on the ...

Bought by WPSU, WXAV 88.3FM Chicago, and WESM 91.3 FM


  • Added: Aug 30, 2006
  • Length: 28:52
  • Purchases: 3
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Planetary Radio visits the celebration of 40 years of Star Trek.

Bought by WXAV 88.3FM Chicago, WESM 91.3 FM, and KSJC


  • Added: Sep 17, 2006
  • Length: 28:52
  • Purchases: 3
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Two encounters with Jupiter, as we get a status report from Alan Stern on the eve of the New Horizons flyby, and we talk with folksinger Cheryl Whe...

Bought by WXAV 88.3FM Chicago and WESM 91.3 FM


  • Added: Feb 26, 2007
  • Length: 28:51
  • Purchases: 2
Caption: Did runoff from snowfall carve this river basin on Mars?, Credit: NASA
When she was learning to forecast the weather in Hawaii, Brown University grad student Kat Scanlon didn’t suspect it would help her uncover evidenc...

Bought by WXAV 88.3FM Chicago and WESM 91.3 FM


  • Added: Aug 05, 2013
  • Length: 28:50
  • Purchases: 2
Caption: How do you design a spacecraft to carry hibernating astronauts?, Credit: NIAC
The NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts Program supports science and tech proposals that are way out there. Program Executive Jay Falker tells us abo...

Bought by WXAV 88.3FM Chicago and WESM 91.3 FM


  • Added: Aug 12, 2013
  • Length: 28:50
  • Purchases: 2
Caption: NASA Administrator Charles Bolden in the JPL High Bay Clean Room, Credit: Mat Kaplan
Two missions are coming together in a high bay clean room at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. SMAP and ISS RapidScat went on display for a visit by N...

Bought by WXAV 88.3FM Chicago and WESM 91.3 FM


  • Added: Aug 20, 2013
  • Length: 28:50
  • Purchases: 2
Caption: Minotaur 5 rocket launches the LADEE spacecraft for the moon from the Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia, Credit: NASA
Planetary Radio returned to Southern California Public Radio's Crawford Family Forum for live coverage of the LADEE launch on September 6th. With ...

Bought by WXAV 88.3FM Chicago and WESM 91.3 FM


  • Added: Sep 10, 2013
  • Length: 28:50
  • Purchases: 2
Caption: MAVEN Principal Investigator Bruce Jakosky, Credit: Mat Kaplan
The Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution Mission (MAVEN) orbiter leaves for the red planet in November of 2013. Bruce Jakosky of the University o...

Bought by WXAV 88.3FM Chicago and WESM 91.3 FM


  • Added: Sep 17, 2013
  • Length: 28:50
  • Purchases: 2
Caption: Starship Century--Toward the Grandest Horizon
“Starship Century—Toward the Grandest Horizon” is the new collection of fact and fiction assembled by Gregory and James Benford. The brothers are ...

Bought by KSKQ, WXAV 88.3FM Chicago, and WESM 91.3 FM


  • Added: Oct 01, 2013
  • Length: 28:50
  • Purchases: 3
Caption: The Voyager Golden Record and New Horizons, Credit: Jon Lomberg
Carl Sagan’s longtime artistic collaborator Jon Lomberg designed the cover for the Voyager Interstellar Record. Now he wants to upload another mes...

Bought by WXAV 88.3FM Chicago and WESM 91.3 FM


  • Added: Oct 07, 2013
  • Length: 28:50
  • Purchases: 2
Caption: Planetary Evangelist Emily Lakdawalla
The Planetary Society’s Senior Editor and Planetary Evangelist recaps this year’s revealing meeting of the Division for Planetary Sciences (DPS). B...

Bought by WXAV 88.3FM Chicago and WESM 91.3 FM


  • Added: Oct 14, 2013
  • Length: 28:50
  • Purchases: 2
Caption: Jupiter From Voyager 2, Credit: Jonsson
Juno Principal Investigator Scott Bolton reviews the spacecraft's Earth flyby and previews its long stay at our solar system's king of planets. Bil...

Bought by WXAV 88.3FM Chicago and WESM 91.3 FM


  • Added: Oct 22, 2013
  • Length: 28:50
  • Purchases: 2
Caption: Pellet of Plutonium 238 for spacecraft, Credit: Department of Energy
Casey Dreier tells the winding tale of Plutonium 238, the radioactive isotope that is vital for exploration of the solar system. The US came danger...

Bought by WXAV 88.3FM Chicago and WESM 91.3 FM


  • Added: Oct 29, 2013
  • Length: 28:51
  • Purchases: 2
Caption: The All-Sky Optical Seti Instrument
A burst of laser light could let humanity know it is not alone in the universe. Harvard’s Paul Horowitz and Curtis Mead will give us an update on t...

Bought by WXAV 88.3FM Chicago and WESM 91.3 FM


  • Added: Nov 04, 2013
  • Length: 28:50
  • Purchases: 2
Caption: 2013 SpaceUp LA, Credit: Mat Kaplan
What would YOU do with $10 Billion for space exploration and development? That’s what Mat Kaplan asked the passionate space enthusiasts at the 201...

Bought by WXAV 88.3FM Chicago and WESM 91.3 FM


  • Added: Nov 12, 2013
  • Length: 28:51
  • Purchases: 2
Caption: Bill Nye reports live from the launch of the MAVEN Mars orbiter, Credit: Loren Roberts
MAVEN set out for Mars on November 18. Planetary Radio Live joined the celebration from Pasadena, California with Bruce Betts, Emily Lakdawalla, h...

Bought by WXAV 88.3FM Chicago and WESM 91.3 FM


  • Added: Nov 19, 2013
  • Length: 28:51
  • Purchases: 2
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Alyssa Rhoden studies Jupiter’s moon Europa…from a distance. She, many other scientists and millions of space exploration fans around the globe wan...

Bought by WXAV 88.3FM Chicago and WESM 91.3 FM


  • Added: Nov 26, 2013
  • Length: 28:51
  • Purchases: 2
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The life of explorer and teacher Dr. Bruce Murray was celebrated last November 10th at Caltech. This week we present a few excerpts from the tribu...

Bought by WXAV 88.3FM Chicago and WESM 91.3 FM


  • Added: Dec 03, 2013
  • Length: 28:51
  • Purchases: 2
Caption: Karl Battams, Comet ISON Observer
Maybe it wasn’t “the comet of the century,” but ISON has left a scientific legacy that is beyond compare. That’s according to Karl Battams of NASA’...

Bought by WXAV 88.3FM Chicago, WXDU, WESM 91.3 FM, and KMXT


  • Added: Dec 10, 2013
  • Length: 28:51
  • Purchases: 4
Caption: Chang'e 3 Lander on the Moon, Credit: CTV
The annual fall meeting of the American Geophysical Union revealed lots of science, some of it astounding. Emily Lakdawalla was there with Advocac...

Bought by KSVR Studios: Skagit Valley Radio, WXAV 88.3FM Chicago, and WESM 91.3 FM


  • Added: Dec 17, 2013
  • Length: 28:51
  • Purchases: 3